Queen Gate

Ulster County native Will Lytle, aka Thorneater Comics, created two murals on opposing parallel walls meant to function as a gate or gauntlet for a pedestrian passage. It is the artist’s intention that those passing through will feel guarded and protected by the Queens, who face each other, creating a space between that evokes a peaceful air of sanctuary. Thorneater Comics painted the Queens in inverse correspondence with a black and white palette. Adorned in reverential hand-painted patterning, they beckon a meditative journey to explore the balance of light and shadow, historic symbology and personal mythology.

Atlantic Sturgeon

The work of illustrator Will Lytle aka Thorneater Comics is inspired by the people, plants and animals that call the Catskills home. Lytle portrayed the Atlantic Sturgeon, a native Hudson River fish that can grow to 15 feet and weigh more than 800 pounds, because, despite its size, it is greatly threatened by overfishing and pollution. Late Keegan Ales owner Tommy Keegan agreed that the mural and location are the perfect match: “a local water animal on a local watering hole!” Lytle said.

Late Summer Kill Swim

This mural depicts a female figure, surfacing in green/aqua water reminiscent of Hudson Valley swimming holes. The word “kill” (from the Middle Dutch kille meaning riverbed or water channel) references the myriad bodies of water of the region. The mural is an extension of French’s studio practice; her paintings reflect on the nostalgia of summers spent in the water, calling to mind the quiet tranquility of nature, of days spent sinking and floating, still and peaceful. The piece plays with both painterly abstraction and hyper-realism, depending on the viewer’s perspective and proximity to the image.

Emily’s Bees, the Autumn Light, the Local Public Radio, and International Optimism Yellow

Chicago based artist Martina Nehrling uses her distinct mark-making vocabulary and saturated colors to respond spontaneously and organically to the lunette it occupies and the rhythm of the Uptown Kingston atmosphere. First executed on panel, because of the logistics of the covered sidewalk, the mural’s composition was influenced by the honeycombs of beehives hanging nearby. Color decisions began with International Optimism Yellow, a paint color that is its own art project by local conceptual artist Uncle Riley, mixed with the influence of the local classical radio station and the “convivial atmosphere” of the Kingston arts community.

Artemis Emerging from the Quarry

International mural artist Gaia, based in Baltimore, depicted the ancient Greek goddess Artemis ascending from a limestone quarry with a skyline of New York City on the horizon and a Corinthian crown on her head. The mural references Kingston’s proximity to the natural resources that helped build New York; the process of resource exploitation as a defiling of Mother Earth; and marble and limestone used for architectural embellishments in early Neoclassical revival / Georgian style architecture. The statue represents Mother Earth and is a Hellenistic/ Roman reference to the celebration of democracy in early United States history.

Somewhere

“A love letter to Kingston, NY” — the first in a series of sister location pieces; it is an open edition, dimensions variable, neon mounted to powder coated steel

Materials: neon tube lighting

The Hobgoblin of Old Dutch

Kingston artist Matthew Pleva typically makes art the size of a postage stamp or watchface using a pen and ink cross-hatching technique for his drawings and dioramas. For this wall, Pleva built a grid on wheels to properly cross-hatch the wall to mimic his mark-making vocabulary. The mural depicts the legend of a mischievous spirit who became trapped and imprisoned in the Old Dutch Church steeple. “I wanted to do a Kingston-themed piece,” Pleva says. “And there’s nothing more architecturally iconic than the Old Dutch Church … That’s part of my enjoyment of this piece: adding to the folklore of Kingston.”

Matt

Virginia-based artist Nils Westergard paints murals celebrating the everyday person throughout the U.S. and Europe. His O+ mural pays tribute to the meaning of true friendship and depicts his friend, Matt, as a massive playing card. This “king of friends” is seen on one side in the best of times and, in reverse, at a time of great challenge.

Bilancia

For this piece, Esopus-based artist Kimberly Kae envisioned two towering chair-o-plane rides that briefly intersect like an old set of scales. The seats are filled with young Muslim women in headscarves; one rider extends her arm and holds out a red ring, implying both a ring toss and the ‘O’ of O+. The viewer’s vantage point is from the seats of the opposing ride; the women’s heads are not covered and the central flamenco-esque figure seems to challenge with her gaze as if to say, “You’re next, try.” Kae says the interaction is brief, but an opportunity to learn something from each other, to exchange and thus enrich our lives much like O+ seeks to do through the exchange of art and medicine.

Know Thyself

Baltimore-based artist Ernest Shaw explores the duality of the African-American experience and the rich history of African/African-American figurative art. His use of color and mark-making create rhythms in his work that are informed by West African drumming. “I attempt to create work that combats negative, degrading, denigrating and stereotypical images that falsely depict African people throughout the diaspora,” Shaw says. “My mission and purpose is to illuminate the beauty of being an African in America while maintaining truthfulness and authenticity in the process. I wish to raise the level of consciousness of peoples of color, while providing others with a more full scope of the Black experience.”