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

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!

Part 2

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. 

Curt Mattson at work on a sculpture at the Celebration of Fine Art

Ken Newman works on a wood carving

Vala Ola putting finishing touches on a sculpture at the Celebration of Fine Art

The National Sculpture Society is the oldest organization of professional sculptors in the United States. Leading US sculptors and architects founded the NSS in the 19th century to “spread the knowledge of good sculpture. Today, NSS continues to encourage excellence in sculpture throughout the United States. NSS publications, Sculpture Review and NSS News Bulletin, keep members and friends of sculpture abreast of the latest developments. The society runs many programs dedicated to encouraging good sculpture, and to educate young artists in the medium. Visit www.nationalsculpture.org for more information.

Works by Ken Newman and Vala Ola are currently on display at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina as part of the 75th Annual Awards Exhibition through August 24. Over 200 artists applied to this juried exhibition and 56 members were selected to participate in this exhibition which started in New York City. To learn more about Brookgreen Gardens, visit www.brookgreen.org.

We hope you’ll join us in congratulating these incredible artists on this great accomplishment. You can send your greetings by replying to this post. And, of course, we invite you to stop by and see what they are working on during our 2009 event!

The artists have begun moving out now. Reversing the process they began over 10 weeks ago.

Soon the tents will come down and everyone will get a much needed rest. We will be back on January 17, 2009 for our 19th year, at the same location. If, in the mean time, you get a yen for some art by one of our artists please feel free to give us a call or email and we will help get you that painting or sculpture you want.

As any artist who deals with ceramics knows the firing is full of fear and sometimes delightful surprises. Whitney and Joe paced and crossed their fingers. After all their hard work the results were spectacular. The pot came our of the fire in one piece and the glazes all did their thing of creating beautiful colors to enhance the carved designs. Everyone is ecstatic. The photo just doesn’t do it justice but here it is and yes, it is available for sale.

These two very talented artists admire each others work and enjoy the thrill of experimenting. This piece is due to be fired, weather permitting, on Thursday. The artists are discussing glazes and colors now. Each step in the process brings new challanges. While Joe knows his ceramics and glazes the design and what impact it should have is Whitney’s. It is difficult for artists who haven’t spent a lot of time with ceramic glazes to understand that both the chemical reactions and the heat work together to create each color. We are all very excited to see the results.

One of the great joys of the Celebration of Fine Art is that we encourage the artists to grow and reach for new goals constantly. They encourage each other, push each other, help each other in many ways. It is truly a creatively charged atmosphere. 

Ken Newman’s bronze pheasant sculpture called, “Tail of Respect”

Carrie Quade’s bronze piglets called, “Petals’ piglets“

Vala Ola bronze sculpture called,”River Song“

With big crowds and record breaking sales the 18th annual Celebration of Fine Art is off to a smashing start.

The 18th annual Celebration of Fine Art broke sales records yesterday with art flying out the door. A wide variety of work in all styles is available and people flocked to the show in record numbers to enjoy the art and the artists.

Here are just a few of the comments from visitors:

“Each year it just gets better and better, I don’t know how you do it!” P.M., Scottsdale AZ

“Everyone has really kicked it up a notch this year. This displays are outstanding and the art is just incredible.” V.R., Scottsdale, AZ

“We have waited all year and it was worth the wait.” L.C., Chandler, AZ

“The new artists are outstanding, it just gets better and better.” J.R., Michigan

We also get rave reviews about our Celebration Cafe that serves some of the best food in the valley. The Celebration salad is always a hit and with a different delicious soup daily along with an outstanding selection of sandwiches everyone can enjoy lunch with their art fix.