Today’s post is brought to you in part by the good people at Muddy Waters Coffee Shop, who kept my iced tea flowing while I wrote this.

What do you get when you combine a heavy dose of urban grit, a rat fink grease monkey acid trip, post-apocalyptic punk, and a dash of social commentary? For Tanner Goldbeck, aka Racecar 13, this combination produces works of art that are astonishingly  majestic, beautiful, stark, and haunting. For those of you who are familiar with the pages of Juxtapoz magazine, you will know that artists working with this recipe are hardly rare.  This abundance makes much of this art seem derivative–simulacra of some Primordial Angst.

LA Angel by Tanner Goldbeck

What makes Goldbeck’s work stand out is a quality of being simultaneously intensely cerebral, and sublime. In my favorite of his work, there is a silent violence that reminds me of Munch’s “The Scream”, as if you froze time at the moment of great revelation and were able to (or forced to) dwell there, forever. That said, Goldbeck’s work retains a playfulness that keeps the work from becoming overly dark or dreary, either on a purely visual level or in mood.

Below I’ve pasted Goldbeck’s bio as well as a short history of the Haley Collective that he sent out. For more information  or to check out the work of Racecar 13 visit his website here.

And make sure to mark your calendars for the “Thrice” show at AFS Gallery on August 8th.

Tanner Goldbeck A Baltimore native currently living in downtown Los Angeles… Racecar 13 is the evolving project in the back of Tanner’s brain. In short summary, the art is always up for interpretation. Influences cover an endless art gamut from many great master painters to the people that hit the walls around Traction Ave. There is a definite interest in experimenting with iconic images and finding new ways to reconfigure them in less traditional ways. Graduate from The Maryland Institute College of Art, attended The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in New Jersey and now works in both commercial and fine art venues. Making paintings, pulling prints and pushing a mouse to see how it all works out.

The Haley Collective origins……….

The Haley Collective’s creation is one of circumstance and providence. The Collective has it’s roots imbedded in the side streets, local bars and coffee shops of Santa Barbara, California. Known primarily as a resort town, Santa Barbara has its own burgeoning crop of young artists who are often kept to the smaller venues slightly outside the mainstream. The name, “Haley” itself taken from the street location of the first three, Works in Progress shows in December, 2003.

Starting in the nineties, a small group of relocated artists from across the country, began to combine works and promote larger events in an attempt to initiate something more. The group as a whole took advantage of it’s unique culmination of varied talents and directions.

The artist’s consolidated their work to be displayed in a much more, “D.I.Y.” style. Over time, the Collective created it’s own unsanctioned energy involving all sorts of mixed media, from paintings, photography, sculpture and collage, to music, projections, hot rods and art cars.

If there are any lasting impressions, we’d like to feel that the Haley Street Collective acted as a catalyst for people to get out on the streets: to hold more events, support local shows, and to enjoy the energy and interaction…