OPENING RECEPTION:
ART, et cetera Gallery
1164 Main Street Fleischmanns, NY 12430 Saturday AUGUST 4 TH 1:00 PM (845) 254-4998
After a decade or two, Alfredo Santos paintings are being shown
in Fleischmanns again, where he created most of these
unique works.
It was here in the Central Catskills that the hardwoods needed for these paintings were available. Aldredo
created a number of
paintings in this area, many of which will be on exhibit. Current owners of Santos work are invited
to show their paintings.
A month long showing will open on Saturday August 4, 2007 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the ART, et cetera
Galley in Fleischmanns, NY.
An article on Alfredo Santos will be appearing in the Sunday New York Times Leisure & Travel Section
on August 19, 2007CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE
Alfredo Santos lived and worked in
Fleischmanns in the 1970's. From his expansive studio on Main
Street, he created his prolific paintings, reliefs and sculptures made of house paint, roof pitch and found
objects. Lack of money did not stop, but apparently contributed to Santos special style of large austere
frames, simply nailed together, building a frenetic passion of perfectly placed pieces of bark and plywood
chips, grain forming faces and knots transformed into eyes.
With his gregarious and
flamboyant personalty, Santos also left bits and pieces of his bohemian
spirit percolating throughout the Catskills. now camouflaged by the changing facades of Fleischmanns,
the town he left behind. His studio was a hangout for young people, music blasting from the open doors.
There they freely trashed Nixon and the Viet Nam war as Santos spun off another bill-paying masterpiece.
One of Santos' most revered pieces was a 12 foot-high sculpture of Nixon holding a dead soldier.
The Catskills was one stop on
the journey for Santos. As a young man he painted his now famous
murals on the walls in San Quentin Prision, lived and worked as an artist in a string of galleries in San Diego,
Mexico, Florida and lower Manhattan and then returned to his hometown of San Diego where he presently
resides.
While serving time in San
Quentin in his early twenties, Santos won a contest and was chosen to
paint
the murals in the prison cafeteria. Like the "Birdman of Alcatraz", Santos was allowed to set up a studio at
San Quentin occupying three cells, from which he painted caricatures of prison personnel and fellow inmates.
Santos won the dining hall contest after sketching a proposal depicting a broad sweep of California history.
The four 100 foot murals occupy both sides of two walls in the cafeteria, now known as an American treasure,
for which he was eventually presented the "key to the prison"
His diverse artworks which are
generously scattered among his patrons in the Fleischmanns area include
radiant, streaking flowers, a wooden bird on a pink disc, Jesus stroking a violin, a woman with hair of bark,
a darkened, mysterious, cityscape and much more. The show will offer selected Santos works, and will run from
Augus 4 TH- October 31 ST. Art et cettera is open Thursday through Sunday, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. For
further information, please phone: John Mulloy @ (845) 254-4998.