Staff photo / Andy Gray Artist Aaron Chine poses with the mural he completed this week for David Grohl Alley that was made using fluorescent spray paint that gives the work a neon-like appearance.

WARREN — Aaron Chine has created more art for David Grohl Alley than any other artist.

Chine, who owns The Box Gallery tattoo shop downtown and has painted several murals in the Mahoning Valley, has two sculptures and five murals in the alley dedicated to the Warren-born rocker, who is a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee as a member of Nirvana and founder of Foo Fighters. Chine’s work includes welding the metal music notes that greet visitors who enter from Main Avenue SW and the large “David Grohl Alley” mural visible between the parking deck and Modern Methods Brewing Company to those driving on Franklin Street SW.

He put the finishing touches on a piece inspired by the cover of Nirvana’s “In Utero” on Wednesday. It was the first art he’s done for the public space in more than a decade.

Chine initially stopped after he was falsely accused of breaking into a vacant home in Warren and stealing copper pipe in 2016. He spent six days in jail before he could prove his innocence. It was a case of mistaken identity. Chine, like the man ultimately charged with the crime, had dreadlocks.

He cut his hair … and some of his community involvement.

“When I got arrested that time, it was weird how quickly the people that were rooting for you when I was doing all this stuff down here, really kind of turned on me,” he said. “I just didn’t like the response to it. So I was like, ‘Man, I’m not gonna dedicate all my time and energy and money and efforts into redoing this alley if it’s not going to be appreciated, right?’

“There was some other political stuff going on in the alley. ‘Who’s in charge? Who do you have to go through to get approval?’ That’s just never been my thing. So I just took a step back.”

Becoming a parent also affected how he wanted to spend his free time.

Another life-altering moment came when he was diagnosed with cancer the day after Christmas in 2023.

“I had to do 35 rounds of radiation, seven weeks, Monday through Friday, right to my nose,” Chine said. “It was brutal. It was pretty tough there for a little while. By the grace of God, here I am.

“It was a total awakening, an eye-opening experience for me on every level. I don’t drink no more, I don’t smoke no more. I found God. I was always pretty close, but I really got a lot closer with God and my spirituality, and just became a better dad. I realized the value of my time and my art now. So, yeah, it was trying to find the good and the bad.”

Brianna Trimbur, owner of Artistics Silk Screening, asked Chine if he would create something for the back of her building. Chine wanted to do something colorful.

“We just needed some light back here, something bright,” he said. “It was starting to look a little bit depressing and a little bit run down.”

He also was inspired by installations he had seen in other cities using wings. Visitors could pose with the wings and take a selfie that made it look like they had wings. He realized he could create that effect by using the cover image from Nirvana’s 1993 album “In Utero.” By creating the image with fluorescent spray paint, it gives the image a neon-like appearance and delivers the brightness he wanted.

Chine worked for three days on the piece, but the total time involved was only 10 hours.

“It went really quick and went really smooth, and I was thrilled with how quickly I got it done,” he said.

Surviving cancer refocused Chine’s attention to his art. He will have a show next March at Trumbull Art Gallery featuring his paintings, many of which were started while undergoing treatment. It will be his first gallery exhibition since a 2014 show with fellow tattoo artist Thad Minnick.

“My wife said, ‘I’ve never been to one of your art shows,’ and we’ve been married 10 years,” Chine said.

He also wants to do more work in David Grohl Alley.

“I’m ready to get back into the game and start putting some new stuff up here and making it look good again.”