We are counting the days now until we open for our 20th Anniversary Celebration of Fine Art!  In just over three months we will open our doors and welcome our fabulous art lovers for what promises to be one of our finest collection of artists ever!  Jake and I have recently had the pleasure of gathering with some of our artists here in Arizona and another group up in Utah.  They are all excited to share their new and best works with you in 2010.  We invite you to take a few moments to view the Meet the Artists’ Slide Show to get a sneak preview of what you’ll see when you join us in 2010.

Edward Hopper House on Cape Cod

We also recently had the opportunity to visit Cape Cod and spend a day at the summer home of famed American artist Edward Hopper (1882-1967).  We were the guests of some of our wonderful Celebration collectors who own this simple and serene property nestled on the dunes above the East side of Cape Cod overlooking the ocean.   The signature of this house is it’s 14 x 7  foot window (shown above) that offers awe-inspiring views of the dunes and the Atlantic Ocean that wraps around Cape Cod.  This amazing experience was shared with two of our artists, father and son – Kirk and James Randle.  We were joined by a photographer from American Art Collector.  This story will be feautured in the January 2010 issue of the American Art Collector magazine.  And, new works of art by Kirk Randle and James Randle from this experience will be revealed at the 2010 Celebration of Fine Art.

Again, we are counting the days until we will celebrate 20 years of bringing art lovers and artists together under our big white tent!  See you soon!

Susan and Jake

Welcome back!

We are almost half way through the 2009 season of the Celebration of Fine Art! It is hard to believe how fast time goes by. We have been enjoying great weather, great crowds and lots of great art. Everyday brings something new and inspiring. I’ve attached a new video for you to watch! The positive comments keep coming from our visitors and collectors. We are humbled by the amazing art work that the artists brought to the show this year and by the reaction of our guests. It truly is a delight to “go to work” everyday and be surrounded by creativity and positive energy! We hope that you will have the opportunity to visit us in person this year. In the meantime, enjoy the virtual tour! We are located in Scottsdale, Arizona on the south east corner of Scottsdale Rd and Mayo Blvd. Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm through March 29, 2009.

Please excuse the “um’s”, “ah’s” and pauses in the commentary! I’m still learning to use my new “Flip” video – sometimes, walking, talking, commentating and navigating around people all at the same time is a little challenging! I’ll be shooting some more so you can experience different views of the Celebration! I’m sure they’ll get better!

If you want to see previous postings, please click on “January 2009″ under archives and scroll down the page. You’ll see some photo images and a video tour of the Celebration of Fine Art the night before opening! Or, click on February 2009 and watch the video of Joseph Woodford firing a Raku ceramic vessel.

Enjoy!

One of the greatest things about visiting the Celebration of Fine Art is watching the artists in action! Everyday there is something new and exciting being created. Painters mixing paint on palettes and transforming blank canvases into masterful works of art, sculptors working lumps of clay into realistic representations of animals or moments in history and much more. The other day I captured this video of one of our ceramic artists, Joseph Woodford, firing a massive vessel and pulling it from the kiln. There are two videos to watch the entire process. It will take a few moments, but I think you’ll enjoy it. It will give you a little bit of an idea of what it’s like to be right here at the Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, AZ. We are open everyday through March 29, 2009. Come on by and be a part of the creativity in action!

Part 2

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.