Celebration of Fine Art

There’s a lot of misconception surrounding abstract art. For some it may conjure up images of Pablo Picasso’s infamous Cubist pieces, while others may instantly think Henri Matisse and Fauvism, and indeed there are a few out there who think it’s the work of a crafty child unleashing his fingers on a canvas. In fact abstract is often used as a blanket term to describe work that may actually fall into nonfigurative, nonobjective or nonrepresentational art.

There are three art movements that contributed to the development of abstract art: Romanticism, Impressionism and Expressionism. And for many artists who moved into this art form it represented independence and a sense of freedom. This is also true for several of the artists at the Celebration of Fine Art.

“When I hit my 40s I wanted something that reflected more of my personality and what was in my heart,” said Bruce Marion. “So I started putting paint on the canvas and let it just happen rather than forcing it to become something specific.”

He admits his initial attempts aren’t always a win, but part of the journey has been letting go of the control and allowing his art to flow from him.

“All of my paintings evolve on the canvas,” Bruce said. “I don’t work from preliminary sketches or have a visual picture of what it’s going to be. That’s how I approach all of these – in the moment and improvisational. Sometimes they fail miserably, so I go back over them.”

Prior to moving into more of the abstract realm Bruce was a realist, painting magazine covers and pieces for corporate packaging. But to him even that had an element of abstract.

“When you get down to it, all painting is abstract,” he said. “We’re all putting paint on canvas…none of it is real.”

And just like other fine art forms, there is a lot that goes into consideration when it comes to this style – composition elements, color choices, and classic art and design principles. Emotion is also a major component. Not just the emotion imparted by the artist, but also what it evokes in the viewer or collector.

For Penny Benjamin Peterson abstract is the art of mastering all of these elements without over analyzing. She delicately walks the line, allowing emotion to be her guiding principle.

“I don’t generally sketch out what I’m going to do,” she said. “Usually I have a bit of an idea even if it’s just the colors I want to use or sometimes I have a title in mind that makes a certain statement. But I don’t over analyze where a certain square goes or a circle goes. If I feel it’s slightly off where it needs to be it just adds to the layers and the design element if I need to move it slightly.”

Like Bruce, Penny started out in more traditional art forms, but moved naturally into abstract once she started creating collage pieces. Today she refers to her work as more nonrepresentational because it doesn’t depict any particular object being abstracted – it’s more about the colors and shapes.

“For me it’s more of an emotional connection,” Penny said. “My strengths are in color and design and that’s what my work is really about. It makes a statement and my clients generally have an emotional connection to the work they buy.”

At the Celebration of Fine Art it’s not uncommon to see lineage reflected in the artwork, and the same holds true for the actual artists. Just ask the father/son duo Kirk and James Randle who do in fact share the same genes, but have differing views when it comes to art.

Kirk Randle, a CFA 21-year-veteran, is known mostly for his country homesteads, impressionist landscapes, desert vistas and Native American subjects. He calls himself “one of the old dogs” and can remember when his son James, then 9-years-old, would visit him at the show in the early days. Now they’ve both morphed – James into a professional artist and Kirk into the artist he is today.

“This place is a metamorphic environment,” Kirk said. “As you show here you just keep growing artistically and business wise, stretching into projects you never dreamed of. The artists and clients critique you…you don’t get that kind of feedback working in a studio.”

Now he’s proud to have his son sharing in the experience.

“I’m proud of him,” he said. “It’s his fourth year and I think he’s finally embraced this place and has found his own voice. We are totally different. We apply paint totally different. We have different concepts of art. He’s more architectural. I’m more organic. I’m a true landscape traditional painter, which is not what he is into.”

James said art was always something that came natural to him. Though his dad may have played a role in his career path, he said he always gave him the freedom to find his own voice.

“I was pretty lucky to have adventurous parents,” he said. “I guess you could say my dad did [spark an interest]. To calm me down he would always give me a pencil and some water colors.”

It’s clear they are both proud of one another. They have a hint of healthy competition, offer each other constructive critiques, but also send potential buyers to each other. While a couple collectors have works from both father and son, most of their respective collectors are quite different.

“He’s proud of what I’m doing so he always sends people my way,” James said. “His clientele is a little on the conservative side, so they don’t really seek out my style of paintings. My work tends to go in more modern, eclectic homes.”

Besides their DNA and appreciation of great art, they also share an admiration for the Celebration of Fine Art and the ability to build relationships with buyers.

“I really do well in this environment,” Kirk said. “And the connection between the clients…I’m able to connect directly with them and find out what they need. You don’t get that in a gallery.”

The week leading up to the Celebration is always a mix of emotions for all involved – excitement, anticipation, and even a bit of stress and worry. We’re filled with wonder – is everything going to be ready in time? Will our traditionally beautiful weather cooperate with us? What will this year’s mix of artists bring?

The artists share in many of these emotions, but for each the Celebration truly evokes a different set of experiences and feelings. This week we spoke with veteran CFA artist Whitney Peckman, and first-year CFA artist Aaron Bushnell to get two varying perspectives on the show.

Though Aaron, a Utah-based artist who specializes in painting with oils and pastels, has shown his pieces throughout the country, the Celebration represented a new caliber of possibilities.

“I would like to start to move my art to more of a national level, and this show has such a high-quality presentation,” he said. “I think the caliber of art here is higher than many other shows.”

Aaron also said the interaction with potential art buyers and building relationships with other artists was a major draw to the Celebration of Fine Art.

“Being a first year artist at the show, it’s been a lot of fun, high-intensity and a little scary, but everyone has been very friendly,” Aaron said. “I think it will likely create relationships that will last for a long time. And with the buyers, I’m able to be here at all times and carry on the conversation if they return.”

For Whitney Peckman, who makes the trek each year from North Carolina with her sculptures, famous gourds and paintings, the Celebration represents a time to connect with others and develop as an artist.

“What keeps me coming back is the amount of freedom they give you at this show to develop as an artist,” she said. “They [the CFA] want you to develop and grow. I can say after 14 years, I’ve developed as an artist. I feel like I have complete permission from myself to develop in any way I want artistically and I know they [the CFA] would always encourage me to go for it.”

Whitney said the 10-week-long show has become sort of a home away from home, because by the end, everyone feels like family. She is also able to fully immerse herself in her art without any distractions, as well as draw from the surrounding creativity.

“For me it’s having absolutely no distractions. I’m basically completely immersed in what I’m doing,” Whitney said. “I don’t know a single artist who doesn’t leave here not feeling completely full of inspiration and ideas to pursue. Here you can see your work through other artist’s eyes rather than just working in a vacuum. This is a stimulating, encouraging, and supportive environment, which is critical to an artist.”

Whitney also had an interesting perspective on what she has noticed among the visitors – from the time they walk in to the time they leave, a transformation of sorts takes place.

“I think art lovers think they are coming to look at art work, but what they get is an opportunity to develop a personal relationship with someone whose work they admire,” she said. “They get to know that artist and have a window into the artistic process and the artistic way of thinking. I think that enriches their perception of the piece of artwork and their future perceptions of future artists.”

Stay tuned for more artist conversations!

The 2011 Celebration of Fine Art is officially open!! Our sneak preview event was met with rave reviews from the attendees! We invite you to join the fun and see the incredible works of art and get to know the artists of the Celebration!