Hudson Whiskey Silo

In the summer of 2013, Ryan Cronin was invited to paint one of three massive grain silos at Tuthilltown Spirits, New York's first whiskey distillery since Prohibition and one of the Hudson Valley's most beloved landmarks. The result was one of his largest and most public works to date.

The Work

While the other two artists used spray and completed their silos in under 78 hours, Cronin worked by hand, painting his iconic birds around the full circumference of the silo over the course of a week. "I use these birds in a lot of my artwork," he said, "and I thought it was a good fit for the silo, because there's a pastoral quality to them that reflects this rural setting." The effect was a rotating sky, birds in permanent flight around 69 feet of curved metal, 17 feet in the air.

The Commission

The idea came from Gable Erenzo, son of Tuthilltown co-owner Ralph Erenzo, who wanted to transform three grey metal silos into works of art for visitors to experience. He invited three artists: Joseph Meloy and Fumero from New York City, and Ryan Cronin as the Hudson Valley's own. Rust-Oleum specifically sponsored Cronin's silo, supplying the paint.

The Experience

Tuthilltown built a pathway around all three silos, inviting visitors to walk the full perimeter and move through the work the way you move through a landscape. It was public art designed to be lived with, not hung on a wall, not roped off, but encountered on a walk through a working farm distillery in the Hudson Valley.

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