The 20th Anniversary Celebration of Fine Art opened to a weekend of glorious weather and very excited art collectors! It started with a sneak preview for special invited guests on Friday night. Collectors looked for favorite returning artists and also discovered fresh new talent around every turn. The artists studios looked better than ever! The sculpture Garden sparkled with over 100 pieces of life-sized and monumental sculpture with inviting pathways pulling guests out to see the works up close. We were pleased to have the staff of American Art Collector on hand to share in the special evening. All of the guests went home with a copy of the January issue of American Art Collector which was filled with preview information for the Celebration of Fine Art along with a special publication about the Celebration! In the photo below, you see the beautiful blue skies framing the works of Victor Issa – “Grandpa Storyteller” in the foreground and “The Power of Thought” behind it.

Celebration of Fine Art 2010 Sculpture Garden

The weekend brought continued sunshine and record crowds. Many works of art found new homes! By all accounts, the 2010 Celebration of Fine Art is the best ever on record. We are so thrilled to share this amazing collection of artists with you!

The following week brought some dramatic changes in the weather and ushered in “the storm of the century” in Arizona. In 48 hours we had almost an entire annual rainfall and endured wind gusts of up to 70 mph. On Thursday of last week, our neighboring event, Russo and Steele Collector Car Auction lost two of their exhibit tents in the punishing winds. It was a very long day for all of us. We are grateful to report that we suffered no serious damage to our tents or any of the art work – just a lot of rain and some very high winds. The picture below shows what the courtyard looked like early in the day of our record rains. The two bronzes of the “Puddle Jumpers in Yellow Raincoats” are by Susan Geissler, the other two yellow jackets are Jake and one of our incredible guys who helped keep us high and dry! You also see Kyle Ashley’s T-Rex in the background. You really need to see this sculpture in person!

The Sculpture Garden was a bit of a pond for a day or two!

Well, the sun is back out and the ground is dry. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the artists are turning out their best work ever. If you haven’t been here yet, we invite you to make your plans to join us for the biggest Celebration ever!

Today is the day! The 20th Anniversary Celebration of Fine Art opens Saturday, January 16 at 10 am! We had a sneak preview last night. It was a wonderful evening filled with great art and very excited guests. The artists are ready to welcome you and invite you to join us for the Celebration!

We are open daily 10 am to 6 pm. Come join the fun!

Wow! Today was the first day that the artists checked in to set up for the 2010 Celebration of Fine Art! All but three arrived today and began to build out their studios – their home away from home for the next 10 weeks! So much progress was made today! This is a group of professionals!

Everyone is beyond excited. Lots of hugs were shared as old friends and new greeted each other as they began their work. The artwork won’t emerge until just before opening on Saturday, but in the meantime the studio build outs are phenomenal. We allow the artists to use their creative minds to determine the best way to display their works of art. Well, we do have some limitations – for instance no two story studios (yes, we have had that request!) The end result is always incredible. Wait until you see this year. It is off the charts.

Stone work by Pete Incardona being placed in the sculpture garden (crane was necessary!).

We did get much of the sculpture garden in place over the weekend and today. All I can say is WOW! This is a place where people will want to spend some time. Lovely paths invite visitors to take a closer look at the beautiful works. You’ll enjoy everything from beautiful representational bronzes to total abstract pieces, whimsical works, wildlife, stone carvings and a few great surprises!

Mark Carroll and Michael Jones 2010

Tomorrow will bring another day filled with activity of building out, painting, flooring and setting lights. A bit more work in the sculpture garden and a few other projects. By the time guests arrive for opening day this place will look awesome.

We are celebrating two decades of bringing art lovers and artists together. Two decades of building collections and connections around the world. Please join us this year and be a part of the Celebration!

Open daily January 16 through March 28, 2010. 10 am to 6 pm. We can’t wait to see you!