Celebration of Fine Art

Kirk Randle has been a part of the Celebration of Fine Art since the very first year in 1991. We’ve watched his work explode into stunning works that take your breath away and we’ve seen his family grow up (more about that later)! His collectors span the globe and many are very familiar faces at the Celebration! He’s even been immortalized in a song tribute written by one of his collectors! Bountiful, Utah is his home base, but from January 16 through March 29, 2009 you’ll find him in his working studio at the Celebration of Fine Art from 10 am until 6 pm. He often comes back after dinner to paint late into the night which shows his passion for what he does.

Kirk Randle is what he paints. To appreciate his work, one must assume the romantic’s sensitive, highly perceptive stance. As it applies here, this is an attitude of emotional candor that establishes the artist’s feelings towards a person, place or event as that entity’s most important feature. Working from this premise, Kirk tends to paint more from feeling than from an immediate response to an object or a scene.

A native of Utah, Kirk’s subject matter is often Rocky Mountain vistas, landscapes, country homesteads and Native American subjects. His landscapes frequently contain sunsets like those vivid bleeding colors that are the hallmark of the Arizona sunsets.

In 2008, he was invited to spend a week living and working in the original home and studio of Edward Hopper on Cape Cod.

Edward Hopper, 1935
…following his first retrospective

“In every artist’s development the germ of the later work is always found In the earlier…What he was once, he always is, with slight modifications. Changing fashions in methods or subject matter alter him little or not at all.”

We all have experiences that “rock our world”. These experiences focus us in a new direction or add layer to our success. “It was one of the most important experiences of my life. Seeing from his perspective the vastness of the land and ocean, smelling the air and listening to the rain all became moments of inspiration.” Says Kirk.

Look for a new body of work to premier at the 2009 Celebration of Fine Art with the numerous paintings based on his trip to the Edward Hopper House. You will see his eyes light up as he describes his experience while creating each of these paintings.

As a family man, Kirk encouraged his son, James Randle, to pursue his passion in painting. James’ success allowed him to join the Celebration in 2008 and to return in 2009.

(left) Kirk watches James add a finishing touch to one of Kirk’s paintings.

Now a Grandfather, Kirk is passing the brush on to his daughter’s son, Henry, to carry on the family business.

Kirk’s grandson, Henry gets in on the action!

Giving back to our community has been an integral part of the Celebration of Fine Art since it’s inception.  Over the years we have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars back to a variety of worthy causes through partnerships with our artists.  At this time when needs are ever increasing and giving has dropped significantly, we feel it is more important that ever to continue with our commitment to give back to our community that we love being a part of. 

For 2009, the Celebration of Fine Art management and it’s participating Artists have once again partnered in pledging support through cash donations to both Liberty Wildlife and St. Mary’s Food Bank.  The Celebration of Fine Art will donate $2500 to support each organization.  Each artist has had the opportunity to select a specific work of art which, when sold, will result in a portion of the proceeds going to the charity of their choice which will be marked with a special tag.  And, the purchaser will know that in addition to adding a beautiful work of art to their collection, they have helped make a difference in the community. 

In addition, visitors can lend their support to these organizations when they visit the event.  We are an official collection center for canned food items and cash donations for St. Mary’s Food Bank from January 16 through March 29, 2009.  Please bring what you can and drop it at the donation box on your way in to visit.  And be sure to join us for the annual “Art of Food” Event which will showcase the talents of the students of the Community Kitchen Culinary Training Program sponsored by St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance.  Also, you can lend your support to Liberty Wildlife by making a cash donation each time they visit with their birds.  Please see our “Special Events” page for more details on these events.

We count ourselves as very blessed and find true joy by giving to others. 

I’m writing this post on Thanksgiving, which is without doubt one of my favorite days of the year. Normally Jake and I are in St Louis with his family for Thanksgiving. This year, however, we stayed in Scottsdale as we have a few extra things on our plate, so to speak! We miss seeing his great family and the wonderful traditions that we enjoy with them, but we’ll look forward to a visit later in the year.

We just finished moving the Celebration of Fine Art office to a new location at the Scottsdale Airpark. Prior to that we said good bye to Tom and Ann as they set off to enjoy the next phase of their life (retirement) in Georgia! They will enjoy being closer to my sister and exploring the East and South in the months ahead. We expect them to come visit during the 2009 show because we know that they can’t stay away! They, of all people, would not dream of missing such a great line up of artists!

Picture from left to right – Jake and Susan Potje & Ann and Tom Morrow – the Celebration Partners.

We have a lot to be grateful for here at the Celebration of Fine Art. As we move closer to opening for our 19th year it gives us time to reflect back on the many blessings that we have enjoyed. First, we are grateful for the vision and the perseverance that Tom (Susan’s dad) had way back in 1990 to create this thing called the Celebration of Fine Art. We are grateful to Ann for being by his side and believing in him since the first showed launched in January of 1991. As for Jake and I, we are especially grateful at this time of year as we think back to 6 years ago. In November of 2002 I was in the middle of battling cancer. The previous July I had been diagnosed with advanced Osteosarcoma. It was one of those defining moments in one’s life. I have been blessed by having my health fully restored and I am grateful for that each and every day. As anyone who’s been in this situation will tell you, the love of family and friends is immeasurable in one’s path to recovery. I was overwhelmed with the outpouring from our Celebration of Fine Art family – the artists and our collectors who have become a most important part of our life.

So, as we count our blessings at this wonderful time of year the relationships that we have with our wonderful family of artists is right at the top. We feel privileged to serve the art community by providing them with an environment which fosters success. In addition, we are deeply grateful to our amazing extended family of clients who have become part of our life. As we look ahead to 2009, we feel great anticipation for reconnecting with so many people who mean so much to us.

We look forward to welcoming familiar faces and inviting new visitors to become part of what we call the Celebration of Fine Art. Everything we do is truly a celebration, not just of art, but of life and friendships! We hope you’ll join us in 2009. Opening day is Friday, January 16 at 10 am. We’ll be there every day until March 29 when the tents will come down and we’ll begin planning for our 20 year anniversary!

All the best to you and yours,

Susan and Jake Potje

If you’ve been to the Celebration of Fine Art, you can’t miss the big smile that is almost always on Penny Benjamin Peterson’s face. Her bright personality and positive outlook on life transfer to her lively canvases. Her passion and generosity are easy to recognize when you meet her.

Penny’s abstract works are a reflection of the inspiration she finds from the beautiful

Arizona sky, mountains and desert landscapes that she has been surround by most of her life. This inspiration combined with life experiences is what drives her passion to create. Penny says “Life experiences are universal and mine speak in rich color, texture, shapes and brush strokes. The interrelationship of texture, color and how they relate to each viewer intrigues me.” Many of her paintings incorporate words and quotes that inspire the viewer to look for the best that life has to offer. Penny has a vast collector base that circles the globe. In 2007 she traveled to China for a special exhibition of her work. It was an experience that she will long remember. Her generosity is second to none. She has several causes that she is passionate about supporting including Arizona Easter Seals, Free Arts for Abused Children and the American Diabetes Association.

Penny is always willing to share her smile, her talent and her joy for her artwork with anyone. Be sure to stop by and meet her in 2009 when you visit the show. You’ll be sure to become a fan of hers, just as all of us from the Celebration of Fine Art family are!

Penny is shown here with Celebration of Fine Art Collector, Frank Racioppo.