Get A Grip 3 and On Deck

I've been getting my art groove on again lately, and recently submitted some hand-painted skate decks to a couple of upstate art shows - Get A Grip 3 in Rochester, and On Deck here in Saratoga which was curated by my wife Belinda Colón and featured more than 70 artists. This kind of show has been happening more and more frequently in upstate New York, where there is an increasing need for decent skateparks despite an overall lack of funding to create them.

Both shows were geared towards raising money for creating and/or improving local skateparks and had great turnouts and fundraising results. On Deck continues as an online auction until March 23rd here, so take a look and bid on your favorite deck!

This is the crowd from the opening night of On Deck. It was an amazing turnout!

It's ON!

Greetings! A couple of new paintings below:



It's ON | 12" x 18" | $120


We've Got Your Back | 12" x 18" | $120

Hope you all are having a good Spring! Remember to eat all the pizza you can...It's the best way to get ready for a sizzlin' summer. Until next time...On and on 'till the break of dawn!

-Benj

Stoked on Stoked

The Stoked 2 silent deck art auction at Art OMI was a big success. I was really impressed with the effort and enthusiasm people had for their projects, the event, and the proposed skatepark in Chatham.



I liked this guy Chris Stain's deck. Combo stencil, spraypaint and screenprinting.


I also liked my friend Ryan Blessing' bird deck.


And speaking of birds, this person made a birdhouse. Super creative...Lots of people were into this one. Photo: Jamie Kennard



And there's mine up top, giving love (and art) a bad name. Ha.



Jamie and Tracy came out from Woodstock! Always awesome to see these kids.



And the organizers - Mr. Kris Qua (L) and Shari Franks (R). Can't thank them enough for the opportunity and for throwing such an awesome gathering.

Here are a few pieces I did about a year ago...These are for sale, so please contact me if you want to hang a piece of plywood in your living room.

Living Off the Land | 12" x 24" | $60

You are Awesome | 12" x 24" | $60

Look What the Cat Dragged In | 12" x 24" | $60

Peas & Carrots | 12" x 24" | $60

Getting Stoked

Hi everyone, and sorry for the lack of updates lately! Belinda, Charlie and I welcomed a new baby into our life back in November, and I took a break from painting for awhile...So my first new project is this skate deck I did for Stoked 2, a silent deck art auction happening at Art Omi in Ghent, NY on March 27th. 75 artists will be showing, and benefits from the auction will go towards building the Chatham Skatepark.


Here is a flier for the event...Come out if you can!


...Later.

Harvesting the goods

Happy fall, everybody. This year I am participating in Grand St. Arts' Boarded Up! exhibit again. This painting is currently slapped onto one of the exterior windows of their space in Albany, along with paintings by a bunch of other local artists. It's a cool exhibit, and great to be a part of an organization that has brought a lot to one of Albany's lower income communities.
The New Mayor | 36" x 48" | Acrylic on Wood Panel

This show will be up for a few months, and then the pieces will be auctioned off at the exhibit's closing party during the winter. Captain Capitol!



I also have three pieces in the Pink Nightmare show that opens this Saturday in Boston, at Orchard Skate Shop. This is a group show featuring a slew of my Silly Pink Bunny friends, and is being curated by Isaac McKay Randozzi, whose photos you should check out. If you are near Mission Hill this Saturday night, stop by the Orchard Shop at 1625 Tremont St. Get some!

Unleashing the Funk

Like Jane's Addiction said back in high school, summertime rolls and with that I am rolling out some new paintings, below. I also have a little show happening at Hair Art Salon and Spa here in downtown Saratoga, so come check it out if you are in town and maybe get that mullet trimmed down while you're at it. New stuff is in the works as always, so stay tuned...Check out the blog for stuff that's still available...And as always, get awesome!

ZX-7 | 8" x 10" | $60


R42 | 8" x 10" | $60


5:J5 | 8" x 10" | $60


I'll Be Back | 8" x 10" | SOLD

Early Bird

Just finished painting these two cabinet doors for my cousins Boo and Kim. I have been really into drawing birds lately, maybe because it's finally warm enough outside that they actually show up in my yard. More birds to come on GTA in the next few weeks!

Roc City

If you are in the Rochester area this week, be sure to check out the latest edition of CITY, who hired me to do two illustrations for their issue announcing this year's Rochester Jazz Festival. Had a lot of fun working on these, and more of the imagery can be seen on their site.

Donuts vs. Nachos

Both are awesome. Who's hungry?

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Life has been busy, but good, and I've probably been spending more time outside than inside painting. Below are some pieces I did a few months back. These are currently on display at the Flavour Cafe in Troy, but available for sale.


I Make Donuts | 24" x 6" | $120




I Make Nachos | 24" x 6" | $120

Also a final thanks to Erich Lehman, Surface Salon and 1975 for hosting my show in Rochester the last few months. I managed to sell a couple things, but more importantly played a small part in a great up-and-coming art community. New stuff is in the works, so keep your internet turned on. Who's bad.

Hotheaded

This is another piece on display at the Sixes & Sevens show in Rochester. Hotheaded is for sale and ready to heat up your living room! Hope you all are having a great start to Spring.

Stop...Hammer time!

Hotheaded | 14" x 48" | $300

Sixes & Sevens Opening

Belinda and I took the journey out to Rochester last Friday for the Sixes & Sevens opening reception and it was a lot of fun, with a really good turnout.





Tony's stuff looked awesome, I think our stuff really complemented each other.

Me, Erich and Tony.



No. 3 For Here | 16" x 48" | SOLD
Dog 2000 | 16" x 48" | SOLD
Fantoastic | 16" x 48" | SOLD


Tough as Leather | 24" x 6" | $240

Let's Make it Happen | 24" x 6" | $240

Totally Goin' for it | 24" x 6" | $240

The opening reception was a really fun time and it was completely worth making the 3-1/2 hour drive both ways that night. Thanks so much to Erich for putting on a great event and promoting the upstate art scene, Tony for banging out some killer work and agreeing to show with me, thanks to Lee for providing a great space that is sure to host more great events, and thanks to Nate and Angie for helping document the night, and Belinda for always being supportive of my painting, taking some pictures, helping me make the drive. Also thanks to cheese, grapes and cupcakes for helping feed everyone that night.

People have been letting me know that they enjoy the email updates, but just a reminder that this blog has a permanent home at www.gettotallyawesome.blogspot.com so you can always check back here to see all of the previous posts. Keep on truckin'.

A Day in the Rock

I spent the day in Rochester yesterday, hanging the Sixes & Sevens show with Erich. Erich was a trooper, he had literally just pulled in from a night in DC and was ready to go.


Erich laying it down.

I was totally stoked to see some of Tony's new work too. The last thing I saw of his was an old muffler with a funny face painted on it, and that was like ten years ago.

Anyway, below are some previews of some of my stuff. I have 23 paintings in this show, and all are for sale. If you like French Fries and soda, I have a painting for you! Or maybe you like grumpy alien robots with scuba gear.


Get Totally Awesome | 16" x 48" | SOLD



No. 3 For Here | 16" x 48" | SOLD


Girl 1 | 8" x 10" | SOLD


Girl 2 | 8" x 10" | SOLD


Girl 3 | 8" x 10" | SOLD

If you happen to be in the greater Rochester area this Friday, please come check out the opening! I plan on wearing jeans without holes in them, so it really should be a special night.


Who Wants Some | 14" x 48" | $250

If you are interested in purchasing any of these, contact Erich through the gallery's website - www.1975ish.com. The show will be up until the very end of May. Thanks so much to Erich and Leigh for setting this show up, and also thanks so Nate Pallace for coming in and taking pictures while we hung. I am totally geared up for getting down.