The New Surreal, a solo show by Alex Reiter at the Strand Main Gallery

May 5—PLATTSBURGH — Artist Alex Reiter has been drawing since he was five years old, and he's never stopped.

The Strand Center for the Arts is excited to host "The New Surreal," his solo exhibition in the Main Gallery.

Opening reception is 5-8 p.m. Friday, May 6.

'A TREASURE'S TROVE'

Reiter graduated from Plattsburgh High School in 1998 and earned a BFA in Film Production, specializing in stop-motion animation, from SUNY Purchase in 2002.

"So, I was going to do that, but I decided afterwards to school to just try my luck at continuing my artwork," he said.

"I don't think I ever really decided. I think I just kept going and never really thought about it."

From 2003 until 2006, Reiter used his artistic skills to co-illustrate the New York Times Best Seller, "A Treasure's Trove," a fairy tale about a real treasure hunt for parents and children of all ages.

"That was crazy," he said.

"That was actually my first job right out of college. This multi-millionaire was looking for a co-illustrator in the paper. I was in Westchester at the time. I was living in Bedford. I worked out of his mansion for a couple of years. He had like a fairy tale mansion right next door to Martha Stewart's house. I drew in his mansion for years. I had a studio. It was really surreal. The whole atmosphere was surreal. I did that for a few years before he moved into an office to do the sequel to that book."

Reiter traveled all over country promoting the book, doing infomercials and showing all the millions in jewels, the "real treasure," found by deciphering clues, which led to 14 tokens that could be turned in for unique jewels or a cash prize.

"We were touring, showing the jewels off to people, the jewels worth millions of dollars, that was actually hidden around the country," he said.

"I would drive in the back of an armored vehicle. Everywhere I walked with the jewels, I would have five or six armed cars around me. It was crazy."

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS

Reiter was the lead singer in a New Jersey-based metal band, Junta, that was touring in 2006.

"I went to Vegas to visit my mom and brother for Christmas," he said

"I had some issues, and I actually stay out there for rehab and stuff like that. I ended up staying for 12 years."

Reiter exhibited his surreal pencil drawings at events such as Centennial Hills Magazine's "First Friday," NY Jumbo, Henderson Art Fest, San Diego Old Town Art Fest, the Santa Monica Art Fest, and even a one-man show at the Box Office and Gallery Las Vegas.

"I was just displaying my original stuff and selling it at the First Fridays and the other art shows at the other festivals," he said.

His prolific body of work includes a 10-foot by 8-foot installation of his drawing, "Terror Rail," at musician, Vince Neil's Tattoo Shop on the Las Vegas strip, where it was featured in the International Tattoo Art Magazine.

"'Terror Rail' is like an evolutionary piece," Reiter said.

"It's got the New York City skyline in the background like a crumbling skyline. The railroad tracks would almost be the Jersey train. It's sort of like a post-apocalyptic view of the future where gas masks have evolved into the human skulls and circulatory system."

SURREAL SPHERES

His influences include H.R. Giger, a Swiss artist known for his bio-mechanical aesthetics, which fuse humans and machines.

"I came across his stuff when I was a teenager," Reiter said.

"I just was obsessed with his style and just kind of like the darkness of it. He got me really into surrealism, into that dark surrealism."

He was also influenced by Salvador Dalí and M.C. Escher.

Reiter's unique hand-painted drawings grace the Rio Hotel and Casino, and the VooDoo Lounge in Las Vegas.

"I painted a bunch of stuff up there when I was there," he said.

"I think the stuff inside the club has been changed, but the main piece that I did on the entryway to the club is still there. That's just called, 'VooDoo Skull.'"

Concerning Reiter's work, David Monette, Strand gallery coordinator, stated:

"I can't tell you how great it is to have Alex Reiter's work in our gallery. He is one of those artists whose body of work is so impressive, so prolific, and frankly, so cool, we are lucky to have him here."

Here, Reiter showcases his creations at Comi-cons, various art festivals, as well as on Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, and his website, mindfeedart.com.

His website features his gallery and merch store.

At 41, his advice to young artists in the North Country is:

"Do something else," Reiter said.

"Don't go there. Honestly, the way the world is today, the most important thing is promoting yourself and getting your stuff out digitally on the web. It's not enough to just like paint and draw stuff, and try to sell your originals. You really got to get it out. I mean nowadays, it's all about expanding and it's all about promoting yourself and that's hard to do for some people. Self-promotion is the biggest thing really."

Email: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com

Twitter@RobinCaudell