What's in Christian Bachez's Bag?

A rising-star muralist and painter, Bachez began making art only three years ago amid the pandemic while a student at Holy Cross. Today, more than a dozen of his bright, playful murals can be seen across Worcester and beyond — designed to spread joy and amplify values meaningful to Bachez and his community partners. Here's what's in his bag:

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1. Artifakt Supply hoodie.
I used to work at Artifakt Supply, an art store in Worcester, and I bring this hoodie to every painting site. I love the kangaroo pouch — I keep an extra can inside to swap out while I’m on the ladder.

2. Montana Colors PRO gloves. I always put these on (or at least on my right hand) while I’m spray painting, otherwise paint particles end up everywhere later.

3. Everbilt 9'x12' canvas drop cloth. It’s cool to have this tarp with paint remnants from every project I’ve done so far, like my recent mural at Quinsigamond Elementary School in Worcester (above). A dream future project for me would be a massive mural collaboration with artists I look up to, like Jason Naylor or fellow Holy Cross alum Justine Hill ’08.

4. BachezDoesArt SNAX Slaps Sticker Pack Vol. 2: Graffiti Edition. I love to carry sticker packs of my designs in my back pocket to give to people interested in what I’m painting. Kids get so excited!

5. Montana Colors waist bag. This is another hands-free item for me — it gives me easy access to my phone, extra caps and stickers.

6. Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III. I love street photography, and this camera is small and silent. It’s great for reference photos.

7. 3M half facepiece reusable respirator. I always wear a mask to protect my lungs while painting.

8. Montana Colors caps & nozzles collection. People are surprised to learn there are different caps for different paint shapes, speeds and fades. I love having a wide selection.

9. Rubik’s Cube. The Rubik’s Cube is a fun fidget toy when I’m on a wall or eating lunch. In art, they tell you to step back to look at the piece as a whole. So I’ll do that as I play with the cube. Fun fact: My record is 30 seconds.    

10. Montana Cans GOLD, LoopColors & Montana Colors 94 spray paints. My preferred medium is spray paint. Purple is my favorite color — it’s the color of my main character SNAX (a bear-cat), and it’s a mix between warms and cools, which I play with a lot. I see graffiti as an art form. While it has some original ties to vandalism, it was also used to speak out politically. I hope I’m helping to shift any negativity behind the word.

11. Home Depot paint key. I lose these all the time, so I keep extras in my bag for opening cans of latex or primer paint.

12. iPad Air and MacBook Pro. All my designs start in a sketchbook and then become digital. I always have these devices on me so I can easily switch up a design.

13. GoPro Hero11 Black. I use my GoPro to create time-lapses or point-of-view videos of my projects.

14. Jorge Cardona sketchbook. I’m a big advocate for sketching, and this is my current sketchbook. It was given to me by the muralist Jorge Cardona on a trip to the small Colombian village Chinchiná, where my mom is from. The cover art is his design. I painted several murals in Colombia as part of that trip.