Making Friends

Established in 2008, Last Rites has become a premiere gallery for the Dark Art movement and a haven for artists who prefer to explore the ominous, uncomfortable, and eccentric in their work. Striving to showcase some of the most thought-provoking art in contemporary surrealism, Last Rites creates an atmosphere where the artist can harness limitless expression and the observer can reflect inward, inspired to understand that which resides in us all. The uniqueness of Last Rites, aside from its focus on such work, is the collaborative effort between founding director, Genevive Zacconi and Paul Booth. The fact that they are both accomplished artists as well, allows for a stronger relationship with the exhibited artists, and a more understanding and creative approach to the overall presentation of their work- enhancing the experience for everyone who visits Last Rites Gallery. Last Rites Gallery is located at 511 W 33rd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues (3 blocks from Penn Station), 3rd floor, New York, NY 10011. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 2pm to 9pm, Sundays 2pm to 6pm. Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct visual art media. For example, a work on canvas that combines paint, ink, and collage could properly be called a "mixed media" work. When creating a painted or photographed work using mixed media it is important to choose the layers carefully and allow enough drying time between the layers to ensure the final work will have integrity. If many different media are used it is equally important to choose a sturdy foundation upon which the different layers are imposed. Many interesting effects can be achieved by using mixed media. Often, found objects are used in conjunction with traditional artist media, such as paints and graphite, to express a meaning in the everyday life. In this manner, many different elements of art become more flexible than with traditional artist media. Based in the Georgian city of Bath, England, Tom Bagshaw works as a commercial illustrator under the moniker Mostlywanted and is represented by The Central Illustration Agency. His talents are sought after by clients in fashion, advertising, editorial and publishing, and include Saatchi & Saatchi, Sony, the BBC, Kraft, GQ, Future Publishing, Scholastic and Random House to name a few. For his personal work he has developed a highly rendered digital painting style through which he explores themes of fantasy, beauty and mysticism. While his work deals with imaginative content, it also aims for a strong level of realism in its presentation. Feminine beauty plays a large role in his work, but the women he depicts are never frail damsels in distress. More often than not they are strong, intriguing characters, with an air of mystery to them. His digital paintings have been shown in galleries around the world, including Corey Helford Gallery in L.A, Bold Hype in N.Y.C, Strychnin Gallery in Berlin, London Miles, Knifesmith and Fine Grime in the U.K.