Michael has been following his heart for over twenty years by creating pieces that edify and preserve the heritage and history record left by the indigenous people of the Northern Plains. His desire is not only to preserve the record, but to actively aid and educate others of the relevance of this legacy to our present world. Each of his works of art are hand forged from steele the old-fashioned way. He creates a large number of custom commissioned pieces – fireplace grids, gates, wall pieces and furniture – each year for his ever growing client base!

Many of his outdoor adventures are centered around researching these ancient cultures. Michael is an extreme outdoorsman – hunter, fisherman and backpacker. He loves being out in the woods! In his spare time, his adventures have taken him to the Yukon on a great wilderness sheep hunt and fishing trip. (He always carries his fishing rod.) One year, Michael was in the wild Northwest Territories, where he took a world class moose, a mountain caribou and a Rocky Mountain goat. When he’s not creating in his studio or off on one of these adventures, he enjoys gardening around his historic Montana home. He also spends a great of time hiking with his wife in the beautiful mountains and spending time with his children and grandchildren.

2011 will be Michael’s 11th year with the Celebration of Fine Art, where he looks forward to another great season with old and new friends. Visit with him at the Celebration to experience his artwork and learn the ancient symbolism of each sculpture. His welcoming smile and warm personality will greet you in Studios 257 & 258.

Gregory Sievers received his Associate of Fine Arts Degree from Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. His graduate thesis was a compilation of still lifes depicting aspects of the early west to receive his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

The inspiration for Greg’s pioneer scenes comes from American history. Having grown up in the Rocky Mountains, he draws from the experiences of his youth to capture the essence of the American West. He strives to portray the courage and nobility shown by those pioneers who crossed the plains, and he seeks especially to show the lives of pioneers on an individual basis. He does this by depicting individual families or groups facing the hardship, as well as the vastness and beauty of the west. By doing this he hopes that those who experience his work can better relate to the heritage that we as Americans share.

Greg has traveled extensively in Europe over the past decade, painting “Plein Air” in Paris as well as in the European country side, including the Italian and French Rivieras, Venice and Rome, Madrid and Barcelona, Budapest, Strassborg, England, Wales and Prague. He uses historical books and images to place the streets and figures in the 18th century, adding a sense of romance and history. The monuments and historic landmarks of the cities of Europe provide beautiful icons in these city scenes, and allow all who see his work to experience both the time and place depicted.

A unique form of impressionism can be seen in Greg’s style. Many of the early impressionist styles were far more detailed than most realize. Though Greg’s paintings appear to be quite detailed, a closer look will reveal expressive brush work and charming impressionistic textures.

As an artist, Greg feels that his work can affect people on many levels. He enjoys painting a variety of subjects and themes, and is always finding new ways to express his romantic leanings.

Greg has been painting at the Celebration of Fine Art in the Big White Tents since 1998. In 2010 his son, Matt Sievers joined the Celebration. It was great to have both of them painting and sharing their talent with the visitors.

As the dust settles on the 2010 event, we are already looking ahead to 2011. We pledge to bring you the best collection of artists and art work once again. We already have a growing pile of applications for our 2011 event. The jury process is not something we do lightly. Our goal is to bring together the best quality of art we can find and to strike a great balance of styles and mediums so that we can continue to offer an experience that you simply can not get anywhere else. Our 2011 show dates are January 15 through March 27, 2011.

So, until next year, we wish you a life filled with art, joy and an abundance of all good things!

Susan and Jake

Visitors enjoying the Celebration of Fine Art

Our visitors have told us over and over this year what a wonderful show it is and what great quality of work is on display. And, of course, they all talk about how nice the artists are and how willing they are to share about what inspires them and how they do what they do. Thank you for enriching all of our lives with your creative views of our world and your artistic ways of expressing them!

We look forward to enjoying each precious moment that remains for our 2010 show. If you are reading this and haven’t made it out to visit us yet, we encourage you to hurry in over the weekend to be part of the great energy as we celebrate art!

Susan and Jake!

The other day we had the pleasure of visiting with two of our collectors who come from Minnesota. They were sharing how much they look forward to coming every year. In fact, this year they drove down and came straight to the show before even stopping where they were staying. They absolutely could not wait to be under the big white tents to see their artist friends and see what was new. They spent several days discovering many new treasures and connecting with friends new and old. Their only regret was that they didn’t have enough time to stay as long as they wanted! They could not stop talking about how much they love the Celebration of Fine Art. It’s a feeling you can’t get any where else. They are on their way home today and looking forward to the next time they can join us. This wonderful couple is just one example of the daily conversations we have with our collectors. Some come and stay for a week and spend every day with us. Some come once a week or more during the 10 weeks of the show just to soak up the creativity and passion that fills the tent.

We are deeply humbled by the enthusiasm of our wonderful collectors and friends. You are why we do what we do. We are grateful to you for the passion that you bring. We thank you for sharing the Celebration with your friends and families. We thank you for all that you do for our artists. And, we thank you for giving us the opportunity to do what we love – bringing art lovers and artists together under our big white tents!

We hope to see you soon. Until then, be well.

Susan and Jake

The artists are working on new pieces every day and they love to share what inspires them, so please be sure to stop in for a visit in the weeks ahead. We are open every day 10 am to 6 pm through March 28, 2010. Every day is a celebration under the big white tents. A celebration of art, friends and life! We invite you to join us!

Bruce wants to represent the blinding truth of those “Aha Moments” of true insight as well as the confusion and uncertainty we all experience along our paths. His presence of the circle in his paintings represents the elemental almost primal journeys and lessons that keep coming back around. In observation, no single point on a circle is more important than any other point reminding us that every point on the path is an equally significant part of the journey. Whether we think of it as a good or bad experience, it’s all helping us to our destination.

Expressing this intricacy and depth on canvas involves creating multiple layers of images. Bruce begins each piece with a very vivid and energetic palette knife composition, with thick swirls and streaks of saturated color slashed across the canvas. He then layers coat upon coat of sheer glazes over his base, creating a delicate balance between what is hidden and what is allowed to bleed through. Per Bruce, “This gives it subtext. Just like in life, the most interesting stuff is what’s below the surface. That’s where I want my paintings to resonate”.

2010 represents the sixth year at the Celebration of Fine Art, where he and his Pekingese, Matisse, look forward to another great season with old and new friends. Drop by the Celebration to perhaps experience journey through his paintings.

Thanks to David Jackson, Stephan Stavast and Robin Branham for representing all of the Celebration artists! They brought the energy to life! We are open every day from 10 am to 6 pm through March 28, 2010. Come on in and join the Celebration!

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!

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