Star Child

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. Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the dried film. Oil paints have been used in Europe since the 12th century for simple decoration, but were not widely adopted as an artistic medium until the early 15th century. Common modern applications of oil paint are in finishing and protection of wood in buildings and exposed metal structures such as ships and bridges. Its hard-wearing properties and luminous colors make it desirable for both interior and exterior use on wood and metal. Due to its slow-drying properties, it has recently been used in paint-on-glass animation. Thickness of coat has considerable bearing on time required for drying: thin coats of oil paint dry relatively quickly. After 15 years as a successful Illustrator and cover artist for more than 100 paperbacks in the fantasy genre, Garro has exploded onto the fine art scene, exhibiting his paintings nationally and internationally. His growing collector base eagerly await his next meticulously designed and executed work. A miniaturist who likes to work big, Garro struggles with this clash of sensibilities all the time in order to be as prolific as possible. The work often features classically beautiful figures as cosmological cogs working within the complex mechanisms of the universe. Dynamic motion of familiar shapes morphing and implying other familiar shapes, creating, destroying and re-creating once again in two dimensions but implying four. A New York-based, free-lance artist, Mark Garro has assembled a diverse portfolio. After obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Art in Illustration from Syracuse University on a full scholarship, Garro worked in a New York City gallery while building his portfolio. Over the next 20 years Garro illustrated book covers for several wildly successful book series. Garro incorporates a deep sense of light, color and realism assuming a unique style that sometimes dwells on the dark side. His heavy emphasis on realistic trompe l’oeil techniques puts Mark’s work over the top in