Making its debut at the renowned Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, the World of Art Showcase brought together the world’s most recognized contemporary painters and sculptors under one roof for an unprecedented exhibition held December 20-22.
Among the distinguished artists who had master works on display were H.R. Giger, Nelson Shanks, Jota Leal, Daniel E. Greene, Leon Oks, Max Ginsburg, Wolfgang Widmoser, Cesar Santos, Lauri Blank, Vladimir Kush, Ben Joyce, James Van Fossan and Christopher Weed to name a few.
Also on display were rare works entitled “Horse and Rider,” created from a bronze casting of a 500-year-old da Vinci beeswax sculpture unveiled by Las Vegas-based Art encounter.
During the three-day event, COO David Goldstein of Jerry’s Artarama–one of the world’s most beloved art supply companies–stopped into KLAS-TV News Channel 8 with artist Andy Russell to share sample artwork and discuss show highlights. Russell’s artwork also appeared in a feature story in the Las Vegas Review Journal.
PBS Vegas also attended to film the event and art lovers can expect to see the World of Art Showcase on their new show “artScene” in March. The show will be available to 26 different PBS stations nationally.
Those who missed the prestigious showcase still have an opportunity to view and purchase paintings and sculptors online for a limited time atwww.worldofartshowcase.com.
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The First Annual Celebration of The Visual Arts, Which Is Hosting Its Opening Night Gala December 19 and Runs December 20-22 at The Wynn, Will Showcase The World’s Greatest Contemporary Artists, Including H.R. Giger, Nelson Shanks, Jota Leal, Steve Hanks, Cesar Santos, Leon Oks, Max Ginsburg and Many Others
After months of anticipation by many of the world’s top painters, sculptors and visual artists and collectors from around the globe, The Entertainment Capital of the World welcomes the debut of The World of Art Showcase(www.worldofartshowcase.com) at the Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22.
The Official Press Conference and Preview for the event, hosted by World of Art Showcase Executive Director Mario Parga, is set to take place in the Alex Roomof The Wynn at noon on Tuesday, December 18.
The conference will offer a first glimpse of the names and select master works of many of the participating contemporary artists, including fantastic realist H.R. Giger(who won a Visual Effects Oscar® for his design work on Ridley Scott‘s iconic film Alien), realist Nelson Shanks, “transformative portraiture” artist Jota Leal, watercolors master Steve Hanks, “social realism” painter and illustrator Max Ginsburg, pastel and oils master Daniel E. Greene, “classical meets modern” painter Cesar Santos, Leon Oks, Wolfgang Widmoser and Alexey Steele.
A champagne reception with “light bites” will take place immediately following the conference.
Letters of Congratulations for the World of Art Showcase have been sent by U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval.
On the evening of Wednesday, December 19, the World of Art Showcase will host a Premiere Night Gala, at which patrons can enjoy an open bar and “heavy” hors d’oeuvres in the company of today’s contemporary masters. The event runs from 9 p.m. till 11 p.m. in the ballrooms at the Wynn. Tickets ($100) for this event must be purchased in advance; complimentary VIP show passes do not include entrance to the gala.
The groundbreaking vision of David Goldstein, COO of Jerry’s Artorama—one of the world’s most renowned art material supply companies—the World of Art Showcase isan exclusive show for professional artists (both renowned and up and coming) from around the globe to sell their art and make important personal connections with art buyers, collectors and galleries.
Fashioned as a harmonized presentation of the finest original contemporary paintings and sculptures, the world class exhibition transcends the typical “curiosity seeker off the street” vibe of most art fairs and exhibitions to establish itself as a world class cultural event. Its primary goal is to promote the world’s most talented contemporary painters—whose work ranges from classical to modern.
Collectors who attend are encouraged to view, compare and reserve favorite paintings from the World of Art Showcase online gallery, then later at the show meet the artists/galleries who painted/represent the works and make purchases directly from them. Goldstein and Parga see this as a completely new way of viewing and buying art, reflecting the start of a completely new age for the arts.
“The focus of the show is to promote the arts and explain how, why and when to purchase paintings for both pleasure and investment purposes,” says Parga, a veteran virtuoso guitarist, recording artist and renowned painter specializing in portraiture, figurative, landscapes and still lifes in the contemporary and classical realism styles.
Goldstein and Parga chose the Wynn Resort as their desired venue for its amazing style and stylish, luxurious atmosphere as well as owner Steve Wynn‘s reputation as one of the world’s Top 10 private art collectors. The prestigious presentation of artwork on display in the two vast ballrooms at the Wynn is the centerpiece of a multi-faceted three day visual arts celebration aiming to help artists achieve their rightful status in society and to provide the proper showcase environment.
One line perfectly encapsulates the overall mission of the World of Art Showcase: “It is the first event to purposely elevate the status of the artist, who has been an innovator throughout history and created the notion of thinking ‘out of the box.’”
“Our primary motivation is making sure great artists receive the recognition they so richly deserve,” says Parga. “We want the experience to be incredible for vendors and patrons alike, so that when people walk through the doors of the Wynn ballrooms, they can not only see wonderful paintings but feel as though they have entered another world. As a professional painter and professional musician myself, I understand the needs of fellow artists. I firmly believe that the World of Art Showcase will be the biggest and most prestigious cultural event in America, if not the world.”
]]>The World of Art Showcase (www.worldofartshowcase.com), a unique celebration of the visual arts featuring many of the world’s most renowned painters and sculptures at The Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22, has just added the most prestigious name yet to their roster—Leonardo da Vinci!
In Los Angeles last August, a bronze casting of a 500-year-old da Vinci beeswax sculpture was unveiled to the world by Las Vegas-based Art encounter, renowned fine art appraisers and brokers who have examined, appraised, and helped buy and sell works by some of the most prominent artists of the last 150 years.
For the first time in history, a limited number of Leonardo da Vinci bronze castings are now available to collectors. The works, entitled “Horse and Rider”, will be shown and sold at the World of Art Showcase.
The mold’s owner, American businessman Richard A. Lewis, has committed to donating $1 million from the proceeds to the Salvation Army‘s substance abuse program.
“Horse and Rider,” currently on display at The Venetian as part of the Da Vinci – The Genius exhibit through January 27, 2013, is the only known three dimensional piece of art created by the renowned Renaissance artist still in existence.
The recent history behind the unveiling of “Horse and Rider” is fascinating. In 1987, Lewis purchased the mold from the original beeswax which had been authenticated by Professor Carlo Pedretti, widely considered the world’s foremost living authority on Leonardo and professor emeritus of art history and the Chair of Leonardo Studies at UCLA.
From the mold a master bronze sculpture was created. Thus a new authenticated work was created from one of the world’s artistic masters, nearly 500 years after his death.
After the stunning re-discovery of the mold, Mr. Lewis turned to Art encounter, whose expertise and 20 year background in the marketing and appraisal of fine art made them the perfect choice as the exclusive worldwide sales and distribution source for the extremely limited castings.
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Ginsburg will also conduct a live demonstration each day at the celebration of the visual arts hosted at The Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22
Looking back almost 80 years on a quirky, oft quoted anecdotal moment that came to define his life, Max Ginsburg says that he began painting at age 2 when he commandeered one of the brushes that his father, a notable portrait painter, had used to create his latest work.
“I took his brush and started painting on the portrait he had just finished,” says theParis born, Brooklyn raised artist, who will be exhibiting at the World of Art Showcase (www.worldofartshowcase.com), a unique celebration of the visual arts at The Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22. “I consider the spanking I got as my first lesson.”
Everything went on the upswing from there, as Ginsburg—who studied at the legendary High School of Music and Art and then at Syracuse University—became a student and, starting in the mid-50s, a purveyor of realism at a time when the art establishment was embracing abstract expressionism and calling realism “old fashioned.”
After developing his career as a painter while teaching in the ’60s at New York’s High School of Art and Design, he painted more loosely and impressionistically in the ’60s and more realistically from life in the ’70′s before returning in more recent years to stunning, gritty depictions of life in his hometown and stark, sometimes graphic social and anti-war commentary. In between, from 1980 through 2004, he became a renowned commercial illustrator, creating more than 800 works for the New York Times, New York Magazine, Fortune Magazine and top publishers like Avon, Penguin Putnam, Harlequin, Bantam, Dell, Crown, Pocket Books and Warner Publications, among others.
Working with notable authors like John Knowles (“A Separate Peace”), Pamela Pacotti (“Winds of Desire”) and Mildred Taylor, Ginsburg’s combination of intuitive skill and deep empathy combined to produce tender depictions of friendship or family ties in the face of gross social injustice and random tragedy.
“When Mr. Ginsburg first started painting, he was working in direct opposition to the period’s minimalism and rejection of representational art,” says World of Art Showcase Executive Director Mario Parga. “His fine art represented his immediate environment and the people of his beloved hometown, and the passion he brought to those works and his novel cover illustrations make him that rare artist who can reflect gritty reality while also engaging us on flights of whimsical fancy. As one of America’s most important painters, we are delighted that he will be exhibiting and conducting painting demonstrations at our inaugural event.”
Ginsburg will display and offer for sale representative paintings from the various phases of his career at the World of Art Showcase, including the illustration cover paintings from “A Separate Peace”, Harlequin and Warner Books romance cover paintings, the cover painting for Mildred Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and many of the realistic New York street life paintings from the past decade that fully illuminate the human condition as he sees it.
He will also be selling copies of his exquisite coffee table book (published in 2010), “Max Ginsburg: Retrospective,” a collection of his paintings from 1956 to 2011 featuring more than 170 color plates and other black and white reproductions of his artwork. Alongside this book will be the six-hour two-disc DVD, “Max Ginsburg: The Legacy of an American Painter,” which features a three hour real-time painting demonstration by Ginsburg, an interview led by Peter Trippi, a slideshow of the artist’s work and a walkthrough of Ginsburg’s recent retrospective at the Butler Institute of American Art.
“Because not everyone will get a chance to see the DVD,” the artist says, “I will also be doing a live painting demonstration of a person posing for me each day of the exhibit at the World of Art Showcase. It’s a unique environment for me to work in, so far from my studio in New York. I think it’s a great way to share what I do with the patrons who attend the event.”
Ginsburg’s lifelong passion for realism has its roots in his childhood, where he was inspired by his father but also the dark historical realities of the ’30s and ’40s, which included the Great Depression, anti-Semitism and the rise of Hitler, World War II, and domestic social issues like poverty and racial and ethnic injustice. “These were and are important issues for humanity,” he says, “and as I was growing up, I saw that in order to get along and make a living, sometimes people had to compromise their human values, and this just isn’t right. When I started painting, I looked to old masters for inspiration, starting with Rembrandt, who stuck adamantly to his principles and painted the reality of people and the truth about the world.
“I often quote the line from Romantic poet John Keats’ ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn,’which says, ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty – That is all/Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know,” he adds. “I’ve always felt that an artist’s personal message is an integral part of his or her expression. One of the first things people can see on my website is my quote about New York, in which I mention my personal and deep connection to the rich, energetic and beautiful city. My stated objective is to paint about the people of New York, realistically and with compassion. I believe when you are familiar with your subject, you have a deeper sense of what they are, and so the work will have a stronger sense of identity than if I was a tourist painting some unfamiliar situation.”
Another element of Ginsburg’s sense of socially conscious expression—which is very apparent in some of his more intense work over the past ten years—is his deep outrage about war, injustice and torture. “With regard to these themes, I have been inspired by old masters such as Caravaggio, Goya, Kollwitz and Picasso. I choose to paint realistically because realism is truth. I derive an aesthetic pleasure in skillfully done realistic drawings and paintings. I believe that realism can communicate ideas strongly and it is this communication that is extremely important to me.”
To see more of Ginsburg’s work visit www.maxginsburg.com andwww.ginsburgillustration.com.
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The multi-faceted first annual celebration of the visual arts is set for The Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22, 2012
Reflecting upon the life and work regarding realism painter James Van Fossan,Aiste Parmasto, Fine Art Consultant with Art d’ Art, LLC, has written: “It is said that an artist paints what he sees. If that is true, then the world that Van Fossan sees is void of nefarious, quotidian vices and instead is brimming with beauty, kindness, and personal resolve. As a painter of people, he buttresses himself against the insuperable task of creating an illusion of likeness with the entelechy of his talent.”
The World of Art Showcase is proud to include the Vail, Colorado-based painter on the roster of its inaugural event, a highly-anticipated celebration of the visual arts and artists (www.worldofartshowcase.com) at the Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22, 2012.
Since leaving the corporate world to focus on his art full time seven years ago, the self-taught Van Fossan has come to command some of the highest recognitions in realism. In 2009, he was invited to join the prestigious International Guild of Realism, and he is now distinguished by the acclaimed international museum and salon, Art Renewal Center, as an “Associate Living Master.” His work has been featured in American Art Collector, International Artist Magazine, Southwest Art, as well as other art and lifestyle publications.
Other accolades he has received in recent years include: 2010/2011/2012 Finalist,Art Renewal Center’s International Figurative Category, ARC Salon, Glenham, New York; the 2011 Collectors’ Choice Award, International Guild of Realism Exhibition, Santa Fe, New Mexico; and the solo exhibitions “Rhythms of Grace” (Cathedral Center for the Arts, Phoenix, 2011) and “Face Forward: A Benefit for Mending the Soul Ministries” (Rive Gauche Art Gallery, Scottsdale, 2009).
His work has also been included in numerous group exhibitions, including the 7thAnnual International Guild of Realism Salon in Carmel, CA (2012); the 83rdAnnual American Artists Professional League Grand National Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY (2011); the International Guild of Realism 6thAnnual Exhibition, Sage Creek Gallery, Santa Fe (2011); the Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art, Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ (2011), and “Martinis & Masterpieces,” The Children’s Museum of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ (2011).
One of the most influential people in Van Fossan’s development has been fellow artist and close friend Duffy Sheridan, who introduced James to oil painting through casual studio sessions, where they discussed art and its philosophies more than they put brushes to canvas. With Sheridan’s encouragement, Van Fossan slowly began switching to oils after a lifetime of working in graphite.
“What my work to-date represents is my study of the language and craft of oil painting,” says Van Fossan. “Words, like paintings, are used to express our hearts to others. However, a painting can say so much more, and is understood as though it were a universal language. I paint in a realistic manner simply because I feel my primary goal is to represent truth, reality, and to tell the story. I desire to paint and to speak clearly so that the more important matter of what I am trying to say comes through.
“Like any great craft,” he adds, “the time and detail fostered into a work of realism commands attention and invites the viewer to understand, or at least to consider, the painting. To share my philosophies and thoughts with others in such a beautiful and historical art form is a privilege I am determined to honor as I continue to work with all of my heart and mind on this life-long mission.”
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One of U.S. Art Magazine’s top ten American artists since 1993, Hanks was named to the U.S. Art Hall of Fame, distinguished as one of the Top 25 Selling Artists by Décor Magazine, and has exhibited throughout the U.S., Canada and Hong Kong—and now, The Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22
Growing up in many places as the son of a Naval officer, Steve Hanks realized he was always the best artist in his class but was still blown away when—many years after establishing himself as one of the world’s foremost watercolor masters—he found his first grade report card in a file at his parent’s house.
“The teacher had written, simply, Steve is an artist’,” says the New Mexico-based painter, who will be exhibiting at the groundbreaking World of Art Showcase(www.worldofartshowcase.com), a celebration of the visual arts coming to The Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22. ”I sometimes wonder if by writing that, she somehow knew all of this would happen. Growing up, my parents wanted me to be a tennis player and I played football and baseball and surfed when I we lived in Southern California. But art was the greatest comfort for me.”
Launching his career by drawing bestselling posters of The Beatles, The Doorsand Bob Dylan, Hanks—who attended the Academy of Fine Arts in San Francisco and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California College of Arts and Crafts— has become a world class artist recognized by jurors, galleries and collectors throughout the world.
He has received the National Watercolor Society Merit Award and the National Academy of Western Art Gold Medal, in addition to consistently appearing in the list of top ten American artists compiled by U.S. Art Magazine. Art for the Parkshas honored his work with many awards since 1989. When the Pacific Rim show in Seattle opened their show to a wider variety of art in 1999, they selected Hanks as Artist of the Year. He was also one of five winners selected to the U.S. Art Hall of Fame 2000, and was named as one of the top 25 selling artists in the June, 2002 issue of Decor magazine. In 2002, the 7th Annual Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children chose Hanks as their feature artist. Four years later, he was the featured artist in Watercolor Magazine.
In addition, his fine art prints have been published and distributed throughout the world by Hadley House, Bentley Publishing and The Greenwich Workshop.
While his primary showcase gallery is the E.S. Lawrence Gallery in Aspen, Colorado, Hanks has also done one man shows at the Lesley Levy Gallery inScottsdale and appeared in many invitational shows throughout the U.S., Canadaand even Hong Kong. Closer to home, in 2005, the Weems International Artfestfeatured Hanks as one of the showcase guest artists and he was awarded for“Outstanding Contributions to The Culture of New Mexico.” In 2008, he was featured artist in Art of The West and American Artist Watercolor.
“We are thrilled to have Steve as part of our inaugural World of Art Showcase. He is one of the world’s finest watercolorists, combining outstanding technique with his trademark style of ‘emotional realism’, says the event’s Executive Director Mario Parga. “As well as his popular prints, Steve will be bringing multiple original watercolor paintings to the show. These must be seen by all for their incredible beauty, and will be for sale to collectors; a rare opportunity to purchase an original from the master himself.”
“We are thrilled to have Steve as part of our inaugural World of Art Showcase, not only for his outstanding achievements in his trademark realm of ‘emotional realism,’ but because he brings with him a fascinating story,” says the event’sExecutive Director Mario Parga. ”He started his career working in oils, but ultimately his allergic reaction to oils led him to experiment and later triumph using watercolors. He was able to develop a powerful style with watercolors that resemble the complete look of an oil painting while still painting with a traditional transparent watercolor technique. We’re excited to have him exhibit some of his best work in this area.”
While Hanks initially felt that being forced to switch from oils to watercolors might make him lose the “oily” feel that makes skin look so realistic, he found that using watercolors helped loosen him up as a painter—and now through various layering techniques, he can capture the texture of skin even better. One of the powerful new tools he uses that allows watercolor paintings to resonate the way oil-based ones do is Aquabord, a clay coated hardboard panel that gives watercolorists unprecedented freedom and control; it’s a multimedia panel that simulates the absorbency and texture of cold pressed but allows color to be lifted back to white easily while also leaving the richest, most vibrant color possible.
Hanks creates his supremely realistic, often quite sensual “emotional realism” by often leaving the faces of his figures obscured or turned away, not only leaving the details of the face to the imagination of the viewer but also to allow the entire figure to express the emotion. Another signature element of his style is backlighting, in which he uses a photograph he takes of a model to keep shadows consistent.
“Sunlight is one of my favorite subjects,” he says. “I’m fascinated by how it filters through things, how it floods the whole room with color. Often my paintings are really more about sunlight than anything else. Then again, women occupy a special niche in my sensitivity. They express more storytelling ability, and the fine subtleties it takes to capture their essence intrigues and challenges me. There’s more magic in them. Among my favorite of these is my ‘There Are Angels Among Us’ series.”
Those seductive portraits and many others will be on display at Steve Hanks’ exhibition at the World of Art Showcase. “Most of my work has been at a single gallery (E.S. Lawrence) for a long time,” he says, “and I’m excited to be at an event with so many other great artists with the opportunity to expand these exhibition opportunities. It’s exciting to be able to expose my work to new people who have not yet seen it, who may also become new clients. Most of the shows I do in Aspen, I’m there for the opening and then I’m gone, and there’s not much interaction between me and serious collectors. I’m looking forward to having a great event with an intelligent, receptive crowd.”
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Since launching his hybrid art form in February 2011, the North Carolina-based photography artist has created thousands of works—40 of which will be exhibited for the first time at The Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22
While the World of Art Showcase (www.worldofartshowcase.com) will bring together renowned artists from around the world, Ira Goldstein will distinguish himself from his fellow exhibitors in two important ways. Among scores of painters, sculptors and creators of other works, he is the only participating photography-based artist at this event—a unique celebration of the visual arts at The Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22.
Goldstein will for the first time be exhibiting 40 images from his “Make Believe” series—a multi-faceted project based on the merging of the images he has gathered from his years of traveling throughout the world with playful studio photographs of female models. The works range in size from 20”x30” to 36”x72”. The catalog of personal photographs that he draws from range from dynamic landscapes to gritty urban images he has captured over the years on multiple visits to New York City—not far from Long Island, where the North Carolina-based artist grew up.
“Ira’s unique fusion of figurative photography with land and cityscape images offers an exciting final image that expands the possibilities of photography in art—truly in line with the overall vision of the World of Art Showcase,” says the event’s Executive Director Mario Parga. “His growing series of ‘Make Believe’ images deserves a wide audience and we are proud to include him as the only photography-based artist at our inaugural event.”
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Goldstein’s “Make Believe” series is the fact that he has created thousands of images in such a relatively short period of time. Since he started shooting live models and creating these works in February 2011, his concepts and methods have been in constant flux as he continues to discover new directions with each session’s fresh array of images.
While he’s been working on this series for nearly two years, his journey to create these images via his evolving artistic sensibilities is based on years of observation, study, picture making and cataloguing. The power of his NYC-based work is all the more fascinating because of the vast amount of photographs Goldstein has taken over the years on travels throughout Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America and even the North and South Poles.
“I’d been thinking about creating this type of series for two years before I started it,” says Goldstein, “but my full time career as President of Jerry’s Artarama keeps me very busy, and it’s not easy to find big blocks of time to devote to both the model photography and the hours it takes in Photoshop to create these works. I started blocking out weekends and evenings, and my compulsion to create this very different art form just kept happening and growing. Once I started doing it, I really broke free.
I always thought it would be interesting to mix live models with my extensive work as a photographer,” he adds. “I’ve been a longtime collector of images and while I get a tremendous amount of enjoyment taking pictures, that’s not where it ends for me anymore. I take the nature and urban shots and blend those with bodyscape images. At first I loved using my landscape work but then I started to find the cityscapes even more interesting—everything from fire escapes and streets with lights to graffiti. It’s been a tremendous journey so far. I have worked with over 25 models so far, each of whom spend an hour long session with a makeup artist.”
Goldstein calls it the “Make Believe” series because in life, he believes, everyone makes believe at some point, taking on different roles in their parallel worlds. He stresses the importance of seeing the eyes and soul of the person. At first, he would take the 150-200 best shots of the model from any give session and start creatively matching them with his catalog shots, but soon it became more fun and interesting to shoot them knowing what background he was going to use.
“Sometimes it was like a puzzle I would put together later but other times I would think about what kinds of poses would work best with which background images,” he says. “Once I had the images in mind, I would ask the models to pretend they’re in certain circumstances, like play acting. Also, before the session, I would tell them what I had in mind and show them some of the last pieces I had done. Playing ‘make believe’ and dressing up is fun. Every single model shoot is fun and there’s always this cool chemistry that happens that makes the final result exciting and sometimes unpredictable. I’ve learned to trust my instinct and artistic sensibility. If it looks right and feels right and I bring it to a place where I’m happy with, that’s when I know I’ve got something special. I build them by layers, and the editing can take an hour or several days.”
Goldstein says that his passion for photography started back in high school: “I have been collecting images since 1970. That summer I went on a six-week teen bus tour of the United States with my first SLR, a Yashica Electro X, and brought back thousands of images with the idea of creating a body of painted work. This never materialized but my love of art and photography has grown larger every year. In those early days, photography helped me develop my drawing and painting skills.”
Goldstein later enrolled in a four year program in professional photography at Rochester Institute of Technology, which taught him more than just the creative side of photography; it also covered the chemistry, the physics, and the business side. he graduated with a B.S. in Photography, but—somewhat disillusioned by idea of working for an art director to create their vision rather than his own—he put down his camera for six years, choosing to work for his family’s growing art supply business rather than pursue commercial photography. His passion was rekindled when he dusted off his old Nikon F2 to take pictures of his newborn son, Michael; he describes this as a time of “magic” where his creativity began to “blossom” anew.
Over the following years, he became a commercial photographer due to the expense of outsourcing the photography when he and his brother went into the mail order business.
Goldstein’s later sense of wanderlust gave rise to many years of travel photography that now forms the foundation of his “Make Believe” series. He also turned his photos of the 2008 Beijing Olympics into a gift book. “My life experiences, including meeting so many different people and visiting many countries along the way, changed a lot of things, and I have become a more astute observer of life than I was when I first took pictures as a kid,” he says. “It’s not just about what you see in the viewfinder, it’s about becoming part of the place you’re in—tasting the food, mingling with the locals—and seeing your camera as an appendage, but not the only way you view things. As I have matured and realized what was important in life, I realized that photography is not the end all, but a component of my life – just as it is a component of the photographic art I do today.”
Aside from the opportunity to meet and gain feedback from the participating artists, art collectors and investors who attend the World of Art Showcase, Goldstein is looking forward to being part of an event that, as he says, is designed to “turn artists into superstars. I remember a time when I could rattle off half a dozen living working artists who were famous and part of people’s daily conversations. Today, that doesn’t seem as likely and that’s something that an event like this can help change. I’m very excited about the opportunity to participate.”
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Weed, who has completed over 20 public art installations in the U.S. and abroad since 1998, will showcase ‘The Door’ and parts of his ‘Spores’ and ‘Portal 1 and Portal 2’ works to the celebration of the visual arts at
The Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22
With the addition of veteran Colorado Springs-based sculptor Christopher Weed to the roster for the World of Art Showcase (www.worldofartshowcase.com), the scope of the first year event—a unique celebration of the visual arts at The Wynn Las Vegas December 20-22—just became grander in both appeal and (three-dimensional) size.
Actually, “massive” might be a more appropriate adjective, considering the scale of the eleven iconic works that the multi-faceted artist plans to display in the exhibition hall—after he transports them in a tractor-trailer. Though the work he is sharing represents a very small sample of the hundreds of large-scale public sculptures he has created over the past 20 years, the size and subjects of these items—from the 60” in diameter 850lb. Spore from his “Spores” installation, to the 17-foot-tall, 4,500 lb. abstracted Door titled “Portal.” “Portal 2” from his current display in downtown Colorado Springs—typifies the uniqueness and large scale vision of Weed’s creations. His sculptures average from 25-30 feet high and weigh many thousands of pounds each.
In 2007, 5280 Magazine named his work “Opening Doors” at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center the “Best Public Art in Denver.” Recent commissions include those for the RTD light rail and for the cities of Aurora, Lafayette, Boulder and Fort Collins. His work has appeared in collections everywhere from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Miami to New York, Seattle, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin and his hometown of Philadelphia.
“Portal 2” is an especially emotional work that is part of Public Art “Portal 1 and Portal 2,” a temporary installation at the Plaza of the Rockies, It is accessible and open to the public through June 2013. Consisting of two larger than life, abstract retro televisions, Portal 1 stands 30’ high and weighs over 4.5 tons. Portal 2 stands 18’ tall and has incorporated video elements, including images of Weed’s “Spores” installation at Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, with 20 spores in all.
The videos were created by Weed’s brother Matthew, the youngest of seven siblings whose life was cut short in July 2011 by leukemia. They run 24 hours a day throughout the 2012 exhibit. Highlighting Matthew’s unique and clever vision through videography, the powerful two-piece exhibit is Weed’s homage to his late brother—perfectly placed because Matthew regularly visited the ice rink that used to be at the Plaza“My brother was multi-talented and shot dozens of short films and other videos in addition to the very artistic work he did on the Spores video,” says Weed. “Setting up the Spores installation was quite an event, as the airport granted us one day to load up 20 sculptures and place them in a restricted area dotting the landscape. Matthew set up his camera and he shot this imagery for four hours along with with two other videographers. The spores appear as tumbleweeds and or nautical mines. There was a lot of footage he shot that we hadn’t gotten to before he passed away, so the Portal 1 and 2 installation was an opportunity to incorporate his video into one of the TVs. Portal 2 has two 55” LED monitors which loop the video. Portal 1 which is outside acts as a beacon, with RGB/LED lighting on the bottom of the oval that does a slow glow throughout a vast color spectrum, from one color to the next.”
Though Weed is only bringing six “spores” to his exhibit at the World of Art Showcase, the full project of 18 spores he exhibited at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center as part of their award winning exhibit “Conflict-Resolution.” representations of war and resolve. Blake Milteer FAC Curator described it this way: “Spores simultaneously suggests something playful yet threatening, natural yet out-scaled, organic yet industrial. Accordingly, the forms at-once appear as seed spores, tumbleweeds, thistles, and nautical mines.” The sculptures are constructed of powder coated steel spheres with 400, to 475 solid half-inch steel stems welded to each sphere.
Weed also plans to bring to the World of Art Showcase his work “The Door,” It is 17 feet high and weighs 4,500 lbs. It is notable for its abstract shape and precarious, balance, skewing the viewers perceptions of reality and is currently on display at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center after a show in Michigan. Weed also created a unique exhibit featuring “The Door” in the middle of a field titled “Portal”, this sculpture is a metaphor for the doors that are opened in ones mind, when we strive to reach a higher level of consciousness, whether intellectually or spiritually.
Another recent work of note is “Red Paperclips,” larger than life sculptures that won first prize at the 2009 Art on the Streets Exhibition in Colorado. The pieces, which literally look like oversized red paperclips, are 24 feet high, with a combined weight of 3.5 tons. This and “The Door” represent Weed’s desire to show the graceful design of everyday items we take for granted.
While some of Weed’s work is geared towards spiritual and philosophical reflection, in general his goal is to create rich impressions that have the ability to touch and connect people of all ages in ways they might not expect. “In my work as a sculptor,” he says, “I use primarily luminous and tactile materials, creating abstract and organic shapes that draw the viewer nearer. My purpose is to overwhelm the observer using size, variation and multiplicity of elements. The intent is not to shock, but to ultimately inspire a sense of awe, transforming the viewer to another place, if even for a brief moment. My style encompasses sheer size and bright colors, embodying a sophisticated, yet child like quality that creates a bond with both children and adults.
“I’ve often been told that people know my work when they see it, even if at first they don’t know for sure that I created it,” says Weed. “Besides the larger than life elements, I think that is due to an almost childlike quality I bring to each work. What I am striving for is the opportunity for adults to view art again through a child’s eye. As we get older, adults may become a bit rigid and regimented, losing some of our youthful exuberance. I want to heighten their excitement and make sure adults that see my sculptures lighten up, if even for a brief moment. My work forces the viewer to stop dead in their tracks, inspiring them to reassess their daily lives and values. I do this well because I am still a child at heart and like to play like a kid.”
All that makes perfect sense in light of the fact that as a child, Weed immersed himself in his carpenter father’s home studio/workshop for hours daily, creating both functional and non functional objects. He later graduated with a BFA from the University of Maryland, with two years spent studying in Southern Germany. “I was always good with my hands,” he says, “and have fond memories of working with my dad, being exposed to the whole contractor thing, surrounded by cement trucks, heavy machines and large tools. While I was building my career as an artist, I also built art deco furniture for a living. With hundreds of pieces sold, some of these items made their way into family and friends homes, but I choose to live as a minimalist so I have very few of these early pieces in my home.”
Weed is excited about the opportunity to participate in the World of Art Showcase for a number of reasons: “I know they’re doing everything possible to make sure some of the world’s most enthusiastic art collectors are there, and Las Vegas is the perfect place to attract such a clientele. I am one of the few three dimensional artists in the show, and it will be interesting to see how people respond to my work outside of its typical environment. I’m optimistic that I will make many great connections and look forward to meeting clients and the general public at large. Although in its first year, I feel that this event will be a huge success that will grow next year. I look forward to bringing larger sculptures next year. The event’s success will be a great reassurance that art of all kinds is still an important part of people’s daily lives.”
]]>THE WYNN LAS VEGAS PREPARES TO HOST THE MOST RECOGNIZED NAMES IN CONTEMPORARY ART AT THE GROUNDBREAKING WORLD OF ART SHOWCASE DECEMBER 20-22
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The unprecedented event will feature master works by iconic contemporary painters and sculptors such as H.R. Giger, Nelson Shanks and Daniel E. Greene, along with pieces from Vegas’s own Morpheus Fine Art Gallery
A true celebration of the visual arts and artists, the World of Art Showcase (www.worldofartshowcase.com) is an unprecedented event set to debut at the renowned Wynn Las Vegas hotel December 20-22, 2012. The show is billed as an exclusive event for professional artists, collectors and enthusiasts alike.
The focus of the show is to promote the arts and explain how, why and when to purchase paintings and sculptures for both pleasure and investment purposes. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase original master paintings at the low of the market by masterful artists who rarely leave the private confines of their studios. According to David Goldstein, COO of one of the world’s loved art supply companies and event title sponsor Jerry’s Artarama, boldly asserts: “Art enriches your life every day, and at the same time, offers better returns than the stock market.” Click here to read full article.
One of the most extraordinary events of its kind, the World Of Art Showcase artist roster boasts numerous iconic painters and sculptors from across the globe such as Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Giger who won an Academy Award for ‘Best Achievement for Visual Effects‘ for his design work on the Ridley Scott science fiction horror film “Alien” – and will be the largest exhibition of his art to be shown in the U.S. in more than 20 years with the artist himself present.
Master portrait painter Nelson Shanks, who has received commissioned work from the likes of Princess Diana, Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton amongst many other notable public figures, will have many of his original master works available at this year’s event and conduct a live portrait painting demonstration.
Other distinguished participants include the renowned Daniel E. Greene (who will have over 40 original works for sale and will also conduct a painting demonstration), Wolfgang Widmoser, Leon Oks, Jota Leal (also set to conduct a live demonstration), Hsin-Yao Tsen, Vladimir Kush, Steve Hanks, Tony Pro, Morpheus Fine-Art Gallery, Cesar Santos and Ben Joyce to name a few.
Event-goers can enjoy an unforgettable experience in the majestic ballrooms of the Wynn Las Vegas as thousands of original contemporary paintings and sculptures will be displayed for purchase.
Tickets are now officially available to the prestigious event, offering General Admission and VIP options through its website with ability to secure room reservations at a promotional rate. General admission hours are 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily; VIP Previews are 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. & 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. daily. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.worldofartshowcase.com.
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