Cooler Than Tarantino…

a really great piece on the Magoski Arts Colony and Jonathan St. Amant, current PÄS artist, came out yesterday in the OC Weekly. have a look:

Magoski Arts Colony Is Cooler Than Tarantino
The newly formed Fullerton gallery already impresses with multiple exhibits, even a bookstore
By DAVE BARTON Thursday, Mar 10 2011

With the economy tightening its musty, thick-fingered hands around the throat of an already undernourished arts community, it’s a small joy to see that three galleries have gathered together to do better with others what they were already doing well on their own. PÄS Gallery, Violet Hour Studio and OC Weekly favorite Hibbleton Gallery have gathered together to form the Magoski Arts Colony, and their Fullerton space on Santa Fe Avenue is crammed full of art at present.

Hibbleton co-owner Jesse La Tour was still hanging paintings and getting title cards when he graciously introduced me to one of Violet Hour Studio’s owners, Mike Magoski, in the process of setting up local artist Charlie Visnic‘s mind-numbing exhibition of 365 days of creativity. Far from finished when I stepped in to look, the exhibition of one art piece a day for a year was already overwhelming at the midstage. La Tour also introduced me to PÄS Gallery owner Brian Prince, who was finishing prep on the opening of “Welcome to Nowhereland” with artist Jonathan St. Amant.

Playfully adolescent, St. Amant’s work is a geek paradise of warrior robots (named Brobots here since they drive monster cars and drink beer), Winnebagos floating midair, panty-wearing fauns loping through magical forests and dueling black-clad ninjas. It would be laughably cheeseball if it weren’t abundantly clear the artist, tongue jammed forcefully in cheek, wasn’t having such a good time in a wide variety of medium: sculpture, painting, drawings and mixed-media installations.

His epic piece, God Is On Our Side, … READ MORE