Born and raised in Toronto, with Jamaican and Barbadian roots, Chris Thomas studied advertising and fashion design before he was snapped up by Arnold Worldwide to be their Junior Creative Director. It was a position he enjoyed, but he felt he could accomplish more creatively as a freelance Graphic Designer.

In 1998, Chris founded his acclaimed graphic design company DOINITWELL. It specializes in branding, logos, show-posters, and handbills and includes a growing, successful clothing line that has a dedicated fan base, no doubt thanks to Chriss original artwork and clever delivery. Over the years, Chris has worked with artists John Legend, Ali Shaheed Muhammad of Tribe Called Quest, Shad, and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Chris is inspired by his surroundings the sights, the smells, the soul of Toronto, as well as by hip-hop, inner-city life and artful expression. He has always felt that urban decay was a fascinating phenomenon, especially in its capacity to completely redefine the character of a neighbourhood.

Two years ago, Chris started to work on a new art installation: Hood Times. The project went viral as people in Chris's social media circles caught glimpses of his unfurling vision. Dioramas of run-down city blocks are not of the typical variety thougheach block represents about 2000 sq. feet of inner-city blight and is done completely to scale. Chris has spent countless hours detailing, weathering and rusting his buildings. He has included tiny trash bags and mattresses set to the curb in an effort to make the experience feel real. There are abandoned video stores, vacant warehouses, and a lonely train-yard complete with authentic Toronto graffiti some of the city's most notorious underground graffiti artists have contributed original work to the project. The Hood Times art exhibit is Marwencol meets Do The Right Thing, and has an ironic element of social commentary, which you just might miss if you don't look closely enough, as this artist works on a scale of 1:150.