In fall 1983 Min One invited me to a meeting on Greenwich Ave between Duane and Reade Streets. With friends, we discussed the possibility of creating a studio that would only produce paintings. Min and I were in the early stages of what would be my final wave of paintings on subways. This coming shift of my focus away from painting trains was an unknown to me at the time. The idea of a studio was intriguing.
During this time at the Golden Roc Studio we were able to produce additional works beyond the originally agreed upon 250 that went on to exhibit in Chicago at the Joy Horwich Gallery. Joy was a cousin of Sidney Janis of the gallery on 57th Street by the same name. The Sidney Janis Gallery previously had several exhibits including works from the studio, so the addition of Joy Horwich was a growing step toward more exhibits, a welcomed opportunity. We documented all the work with the help of my friend Lisa Leone, a photographer I knew through my brother Mare139 from High School of Art and Design.
We painted canvases by day, then at night we’d walk over to hit trains in the nearby preferred layup of City Hall on Chambers Street a few blocks away. That’s where the N and RR ran from Brooklyn to Queens, it was a great way to showcase the next level of partnership, adding to my career in graff. Our studio quickly produced a body of work that was beyond what was accomplished on the subways. It laid groundwork to new ideas and ultimately some memorable cars that extended past the RRs and onto the A, F, Ds and 1 line. This covered the farthest reaches of Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, a nice way to cap my career.
I embarked on a new path by the end of our time at the studio. Ultimately, this piece ended up as part of the permanent collection at the Brooklyn Museum of Art along with NOC167, Lady Pink, Crash, Min One, Daze, A-One, Toxic, Koor, Ramelzee. It is no longer on display. More than likely, it will resurface as special show in the future.
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