Send2Press Newswire

Amusing Ourselves to Death in the Art World

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:43:41 GMT

NORMAN, Okla., Oct. 10 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Artist, Xvala, is introducing two new art series at MAINSITE Contemporary Art. The opening is scheduled for Friday, October 10 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 122 East Main Street in Norman. The works will be exhibited through November 29. The artist, Xvala, says he, wants to "look like Jeff Koons, feel like Damien Hirst, and be a prince like Richard Prince."

His first art series -- "Eco Celebrity" -- has two components: "Amusing Ourselves to Death," and "Jolly Roger." The table top pieces in "Amusing Ourselves to Death" focus on inner beauty; "Jolly Roger" concentrates on outer beauty.

The table tops are taken outside of their practical use and wall mounted. The wall-mounted circular tabletops communicate the historical relevance to the use of natural beauty in furnishing lifestyle.

Each table top bears the non-descriptive title "Amusing Ourselves to Death" and each has a descriptive name at the end such as flower or explosion to complement the table's natural and individual beauty.

The table tops' source showcases these highly sought after exotic woods commonly used in luxury furniture. The fabricator, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a major vendor to notable gaming and luxury resort hotels and casinos.

One of the pieces, "Amusing Ourselves to Death Flower" was created to express inner beauty.

"We've always used trees in this way -- for their inner beauty," Xvala says. "I believe the concept for inner beauty must have come from trees."

"Jolly Roger" is a sculpture that was fashioned after a women's designer handbag made from stingray skin; it examines outer beauty and what this means to people.

"Big Sausage Pizza" is part of the Surprise series - a series about things people can experience in a new way. A stainless steel sculpture, the piece was based on popular Internet pornography images traded on the Internet. It combines America's favorite food and home-delivery service. The artistic and emotional effect is released when the box is opened.

Pieces in the Surprise series display a lifestyle of how to be entertaining in new ways. One of the first pieces in this series was of Britney Spears -- The Appeal of The Loss of Desirability.

Both the Eco Celebrity and the Surprise series artfully provide strategic secrets for how to achieve business and personal success.

MAINSITE is a contemporary commercial art gallery with exhibitions that rotate approximately every nine weeks.

For more information, visit: www.Mainsite-Art.com.

For more information contact: Christian Pitt, 405-292-8095, Christian@mainsite-art.com.

All trademarks acknowledged.

Copyright © 2008 Send2Press® Newswire, a unit of Neotrope®
TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, MAINSITE Contemporary Art, Artist Xvala

Michelle Obama's Sexy Mannequin Bust: NYC Gallery's 'First Lady' Fashion Makeover

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:23:41 GMT

NEW YORK, N.Y., Sept. 17 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- First Lady hopeful Michelle Obama receives an "Inaugural Ball" makeover for providing a makeover to the face of the U.S. The sexy, bare-shouldered style-enhancement highlights Obama's ethnicity to create a new fashion template for the 21st Century First Lady, and is the latest installment of sculptor Daniel Edwards' "Inspire America" series, courtesy of Manhattan's Leo Kesting Gallery.

"Michelle Obama's Makeover for America" presents an accessorized mannequin bust of Obama that foregoes the conventional pearl necklace, and provides for her a "signature look" to take to Washington. "The goal is to create a look for Michelle Obama that eliminates excessive comparisons to Jackie Kennedy," said Edwards, who studied under the tutelage of legendary fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez, "like supermodel Tyra Banks's photos in Harper's Bazaar, or the puzzling comment from CBS's Byron Pitts that recommended 'less Jackee, more Jackie O.'"

A pearl-studded Afro pick, shaped like an eagle, demonstrates the makeover's fashion mix of Black African and White House heritage to reinvigorate the traditional First Lady pearls. A tight, spiral-textured mane complements Michelle Obama's likeness, with the pearl Afro pick placed modishly askew in a Nefertiti-esque hairstyle. Included are big hoop earrings shaped like O's that seem to suggest, according to a gallery spokesman, "Look out Oprah, a new 'Lady O's' in charge."

Adorning the breasts of Michelle Obama's bust are temporary tattoos, of which an American flag is depicted, to compensate for Barack's pin-free lapels. Additional breast tattoo designs for Mrs. Obama, by Chicago tattoo artist Alex Higgins, will also be exhibited.

"Michelle Obama inspires a fashion template change that many First Ladies of the 21st Century may follow, as we witness minorities in this country becoming the majority," added the spokesman.

Accusing British Museum of Racism

"As a professor at the New York Academy's Graduate School of Figurative Art, I teach my students that the gold is found in the people who inspire us," says Edwards. In an open letter to the British Museum at www.LeoKesting.com charging racism, Edwards suggests, "In the spirit of friendly global interaction, sculptor Marc Quinn should make amends to humanity by melting down his 2.8 million dollar gold cast of Kate Moss."

"The sculpture of someone like Michelle Obama doesn't need to be cast in gold for people to understand its value," said Edwards, whose past works from the "Inspire America" series include "The Presidential Bust of Hillary Rodham Clinton" featured at www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4R-8MUs4R8, the "Oprah Sarcophagus," and "The Iraq War Memorial" featuring a war-dead Prince Harry clutching the cameo-locket of his late mother, Princess Diana.

Gallery Unveiling

UNVEILING of "Michelle Obama's Makeover for America" is October 1st, opening reception October 2nd, at Leo Kesting Gallery, 812 Washington St. www.LeoKesting.com. For info call 860-564-0123 or 917-650-3760.

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*(Photo caption: "Makeover for America" by Daniel Edwards.)

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Two Paintings by Ronald Tinney Are Selected for Prestigious Boston Competition

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:43:38 GMT

Sunrise Magic and Resting Quietly by Cape Cod artist Ronald Tinney are juried into the Guild of Boston Artists' New England Representational Competition

BOSTON, Mass. (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Out of 200 entries submitted by 70 artists from around New England working in the realist tradition, 35 paintings were selected for The Guild of Boston Artists' Annual New England Representational Competition. Two of the 35 are Sunrise Magic and Resting Quietly by Ronald Tinney (www.ronaldtinney.com), an artist based in West Barnstable, Mass. The final show, chosen by guild members and jurors Robert Douglas Hunter, Pamela Pindell, and Frank Strazzulla Jr., is available for viewing in the President's Gallery until August 31, 2008.

Tinney, who primarily paints coastal landscapes, is one of only three artists with two pieces in the show. "I am thrilled that my work was recognized by the judges, and to have two pieces selected is a real honor," he said.

After beginning his painting career less than a decade ago during an oil painting class at the Cape Cod Art Association, Tinney has studied with guild members Sergio Roffo, Joseph McGurl, and Donald Demers. His work - represented by seven galleries, ranging from Florida to the North Shore of Mass. - was recently highlighted in a solo show, titled "Waters of Cape Cod," at the Cape Cod Museum of Art.

The Annual New England Representational Competition is the only show not limited to guild members. "It is exciting because it gives non-members a chance to show their work in this gorgeous, historic building," commented Gallery Manager William Everett, referencing the guild's Newbury Street location. "It's the one time of year when we reach beyond our four walls and very small, prestigious membership."

To view more paintings by and to learn more about Ronald Tinney, visit www.ronaldtinney.com.

For more information on the competition and to view the 35 selections, visit guildofbostonartists.org/RegionalJuriedCompetition.htm.

About Ronald Tinney: Primarily a coastal landscape painter, Ronald Tinney is a member of the International Society of Marine Painters, the American Society of Marine Artists, and the Mystic Art Association. His oil paintings have been included in exhibitions at the Cahoon Museum of American Art, the Ventura Maritime Museum in California, and, most recently, the Cape Cod Museum of Art.

About The Guild of Boston Artists: Established in 1914 as a gallery to promote emerging and established artists living in the region, The Guild of Boston Artists was initially owned and operated by some of the most prominent painters of the time. After transitioning to nonprofit status in the 1930s, its mission has been to encourage traditional art while adhering to the highest standards of quality and presentation.

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Copyright © 2008 Send2Press® Newswire, a unit of Neotrope®
TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, artist painter Ronald Tinney, Guild of Boston Artists

Oprah Winfrey Depicted with Late Dogs in Puppies' Memorial - New York Gallery Appeals to Pet Lovers with Exhibit

Wed, 14 May 2008 11:49:21 GMT

NEW YORK, N.Y., May 14 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- An exhibit dedicated to the memory of Oprah Winfrey's late dogs opens in Manhattan's West Village, helping to promote pet safety awareness. A life-size monument depicts "puppy versions" of Oprah's Cocker Spaniel Sophie and Golden Labrador Gracie atop the head of the talk show icon by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards. The Puppies' Memorial will be exhibited at Leo Kesting Gallery on May 22nd.

"Memories of Sophie and Gracie: A Puppies' Memorial" is inspired by the Oprah press releases that announced the passing of Gracie, who choked on a ball last year, and the passing of Sophie, who died in March.

"To represent Sophie and Gracie together, joined in Oprah's memory as they were in life and in Oprah's heart, the artist depicted them as conjoined at the hip and sharing a common tail," says co-director John Leo. The dogs are shown standing on the flowing-maned golden likeness of Oprah's head, in reference to how the dogs' deaths may be weighing heavily on Winfrey's mind. "Losing two beloved pets within a year is likely to take its toll on anybody."

Last month, Oprah dedicated a show investigating abuses at puppy mills to Sophie, who died from kidney failure. "Sophie gave me 13 years of unconditional love," Winfrey said on her show.

The Puppies' Memorial also highlights the overlooked threat of accidental pet fatality by common household products.

"Given the natures of the demise of Oprah's dogs, we feel the horrors of a puppy mill could be inconsequential compared to the poison hazards pets face in the home. Leaving a puppy mill for a nice home could be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire for some pets," says gallery co-director David Kesting. "According to the APCC (Animal Poison Control Center), the anti-freeze commonly leaked on garage floors, for example, is sweet smelling and tasting to pets, but it causes kidney failure and death."

"The memories of Oprah's pets could serve as a reminder to all pet lovers that this may be a good time to thoroughly 'puppy-proof' their pet's habitats," says Daniel Edwards.

"Sophie's kidney failure may have resulted from natural causes, but we hope the Puppies' Memorial will remind everyone that Gracie's choking could have been prevented," says Kesting.

Edwards's other works include a pro-euthanasia monument to Kentucky Derby winning racehorse Barbaro, The Paris Hilton Autopsy featuring her forlorn pet Chihuahua Tinkerbell, and a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug.

Reception for the PRESS, May 21st at 11:00 a.m. EDT. Public reception is May 22nd, 6:00 p.m. at Leo Kesting Gallery, 812 Washington St. Contact David Kesting at 917-650-3760 or John Leo at 917-292-8865 or www.LeoKesting.com.

No celebrity endorsement claimed or implied.

IMAGES FOR MEDIA:
*(PHOTO 72dpi: www.Send2Press.com/mediaboom/08-0514-DEdwards_72dpi.jpg)

*(PHOTO 300dpi: www.Send2Press.com/photobay/08-0514-DEdwards_300dpi.jpg)

*(Photo Caption: Puppies' Memorial by Daniel Edwards.)

Copyright © 2008 Send2Press® Newswire, a unit of Neotrope®
TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, Leo Kesting Gallery, sculptor Daniel Edwards

Robert Cipriani's Award-Winning 'Passages' Painting Series Marked for Two Upcoming Art Exhibitions

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:58:33 GMT

DUXBURY, Mass., April 23 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- In 2003, Passages 2 received "Directors' Choice of Outstanding Painting" at the Cambridge Art Association. Passages, Ocean to Bay 1 won "Artist of the Year, Painting" at the Cambridge Art Association Members' Prize Show in 2005 and was selected "Best Cape Cod Landscape" at the Cape Cod Art Association in 2007. Today, painter and designer Robert Cipriani (www.robertcipriani.com) continues to evolve his award-winning "Passages" paintings. The series, along with other canvasses from his body of work, will be included in two upcoming exhibitions, the artist announces.

The first event, hosted by L'attitude Gallery on Newbury Street in Boston, Mass., runs from May 15 through July 6, 2008. Titled "Arcs and Angles," the show features Cipriani's paintings, many of them new "Passages," along with sculptures by Rob Lorenson. An opening reception will be held May 17 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis, Mass., will host a solo exhibition of the painter's work from May 1 to June 7, 2009.

Cipriani's stylized "Passages" landscapes interweave past, present, and future, bringing together glimpses of life, places, and memories in one place-in one moment. Fragments of grasses, marshes, bays, beaches, mountains, and ocean blur and commingle with transcendent elements that exist in paint for the first time.

"When I work on this series, I am simultaneously immersed in thinking about the painting and the act of painting," he says. "What I'm creating and the act of creating are so close together in time as to be almost simultaneous at some points."

Using pumice, sand, heavy gel mediums, and varnishes, Cipriani builds texture upon texture. The top of a "Passages" painting is quite smooth. The surface gradually intensifies towards the bottom, which can be as thick and sculptural as stone or stucco.

To view paintings in Cipriani's "Passages" series, visit www.robertcipriani.com/montage.html and click through pages 1, 5, and 6. For more information on the painter and his body of work, visit www.robertcipriani.com.

About Robert Cipriani
A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Cipriani is both a professional artist and a noted graphic designer. He has won over 800 regional, national, and international design awards. His paintings are represented by numerous galleries and have garnered a variety of acclaim, including an "Artist of the Year, Painting" designation from the Cambridge Art Association and the "Directors' Choice: Best Cape Cod Landscape" award at the 2007 Juried All Cape Cod Show. In May 2009, his paintings will be featured in a solo exhibition, curated by Exhibitions Curator Michael Giaquinto, at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis.

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TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, painter Robert Cipriani, Boston art exhibitions

Chicago to Host 'Oprah Sarcophagus' from the Artist Who Created Nude Britney Spears on Bear Skin Rug

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:08:03 GMT

Message of Late-coming Health Care Reform For Boomer Retirees

CHICAGO, Ill., April 23 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- A gilded coffin lid bearing Oprah's full-figured likeness by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards, designed to reach out to the recently retired baby boomers for whom healthcare reform will come too late, lands in Chicago this week. Edwards is offering his latest creation of the television icon to break the ice with baby boomers to encourage them to prepare for their own funerals. The Oprah Sarcophagus, courtesy of NYC's Leo Kesting Gallery, will be unveiled April 24th, next to Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios at Chicago's GARDENfresh Gallery.

PRESS unveiling at GARDENfresh Gallery is April 24th, 11:00 AM, at 119 N. Peoria St., phone 312-235-2246. Contact David Kesting at 917-650-3760 or John Leo at 917-292-8865.

"The Oprah Sarcophagus is the ideal visual aid for educating boomers about casket choices and memorial service arrangements," says gallery co-director John Leo. "We would like to hear Oprah tell her viewers that a great coffin should be something of which to aspire, and that no one should have to settle for a pine box."

Most beautiful object ever sculpted?
The Oprah Sarcophagus collection is filled out with inclusion of the Oprah Burial Mask. "It's the most beautiful object I've ever sculpted," said artist Daniel Edwards. "Last time I looked, the high bid for it on eBay was only $102.50."

The artist's proof of the Oprah Burial Mask to be displayed at Chicago's GARDENfresh Gallery will be at auction at www.leokesting.com/auction/ through Sunday.

"The Oprah Burial Mask depicts for the viewer a celebration of an inner beauty for which we could all aspire," says gallery director David Kesting of the life-sized hollowed bust. "If we each imagined an object that represented us at our most ideal for all eternity, we might hold ourselves to the highest standards, both morally and spiritually."

Edwards's previous sculptures include a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug, an interactive autopsy of Paris Hilton with removable organs, and a war dead Prince Harry clutching the cameo-locket of his late mother Princess Diana.

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TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, Daniel Edwards Oprah Sarcophagus, Leo Kesting Gallery

Oprah Burial Mask a Tribute to Inner Beauty - Golden Likeness of TV Talk Queen Winfrey Debuts in Chicago

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:29:06 GMT

CHICAGO, Ill., April 18 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- On the heels of last year's farewell tour of the King Tut exhibit starts this year's tour of the gilded likeness of talk show queen, Oprah Winfrey. The Oprah Burial Mask will debut in Chicago April 24th, near Oprah's Harpo Studios at GARDENfresh Gallery, courtesy of NYC's Leo Kesting Gallery.

"The Oprah Burial Mask depicts for the viewer a celebration of an inner beauty for which we could all aspire," says gallery director David Kesting of the life-sized hollowed bust. "If we each imagined an object that represented us at our most ideal for all eternity, we might hold ourselves to the highest standards, both morally and spiritually."

"Standing before the burial mask of King Tut's great-grandmother when it was displayed in Philadelphia, I finally understood how the creation of an object could be the act of preparing for a better place. It inspired me to create such an object," explains the artist, whose favorite reference for his contemporary burial mask was a photo of Oprah Winfrey praying. "I tried to depict the feeling of inner peace that was so evident on Oprah's face in that photo."

What would Oprah say?
In a book titled "The Oprah Sarcophagus" (ISBN: 1438206429), available at Amazon.com, Edwards describes how he found himself contriving an imaginary e-mail exchange between himself, Oprah, Dr. Phil and Gayle King, in order to make sure he designed a sarcophagus of which Oprah might approve. "I don't always write these exchanges down, sometimes I can just hear the conversations in my head."

Edwards's previous sculptures include a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug, an interactive autopsy of Paris Hilton with removable organs, and a war dead Prince Harry clutching the cameo-locket of his late mother Princess Diana.

The Oprah Burial Mask is being offered for auction at www.leokesting.com/auction/. Coffee mugs, T-shirts, and tote bags for the sarcophagus can also be purchased at the gallery's website.

PRESS unveiling at GARDENfresh Gallery is April 24th, 11:00 AM, at 119 N. Peoria St., phone 312-235-2246. Contact David Kesting at 917-650-3760 or John Leo at 917-292-8865.

IMAGES:

*(PHOTO 72dpi: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/08-0417-DEoprah2_72dpi.jpg)

*(PHOTO 300dpi: Send2Press.com/photobay/0408DE/08-0417-DEoprah2_300dpi.jpg)

*(Photo Caption: Oprah Burial Mask by Daniel Edwards.)

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TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, sculptor Daniel Edwards, Oprah Burial Mask

Oprah Sarcophagus Reaches Out to Unprepared Retirees - Health Care Reform Will Come Too Late for Some Baby Boomers

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:00:48 GMT

The Oprah Sarcophagus, courtesy of NYC's Leo Kesting Gallery, will be unveiled April 24th, next to Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios at Chicago's GARDENfresh Gallery.

CHICAGO, Ill., April 17 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- With her endorsement of presidential candidate Barack Obama, Oprah is making known her views on the need for healthcare reform. But controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards is urging talk show host Oprah Winfrey to do more by taking the time on her show to reach out to the recently retired baby boomers for whom healthcare reform will come too late. Edwards is offering his latest creation to Oprah, to assist the television icon in breaking the ice with baby boomers to encourage them to prepare for their own funerals.

A gilded coffin lid bearing Oprah's full-figured likeness with slimming vertical stripes, The Oprah Sarcophagus is designed for a look of cultural neutrality with respect to Oprah's audience and the style of her magazine. "The Oprah Sarcophagus is the ideal visual aid for educating boomers about casket choices and memorial service arrangements," says gallery co-director John Leo. "We would like to hear Oprah tell her viewers that a great coffin should be something of which to aspire, and that no one should have to settle for a pine box."

Edwards' inspiration for the golden casket developed after reading how Oprah was in mourning over the death of her 2-year-old golden retriever, Gracie. Oprah recounted, "As I stood there dazed, stunned, crying over Gracie's dead body I learned the lesson to enjoy life but remember to slow down, too."

"It might slow people down in a self-reflective and spiritual way if they were to consider their own funeral," said the artist, adding that inspiration for the Sarcophagus was reinforced by a headline he read in a grocery market checkout line, which suggested Oprah had only six years to live.

A half-scale model of the Oprah Sarcophagus will be exhibited alongside the Oprah Burial Mask. "The life-size Oprah Sarcophagus is being reserved for unveiling on the stage of Oprah Winfrey's show," said gallery co-director David Kesting.

Edwards's previous sculptures include a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug, an interactive autopsy of Paris Hilton with removable organs, and a war dead Prince Harry clutching the cameo-locket of his late mother Princess Diana.

The book, "The Oprah Sarcophagus" (ISBN: 1438206429), offers a behind the scenes look at the making of the sarcophagus, and is available at Amazon or www.leokesting.com/book/.

PRESS unveiling at GARDENfresh Gallery is April 24th, 11:00 AM, at 119 N. Peoria St., phone 312-235-2246. Contact David Kesting at 917-650-3760 or John Leo at 917-292-8865.

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Photographic Fine Art Lamps Feature New Environmentally Responsible LED Lighting

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:16:51 GMT

CARPINTERIA, Calif., Feb. 26 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Holland Scott Gallery today announces the debut of the Environmentally Responsible Green Energy Fine Art Lamps. These lamps combine energy-efficiency technology with fine-art design. Elegant photographic floral images and art-deco linoleum patterns from the 1930's are the result of energy efficient LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp technology and the Giclee (zhee-clay) fine-art printmaking process.

The Giclee printmaking process uses permanent archival vegetable die inks on the cylindrical illuminated photographic image. Additional lamp designs are in production.

Omnidirectional, these LED lamps provide the correct color temperature of daylight for displaying naturally brilliant photographic colors. They also generate no heat and are free from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that may cause fading over time. More importantly, LED lamps use 80 to 90 percent less energy than the incandescent lamps they replace.

Inventor and artist, Candy Hawthorne, along with her husband and art dealer, Scott, also a professional photographer and a true-digital art pioneer, are the brains behind the first Green Energy Fine Art Lamps. They have been creating art mediums with computers and technology since 1978.

Scott is a designer and creative evangelist; his contemporary photographic works are represented in each lamp he designs.

"The natural photographic beauty is complemented with the soft LED lighting; these new lamps look spectacular," Scott said. "The eco-friendliness of the new lamps is also very exciting."

The new long lasting LED lighting is provided by LEDtronics, one of the leading LED lighting design and manufacturing companies in the U.S.

About the Holland Scott Gallery:
The Holland Scott Gallery (www.hollandscott.com) showcases Santa Barbara area contemporary artists and is a creative gallery where art and design begins as research, and evolves into artistic and commercial appeal. The Holland Scott Giclee Fine Art Printmaking uses state-of-the-art digital imaging technologies to produce limited edition prints.

About LEDtronics:
Since 1983 LEDtronics (www.ledtronics.com) has been the leader in designing and manufacturing environmentally friendly, low-power usage, long-life LED bulbs and LED lamps as a direct replacement to incandescent bulbs.

To learn more, contact: Scott Hawthorne at 805-566-0812; scott @hollandscott.com; or LEDtronics at 800-579-4875; webmaster @LEDtronics.com.

Copyright © 2008 Send2Press® Newswire, a unit of Neotrope®
TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, Holland Scott Gallery, interior design and lighting

Internationally Acclaimed Spanish Master Painter Ramon Vilanova Coming to New Jersey

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:21:54 GMT

SUMMIT, N.J. - Feb. 15 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Internationally acclaimed Spanish Master Painter Ramon Vilanova is coming to Summit, New Jersey. He will be in Summit on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9 to unveil a new collection of Plein-Air paintings. The masterworks collection is featured in the new book of his paintings entitled "Miradas"; the third monograph published featuring the works of this phenomenal artist. Cosmopolitan Fine Art, located at 37 Maple Street in downtown Summit, New Jersey will host a reception and book signing for the artist on Saturday, March 8, 2008, in the afternoon.

The show will feature over 30 paintings by the artist, most of which are featured in the new book. Vilanova will be there to sign copies of the new book and greet his many admirers.

On Sunday, March 9, the artist will be featured at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, also in Summit. In the museum setting, the paintings will be presented to a select group of Museum supporters and art enthusiasts. HSBC Bank is sponsoring this event, with a portion of the proceeds from this event being donated to support the Arts Center.

The paintings from the show will be on display at the gallery through the month of March. The gallery is open six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday (908-277-4100).

Acclaimed by art critics and represented in prominent and distinguished collections throughout Europe, Ramon Vilanova is considered by many critics as the finest landscape painter alive. His works have brought him more than 30 1st place prizes in major European competitions and his work is in the permanent collection of many museums, a further testament to the credibility and importance of this extraordinary artist.

Vilanova works exclusively "plein-air," at that time and place, giving his compositions a special sensitivity, an emotional experience of the scene he has chosen to commit to canvas. Nature, like life, is imperfect and Ramon, in his work, shows us all of nature, not only perfect beauty. Yet this uncorrected beauty is captured perfectly, as the paintings are perfect in their representation of the scene, as the artist has felt them that day, in that moment.

The new book, entitled "Miradas" is the third book featuring the artist's paintings, an indication as to the popularity and importance of this great painter. The two previous monographs, "Ramon Vilanova" and "Latidos," have long been sold out and now command collector prices.

Vilanova is an instinctive painter with the need to paint. In tune with his environment, he is acutely aware of the tonalities and half tones that light creates with color. The world of landscape is what intrigues him... a farmhouse in a field, an island offshore, an urn overflowing with flowers in a private garden, a field of brilliant wildflowers, an errant weed. Vilanova is a self-taught artist, who, though relatively new to the U.S. art market, has been exhibiting in Europe with great success since the early 1970s. He has continued to refine and further define his craft and interpretation to where he really has no contemporary peer in the visual and emotional interpretation of landscapes and seascapes.

Website: www.cosmofineart.com

Cosmopolitan Fine Art, 37 Maple Street, Summit, NJ 07901.

Copyright © 2008 Send2Press® Newswire, a unit of Neotrope®
TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, Spanish Master Painter Ramon Vilanova, Cosmopolitan Fine Art New Jersey

Altered Britney Spears Tabloid Image Challenges the Art World

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:28:05 GMT

NORMAN, Okla. - Feb. 8 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Last year, images of Britney Spears' shaved head were splayed all over the media. And, in celebration of Spears, Mainsite Contemporary Art in Norman is exhibiting an appropriated image for public viewing through March 28.

Los Angeles artist, known as XVALA, set out to define Spears' spiritual, emotional and economical value. To do this, he appropriated an infamous media print image -- Britney Spears' shaved head and public meltdown - a public display meant to arouse sensual and spiritual anxiety.

Bauer-Griffin, LLC, one of the most prestigious and well-established paparazzi agencies in the world, also known as the Hollywood Hunt Club, has copyright to the image. XVALA approached them for permission to appropriate it. After careful negotiations, a price was set, allowing the commodity value to be upheld.

After nine months of artistic gestation, "The Appeal of the Loss of Desirability" was born.

XVALA worked with a technician to refine Britney's image. It was cropped, and feature and environment colors manipulated. The final portrait, an exact composition, communicates a youthful, fun, and luxurious expression. But is it what it appears to be?

Bernard Vandeuren, who works with the Getty Center, and is an expert on archival frame restoration and fabrication, worked with XVALA to create a thought-provoking outline.

An early 17th-century Italian reproduction frame with ornate leaves, flowers, winged cherubs and touches of 18-karat lemon and 12-karat white gold, convey spiritual loftiness and loss of religion.

Wall mounted, the object evokes emotions ranging from peace and harmony, to discord, conflict and psychological distress. Spears' soft head appears life sized; viewers experience the feeling of gazing into a mirror.

"We were open to the concept of tabloid art and paparazzi culture," Christian Pitt, Managing Director and Curator of Mainsite Contemporary Art, said. "We like to challenge our viewers; one viewer talked to XVALA at length, trying to make sense of the piece. When we can do that, we've been successful."

XVALA works primarily in Los Angeles; he has plans to exhibit the piece in major cities around the country.

For more information: www.Mainsite-Art.com.

Freedom and Focus Play Equal Roles in Artist Robert Cipriani's Abstract Paintings

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:35:00 GMT

Award-Winning Painter Discovers Inspiration in His Professional Graphic Design Accomplishments

DUXBURY, Mass. - Jan. 31 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- One informs the other; the other informs the one. "As an abstract painter, I am very influenced by my life's work as a graphic designer. Alternatively, my approach to painting impacts my design work in a way that makes it richer and more interesting," explains artist Robert Cipriani (www.robertcipriani.com), whose abstract painting, Red 2, received an honorable mention award at the Cambridge Art Association's "Red" show in November 2007. Only five awards were selected by judge Jane Farver, director of the MIT List Visual Arts Center, out of nearly 600 pieces entered by artists throughout New England.

Drawing many parallels between design and abstract painting, Cipriani says the two involve conceptual "solutions that flow naturally from well-defined objectives." Both are derived from a passion for creativity and discovery and the use of color, format, line, and texture for representation, emotion, and effect.

"I approach all of my work with the objective of being spontaneous and precise at the same moment," he says. "All within the halo of a consistent vision."

Cipriani expresses himself in multiple outlooks and mediums in both design and painting. His need for experimentation has led to a variety of titled painting series, including "Cyclops," completed with only one seeing eye due to a temporary impairment; "Hemingway," inspired by the author's powerful and evocative novel titles; and "Totem," loosely based on the forms of Native American totem poles. "I experiment with short series of paintings, then move on and try others. Occasionally I pause and do an extended series," he says.

These paintings are crafted in mixed media-acrylics, modeling mediums, and collage-and are often heavily built up, over-painted, scribed, and somewhat sculptural. Despite the abstract series' different looks, the creative process is the same.

About Robert Cipriani: A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Robert Cipriani is both a professional artist and a noted graphic designer. He has won over 800 regional, national, and international design awards. His paintings are represented by numerous galleries and have garnered a variety of acclaim, including an "Artist of the Year, Painting" designation from the Cambridge Art Association and the "Director's Choice: Best Cape Cod Landscape" award at the 2007 Juried All Cape Cod Show. In April 2009, his abstract paintings will be featured in a solo exhibition, curated by Michael Giaquinto, at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis.

To view paintings in Cipriani's abstract series, visit http://www.robertcipriani.com/press.html and click on Abstract News Release.

Kentucky Derby Horse a 'Champion' for Right To Die

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:18:07 GMT

Barbaro's Central Park Unveiling is Latest Work by Controversial Artist

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Jan. 24 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Barbaro, the euthanized champion racehorse, is an emblem for the Right To Die and Death With Dignity movements in a monument to be unveiled in Central Park this April, before the 134th Kentucky Derby. "The Barbaro Memorial for the Right to Die" by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards is a tribute to the late Triple Crown contender and is dedicated to the institution of euthanasia, announced Manhattan's Leo Kesting Gallery.

"The Barbaro Memorial" will depict the thoroughbred champion in the winner's circle on his back with his number 8 saddle cloth draping his belly and hooves in the air, representing his inability to stand on his feet due to the debilitating laminitis which followed the shattered ankle he suffered in the 2006 Preakness Stakes.

Barbaro was put down for his injuries January 29th of 2007.

Barbaro was euthanized after every option for saving him was explored, well into a painful existence. "A suffering horse cannot call Dr. Kevorkian for an assisted suicide because, like Terry Schiavo, the ailing horse cannot speak for itself," said gallery co-director, David Kesting. It was reported that in the end, Barbaro was biting at people before he was finally allowed to die with dignity.

"We believe a memorial dedicated to the Right to Die will encourage horse owners to forego their own self-interests and act mercifully on behalf of their suffering horse," said gallery co-director, John Leo. "If Barbaro has taught us anything, it is that horses deserve our compassion first."

Barbaro, winner of the Kentucky Derby by the largest margin since 1946, was considered a shoe-in to win the Belmont Stakes and English Derby, fueling speculation his life was prolonged for stud fee earnings.

Edwards's past sculptures include a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug, an interactive autopsy of Paris Hilton with removable organs, and a war dead Prince Harry clutching the cameo-locket of his late mother Princess Diana.

Leo Kesting Gallery is at 812 Washington St. in Manhattan. Contact David Kesting at 917-650-3760 or John Leo at 917-292-8865 or www.BarbarosLaw.com.

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*(PHOTO 72dpi: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/08-0124-DedwardsBB_72dpi.jpg)

*(PHOTO 300dpi: Send2Press.com/photobay/08-0124-DedwardsBB_300dpi.jpg)

*(Photo Caption: Barbaro in progress by Daniel Edwards.)

Barbaro to be Remembered with Statue in Central Park

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:35:23 GMT

Killed NYC Carriage Horse also Memorialized by Controversial Sculptor

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Jan. 23 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- A statue of Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro will be unveiled at the Central Park South location where a carriage horse was tragically killed last year. The unveiling will correspond with the introduction of a proposal titled Barbaro's Law, urging the mandatory disclosure of race-related horse injuries and fatalities. "The Barbaro Memorial" by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards, courtesy of Manhattan's Leo Kesting Gallery, will be unveiled April 30th, the week of the 134th Kentucky Derby.

"The Barbaro Memorial" will depict the thoroughbred champion in the winner's circle on his back with his number 8 saddle cloth draping his belly and hooves in the air, representing his inability to stand on his feet due to the debilitating laminitis which followed the shattered ankle he suffered in the 2006 Preakness Stakes.

Barbaro was put down for his injuries January 29th of last year.

The Memorial's website, www.BarbarosLaw.com, will provide images and an online petition urging Congress to pass a law that would arm consumers with the truth about the perils of horse racing by requiring racetracks to disclose race-related injury and fatality statistics.

Smoothie Also Memorialized
"We feel Barbaro's Law is sympathetic to recent efforts in horse protection legislation," said gallery co-director, John Leo. Councilman Tony Avella drafted animal rights legislation that would ban New York's horse-drawn carriages when carriage horse Smoothie died from running into a tree after being spooked by a street musician's drum last September.

"Tourists might humanely pass on a carriage ride after knowing the plight of the carriage horse," added Leo, who said the gallery will also exhibit a memorial statue of the fallen NYC carriage horse by Daniel Edwards at their gallery in Manhattan's meat packing district.

Edwards's previous sculptures include a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug, an interactive autopsy of Paris Hilton with removable organs, and a war dead Prince Harry clutching the cameo-locket of his late mother Princess Diana.

Leo Kesting Gallery is at 812 Washington St. in Manhattan. Contact David Kesting at 917-650-3760 or John Leo at 917-292-8865, or visit www.LeoKesting.com.

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*(PHOTO 72dpi: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/08-0123-DedwardsNY_72dpi.jpg)

*(PHOTO 300dpi: Send2Press.com/photobay/08-0123-DedwardsNY_300dpi.jpg)

*(Photo Caption: Barbaro and Smoothie in progress by Daniel Edwards.)

Asheville, NC Artist Launches National I Am Thankful Postcard Art Project - Submit Postcards Now

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:21:27 GMT

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Nov. 14 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- This fall artist Damaris Pierce launches her new, national postcard art project just in time to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. The project, entitled "I Am Thankful," encourages individuals of all ages and organizations such as craft guilds, public schools and counseling centers to create original postcard artwork expressing gratitude. Postcards submitted can honor people, places, things or circumstances and artwork can be simple or elaborate as long as it remains two-dimensional.

Once completed, postcards can be mailed to Pierce's attention at her studio located at 69 Wamboldt Avenue Asheville, NC 28806. All postcards will be considered for public display. In January 2008 Pierce will feature submitted gratitude postcards on her newly redesigned web site http://www.IAmThankful.com.

"Gratitude is more than a concept," states Pierce, "it is a state of being that can be cultivated every day". "I believe when you focus on what you are thankful for each day you begin to live a more joyful, fulfilled and pleasurable life," she continues, "I want to share this with others and create a public display of gratitude that ripples around the globe!" Pierce hopes to attract a variety of people and groups to the project including elementary school classrooms, art students, scrapbook enthusiasts, spiritual communities and more.

"All people understand what thankfulness is, it is universal, it crosses all cultural boundaries, " adds Pierce, "I want to encourage them to express, share and live it."

For more information on how to submit postcard art visit http://www.IAmThankful.com.

Pierce, a German native, is a self-taught, "outsider" artist who works with many mediums including stone, wood, paint and glass. She moved to the U.S. in 1990 and has resided in Asheville, NC since 1998. After a successful corporate career Pierce was inspired to make a dramatic transformation in her life. She chose to relocate to the mountains to begin living a more conscious, meaningful life dedicated to creative expression. Her original artwork is currently featured in multiple Asheville art galleries and she consults with clients as a creative and spiritual mentor.

Pierce was also recently chosen to be the German translator for the EMOTO PROJECT. This project is the latest from Dr. Masaru Emoto, who is currently developing a children's book of his nationally recognized studies of water crystals, The Hidden Messages From Water.

More information: www.IAmThankful.com