“A Lucky Find” – one of the most exciting and original shows to grace the walls of Red Hook’s newest gallery. Lucky Gallery, will display the works of local talent, Justin Waldstein and Pittsburgh’s own Dave Wallace for five weeks of inspiring art that combines a mix of nostalgia, color and incredible craftsmanship.

Pittsburgh native, Dave Wallace, has done graphic and web design for independent filmmakers, psychedelic rock bands, experimental theater companies and more. His illustration work was recently featured in the Communication Arts Illustration Annual. As a collage artist, Wallace is fascinated by found imagery; as a graphic designer he is inspired by advertising of many different eras. But in “A Lucky Find” he presents a show comprised completely of paintings. In preparing for this show, Wallace found himself repeatedly drawn to the 1940’s and 1950’s advertising text from such home and lifestyle magazines as The Workbasket, Good Housekeeping, and Ladies Home Journal. From flea market finds and yard sales, unexpected worlds emerge in Wallace’s paintings. The Pittsburgh Tribune Review states, “He can take anything from a half-filled out piece of old ledger paper to a found photograph, combine these two disparate elements with something like a recipe note card or dry cleaning receipt, and come up with a novel arrangement that speaks volumes about history, humanity or both a master’s touch.”

Justin Waldstein is a Manhattan native. While his father designed science-fiction and horror magazines, immersing young Justin in Start Trek, comic books and movie monsters, Waldstein attended the High School of Music and Art, sketching and painting his own real life characters on the New York subway every day. His artwork has since moved to a reflection of the mixed influences of commercial art, art history and the contemporary landscape of New York City whose evocative imagery continues and rich urban drama continue to enliven him. Soft color and fluid contours make his canvases of wood panels, paper, and sheet metal, alive with characters that seem so lifelike in their contortions and movements they beckon the viewer to physically enter the canvas and join them. A woman glides through space, the trajectory of her life an explosive demonstration of living. A couple embraces after collapsing on a car seat: even the ripples of fabric can be a tangle of tension. Touching, awe-inspiring, and strangely soothing each piece is a unique journey that transcends the work that preceded it.

“It was truly a “lucky find” as a gallery owner to discover Justin and Dave, two talented, young artists,” said Lucky1s Ed Rosko. “The show title speaks to how both of these guys often find inspiration in vintage magazines and advertising images then develop them into fantastic pieces of art.”