Montauk MOAI ‘Ronjo’

The Ronjo in Montauk was built in 1961 by Irv and Flo Stewart on their Hotel Property The Ronjo. The MOAI statue has been called Ronjo since. It's one of the most photographed landmarks in all of Montauk, NY. I was asked to paint over the Gold Ronjo by Larry Seidlick the new owner of the Ronjo, now The Montauk Beach House. I was overwhelmingly humbled, when Larry and hotel genius designer Walt Lindveld asked me to do this. I literally looked up in the sky and said a nice little prayer. Larry had told me so much about the history of the Ronjo Hotel and the statue. Walt seems to be able to dissect all of Larry’s intellectual concepts and present them creatively into such sophistication and grace, all while being an incredibly innovative designer. I try to take that approach with my art, especially with the historical relevance of the Iconic Monument. I decided to start studying and integrating the MOAI history, mixed with the chronological story of the Ronjo hotel into the painting. What was the function, purpose and reason for the MOAI/Tiki. That is what I hope to reveal upon completion of the piece. I think also it’s a great gateway to allow other artists to paint on it in the future and further expand on an already growing artistic community out here that is now getting national, maybe even global attention.

Acrylic, oil crayon, pencil on Plaster
22 feet x 9 feet x 5 feet Unfinished July 2017

Not For Sale on view at The Montauk Beach House Resort.