13th Hour at Last Rites

I just finished this painting for the 13th Hour group show at Last Rites Gallery in NYC.  Come to the opening next Friday the 28th from 7 to 11pm.

Erythraean Sibyl
32 x 44 inches
oil on canvas

NEW YORK, NY (October 28th, 2011) — Last Rites Gallery opens it’s fourth annual The 13th Hour group exhibit, celebrating the spirit of the Halloween season. In it’s annual exhibit, Last Rites sets out to present a broad-spectrum representation of Dark Surrealism.  Held during Halloween weekend, the show is the gallery’s largest group exhibit, and features renowned artists from around the globe- working in an array of mediums including painting, photography, and sculpture. From gothic elegance to finely crafted grotesquery, the beauty within the darkness is embraced and brought into the spotlight.
Artists Include: Shawn Barber, Nick Baxter, Matthew Bone, Paul Booth, Colin Christian, Sas Christian, Jason D’aquino, Pedro De Kastro, Tom Gabriel Fischer, HR Giger, Fred Harper, Naoto Hattori, Michael Hussar, Joka, Sarah Joncas, Aunia Kahn, Eli Livingston, Michael Mararian, Chris Mars, Annie Owens, Chris Peters, Anthony Pontius, Dan Quintana, Matt Rota, Paul Rumsey, Beau Stanton, David Stoupakis, Jasmine Worth, and more.

Wes Anderson Tribute Show at Spoke Art

My Crayon Ponyfish for Spoke Art's 2nd Annual Bad Dads: A Tribute to the films of Wes Anderson.

Crayon Ponyfish
8 x 12 inches
oil on wood

Spoke Art is proud to present the second annual Bad Dads art show tribute to the films of Wes Anderson. The exhibit opens on Halloween Eve at our San Francisco gallery space and will feature some of the best contemporary artists reinterpreting their favorite characters, scenes and films.

The opening will take place on Sunday, October 30th from 6PM to 11PM and will be free and open to the public.
Spoke Art
816 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94109
http://spoke-art.com/

Sanguine Machine Solo Exhibition

Tonight is the opening of my first solo exhibition at Gallery Hijinks in San Francisco. More info below.

September 3rd to September 24th, 2011
Opening: September 3rd 2011, 6-10pm

Gallery Hijinks is proud to present Sanguine Machine: Antediluvian Artifacts from Futures Past, a solo exhibition by Beau Stanton. This collection of oil paintings is heavily influenced by the relationship between destruction and creation, the end of a cycle, and the beauty that can be found in its degradation. Please join us for the opening reception on September 3rd, 2011 from 6-10pm.

A member of the third generation of Pop Surrealism, Stanton hails from California and is influenced heavily by Realist painters Andrew Wyeth and Alphonse Mucha as well as the Aesthetic Movement of the late 19th Century. He relocated to New York after graduation in 2008, and has since been mentored by New York Pop Surrealist Ron English. He has also curated pop-up exhibitions in both New York and Los Angeles and has shown work with Ad Hoc Art, Opera New York, and Last Rites Galleries.

Excerpt of SF Weekly's 'Surrealist Art: New Work from Beau Stanton' written by Ruby Perez: "When it comes to surrealism, we can't help but moon over artists who produce such detailed and complex pieces... It's astounding what the human mind is capable of transferring onto a canvas, just take Beau Stanton's 19th century letterpress-inspired paintings." Read full article here.
For more information on the exhibition or Beau Stanton please visit galleryhijinks.com or email us at info@galleryhijinks.com.

Bannerman's Island

I just took a visit to Bannerman's Castle; an odd structure on an island with a rich history located in the Hudson River about 90 minutes north of New York City.

Since the time of the revolution there have been only five owners of Pollepel Island, now known more familiarly as Bannerman's Island.

In November 1900, gilded age businessman and arms dealer, Francis Bannerman VI purchased the island for use as a storage facility for his growing surplus business.  His dangerous munitions stockpiles, stored in New York City warehouses, were no longer welcome in the densely populated area forcing his move to a more remote location.

This location proved dangerous as well after at least two explosions occurred on the island throughout its use.  On August 1920, 200 tons of shells and powder exploded in an ancillary structure, destroying a portion of the complex and blowing out building windows across the river in the city of Newburg.

Most of the building were devoted to the stores of army surplus but Bannerman built another castle in a smaller scale on top of the island near the main structure as a residence.

One of the only remaining turrets of the false harbor that once surrounded the island.

Bannerman's sales of military weapons to civilians declined during the early 20th century as a result of state and federal legislation. By 1950 the arsenal and island were essentially left vacant. The island and buildings were bought by New York State in 1967, after the old military merchandise had been removed, and tours of the island were given in 1968.

On August 8, 1969, fire devastated the Arsenal, and the roofs and floors were destroyed.The island was placed off-limits to the public. During the week before Sunday, December 28, 2009, parts of the castle collapsed. Officials estimate 30-40 percent of the structure's front wall and about half of the east wall collapsed.  The castle now stands as a ruin with only about half of the structure to remind us of its once glorious presence on the Island.

Today, the castle is property of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and is mostly in ruins.

Welling Court Mural Project

I just finished my addition to the Welling Court Mural Project in Astoria, Queens put together by Ad Hoc Art.  Here are some images of the process:

AD HOC ART CONTINUES MAJOR PUBLIC MURAL PROJECT COMPRISING 44+ INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS REPRESENTING OVER 50 YEARS OF STREET ART

 -- An Art Event Celebrating the Streets, Solidarity, Community, and Culture --

WHAT:              The community of Welling Court in Queens, New York first asked Ad Hoc Art to help them spruce up their neighborhood in 2009.  Ad Hoc Art was honored to do so and rose to the occasion in May 2010 organizing a project fitting for the diverse, enthusiastic, and energetic inhabitants.  Now, a year later, Ad Hoc has assembled another spectacular crew of legendary and groundbreaking artists spanning more than 50 years of activity for the 2^nd Annual Welling Court Mural Project.  The project has received remarkable global acclaim since its launch and continues to garner support as more walls, artists, and enthusiasts augment that success. 

This second round is not to be missed as we bring ever-more art and eyes to this Queens gem.  To celebrate, the community’s annual block party coincides with the project’s opening, featuring cuisine and music from the ethnically diverse and multi-talented hosts.  Whereas this tiny neighborhood is providing some major hospitality, it cannot provide for all the thousands of attendees, so please think of it as a big social picnic potluck art fun action and bring some of your favorite tasty foods, beverages, or other contribution to share with your fellow revelers.  If you would like to offer help or assistance to the artists, items always useful are: exterior bucket paint, paint rollers/brushes, spray paint, acrylic paint, exterior primer, etc.

The project transforms several city blocks into a 24/7 street-level gallery, bringing art from around the world directly to the heart of this community.  Renowned artists with deep roots in the street movement have created site-specific works for this project and many will showcase various creative sundries for your perusal.  This new array of visual experiences provides fresh contexts for how people working, visiting, and living in this diverse cultural gem of Queens think about and interact with their environment.

Artists include: Alice Mizrachi, Alison Buxton, Beau Stanton, Bunnie Reiss, Caleb Neelon, Chris Mendoza, Chris Stain, Celso, Cern, Cey Adams, Chor Boogie, CR, Cycle, Dan Witz, Darkclouds, Don Leicht, Ellis Gallagher, Ezra Li Eismont, Free5, Garrison Buxton, Greg Lamarche, Jesse Jones, JMR, Joe Iurato, John Ahearn, John Fekner, Jordan Seiler, Katie Yamasaki, Lady Pink, Leon Reid, Matt Siren, Michael De Feo, Michael Fumero, MIMEO, Mr. Kiji, Neko, Nuria, OverUnder, Pablo Power, R. Nicholas Kuszyk, ROA, Ron English, Royce Bannon, Sinned, Sofia Maldonado, TooFly, Tristan Eaton, Veng RWK, Zam, and more.

In addition to the murals and festivities, there are special events and artist’s projects happening throughout the day.

The project will remain up and visible for public viewing, 24/7/365.

WHO:             Ad Hoc Art + Artists

                        The Community of Welling Court, Queens

                   You

WHERE:            11-98 Welling Court {@ 30^th Ave & 12^th Street}, Astoria, Queens 11102

WHEN:            Saturday, June 25^th, 2011 from noon until 9pm.

Exploring Glenwood Power Station

Located thirty minutes north of NYC directly on the Hudson River, Glenwood power station is an industrial historophile's dream. Seeing the brilliant structure on my weekly rides of the the metro north it quickly became the focus of my exploratory fascinations. Constructed between 1904 and 1906 to provide power for the electrification of the New York Central and Husdon River Railroad also helped to contend with the increased traffic from the newly built Grand Central Terminal.

The plant was put on standy in the 1950s and finally closed in 1960. Although there were plans to adapt the building for residential use, these have not come to fruition, and in 2008 the Preservation League of New York State named the plant as one of the seven most endangered sites in the state.

The entrance into the smaller of the two buildings, structurally sound but provided potentially dangerous obstacles.

A little tease into the 6 story building that housed the main generators.

The sound of the river could be heard echoing throughout both buildings.

 

The main generator room complete with balconies and control panels in tact. Its massive size and architecture had an overwhelming  cathedral like presence .

The glory days.

Perhaps the best find in the power station...the east smokestack.  The outer layers of brick have been crumbling and lined the floor as well as the tiny entrance inside.

Exiting the smokestack. The bricks pouring out from the door were the trail that lead us to the inside of the stack.

An easy entrance into the larger of the buildings wasn't as fortunate as it was with the first. A floorless catwalk from the smaller building into the larger was the only way in. A makeshift bridge made from scraps of wood, building doors and many "Dear Jesus's" provided access across.

Friday the 13th with Ad Hoc @ New Puppy LA

My new painting for the exhibition I have a Dream, I have a nightmare: Friday the 13th curated by Ad Hoc Art at New Puppy Gallery in Los Angeles.

Bicuspid Botheration
11 x 14 inches
oil and collage on wood
2011

Ad Hoc Art gathers 33 international artists to explore dreams, nightmares, superstitions, and existence to yield creations ranging from the painfully real to the ethereal fantastic.

That we are living in very fascinating and unprecedented times on the cusp of something is crystal clear. What that "something" is, exactly, is not. What waits on the other side? Is it beautiful or horrendous, sustainable or cataclysmic, truthful or deceptive, just or fraudulent? We all play a leading role in guiding the future of this sweet unraveling already well underway.
On View: May 19 - June 18

---

New Puppy Gallery
2808 Elm Street, Unit 1
Los Angeles, CA 90065
213-652-1857

Dead Horse Bay Scavenging Expedition

This Summer I will be going on weekly adventures to interesting abandoned sites in the NYC area to seek out new reference material for paintings.  Dead horse Bay in South Brooklyn is the first of these outings.

From the New York Times: "Dead Horse Bay sits at the western edge of a marshland once dotted by more than two dozen horse-rendering plants, fish oil factories and garbage incinerators. From the 1850's until the 1930's, the carcasses of dead horses and other animals from New York City streets were used to manufacture glue, fertilizer and other products at the site. The chopped-up, boiled bones were later dumped into the water. The squalid bay, then accessible only by boat, was reviled for the putrid fumes that hung overhead."
By the end of the 19th century the site became a landfill that was filled by 1930, capped, and then blew open in the 1950's and has been spewing its antique garbage into the bay since. 

Thousands of bottles can be found on the shore as well as tires, leather shoe soles, and other rusty metal artifacts. 

 

My favorite find of the day, a rusty child's roller skate.

More random artifacts (from left to right): roller skate, porcelain lady legs, glass light bulb base,  baby doll, metal crank thing, porcelain boy, car door mirror, and baby doll arm.

 

Bottles for everything.  From what I can tell, the ones I found were mostly used for perfume, booze, and pharmaceuticals. 

Feature on PMC Magazine

The amazing Lori Zimmer wrote a great spot on me for her new column at Patrick McMullan Magazine.

Check it out here

South Park Opening @ Opera NYC

 Me and Ron in front of my Ascension of the Kenny.

Matt Stone and Ron in front of his Last Supper in South Park.