Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Bed-Stuy Stone Mason Unveils New Mural on Myrtle Avenue

 "Space, Sea and Sky" took about a year to finish, said artist Joshua Gabriel.
"Space,Sea and Air" by Joshua Gabriel
View Full Caption

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A new piece of street art is gracing Myrtle Avenue, thanks to a Brooklyn artist and the owners of an 80-year-old stonemasonry shop.

"Space, Sea, Sky," by Ditmas Park-based artist Joshua Gabriel, was unveiled at International Stone Collections in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Thursday, the result of about a year of work from the artist.

The mural, which stretches across the shop's storefront at 703 Myrtle Ave. and around onto Spencer Street, is a mixture of painted landscapes and drawings in gold paint marker.

"This is my first big outdoor project," said Gabriel, 42. "I really like doing it. I want to do more great, epic outdoor stuff."

The painted mural consists of mixtures of colors, including a light blue "sky," a dark blue "sea" and black "space," topped with the gold drawings, all done fresstyle by the artist.

"It's autmoatic drawing," Gabriel said. "Whatever line I put down, that informs the next line. It's stream of consciousness. It's like playing music."

Many of the drawings center on spiritual imagery, something Gabriel said was a "subconscious" choice that came about while he was drawing. The mural also features ships and sea creatures. Gabriel estimated he used more than 100 markers on the mural.

He got the job after the shop's owner, Jake Levy, put out a call for artists on Craigslist. 

"The ad said they're looking for a 'textural' mural," Gabriel said. "I thought that fit my style."

Levy, 29, said the style of the mural is just what he was hoping for.

"He really just did something different and unique, and I just connected with it," Levy said.