John Kitses
Medium: Painting Studio Location: Paintcan Studios - Studio# 303 10-10 44th Avenue Website:: johnkitses.com/IronTriangleRequiem Artist Bio: I grew up in Massachusetts. At Rice University in Houston, Texas, I studied painting with Bas Poulos and printmaking with Karin Broker. I then moved to New York City where I have lived since, working first as a fine art silkscreen printer for Rupert Smith, who printed for Andy Warhol. I editioned prints for Kenny Scharf, Michael Heizer, and Keith Haring, including one of his last editions, a collaboration with William S. Burroughs. Following that, an early job in interactive graphics lead to a career in graphic design, which I continue in to this day. My experience includes editorial illustration for newspapers, cartoon illustration and animation for children's media, and work in print design, motion graphics and 3D. I live in Jackson Heights, Queens, with my family. Painting and drawing occupy most of my free time, and when I'm not in the studio, I head out on my bike to paint the landscapes of New York City. Artist Statement: I paint plein air watercolors of unusual urban spaces that are often overlooked. My background and interest in printmaking also informs my work, and has led me to combine my painting with Risograph printing techniques. I received a 2023 New Works Grant from the Queens Council on the Arts to paint landscapes and street scenes in Willets Point, Queens. These paintings will be assembled in a Risograph book, published in November 2023. All images and text copyright John Kitses