Gen Arts Resurrection Benefit

So I wake up to a late night missed phone call from a mister Michael Weintrob and out of curiosity call him back on my way into work, MW is in Louisiana at the moment shooting rockers in New Orleans...and was asleep...

and in his murmur he informs me that he needs a Ray Charles painted, if I wanted to, to show at the Gen Arts Benefit in 10 days...in New York City to about 900 people...and he will call me later to explain...i hang up, and immediately FREAK.OUT.

So if you are unaware of what Gen Arts is, they were a company that was responsible for discovering the likes of Edward Norton, Adrien Grenier, Zac Possen and many many others.  Their focus was launching careers of  up and comers in film and fashion and later branched into the visual arts.  They were a self sufficient company for decades due to private donors and support until the economy fell to shit and their benefactors dwindled.  So, sadly, Gen Arts is now bankrupt and are up for sale, however their motive has not changed and hopefully whomever purchases the company keeps their vision alive...so before the lights go out at Gen Arts they wanted to have one last party to rage out the greatness that was and will always be Gen Arts, a New York City legend...

Agency 2.8 was in charge of curating the event and asked 5 photographers to display one piece each, and MW chose one of our Pop Rock Posters...

So I got to work, and printed a black and white hi rez ray charles and set out on a paint shopping spree dropping 300 bucks on new paints, sprays, wood and glitters.

and then went back to my studyo! and started to build the frame, which did not work out too well until my studyo! mate LaQuann informed me that staple gun was the only way to go...fuck nails and hammers man...impossible!

So I got to painting...with new paints, different than those from the summer...and the turn out was alot different:

Then i made a trip down to Fells Point and went to this crazy vintage record store that's through this locked gate and down this shady fucking alley in the storage shed of some walk up...totally weird, but I got vintage Ray Charles vinyl for 2 bucks each that actually still had the original Paramount record sleeves.

I ripped them apart on an angle and kept the edges rough and framed out ray's body.  I finished off the sleeves with a tri-tone spray paint job, neon pink and orange and a semi gloss red.

...lastly, i sealed the painting with spray glitter and signed and numbered the Ray.

I let it dry, and the next morning attempted to put this 8 foot ray charles in my car, which is a hatch back...that did not happen...so my lovely mom managed to squeeze it into her SUV, and dropped it off at my office...where I boxed it up and over nighted it to Agency 2.8 and Gen Arts in NYC.


and this is when the story gets really good...

The UPS guy was crazy pissed because the box was so large, and my pick up was in the late afternoon...meaning he had no room, so he had to empty the truck and come back, so it really wasn't a big surprised when the guys opened it up in New York and the frame was broken, slitting the canvas and damaging the painting.  But MW is a solid guy and fixed it as best he could, which was really good actually..hes so artsy!

So, I attempt to make my way up to NYC, taking the MegaBus because they were the only form of transportation offering a 4 o'clock take off...what a fucking joke, we didn't leave until 5:30, landing me in New York City at 9:30 thanks to a lovely jackass who didn't exceed 45mph on the NJTP. 

In the pouring rain, I finally arrive at the Hudson Hotel, soaked and exhausted and thirsty as all hell.  There is a line around the block to get into the opening, however i get recognized and escorted into the show...up into VIP to collect myself.  I grabbed a ginger cranberry cocktail and take a load off before taking pictures with the painting in honor of Gen Arts' final hour.  

This was one of the first pictures taken...which i think expresses the day prior to my arrival pretty well....

The party ended at 11, but kept kickin until 12 in VIP...and then I split down to Houston and 1st to catch Spin Doctor Chris Barron play with the Time Bandits.  I walk into National Underground to find John Popper from Blues Traveler ripping the harp and the place to be packed with a bunch of cats whom i just adore!  I stayed for a few cocktails and one song request...then went and crashed.  I was fucking spent.

After all of the crazy bullshit and headaches, the evening ended up being really great and as my buddy says "ya gotta roll with the punches"...it all kinda made it more special and enjoyable in a really fucked up frustrating way...but even in the midst of all the madness i made sure to take time out to look over the balcony of the VIP to watch people over and over again gather in front of our piece of art to take pictures with friends and discuss with each other...which was pretty amazing.  ;)

Please visit Gen Art to learn more and contribute in your own way, what they do for the artist community is really unbelievable, and hopefully their support will continue.

Love, Jess!