Lisa Lamoreaux,  “Spacious Oasis,” Mixed Media, 18″ x 24″, 2008

The Park City Summit County Arts Council has released new figures showcasing the impact that our local arts and culture scene has on our city. In addition to their programs promoting public art, student art, marketing for the arts, and other outreach programs, the PCSCAC estimates that our combined arts events and services:

• Bring more than $73 million in revenue to Utah
• Attract more than 400,000 overnight visitors to Utah
• Serve more than 20,000 Summit County residents, including our K-12 students
• Directly employ more than 200 Summit County residents.

Talk about economic stimulation! Proving once again the incredibly impact that the Arts has on our local tourism, citizens, and economy.  Visit the Park City Summit County Arts Council site for more information on local events and our rich cultural scene.

Maura Allen, “Six Ways,” Serigraph on Board, 2009

Charles Saatchi is about to present himself outside of the art world with his new reality television show “Saatchi’s Best of British.” It’s a new BBC series, which Saatchi will host, comparable to Heidi Klum’s “Project Runway.” Saatchi will appear on screen interacting with contestants but will never speak directly to the camera (read: he’s camera shy).

Artists who are accepted will attend Saatchi’s own art school, where it’s promised they will be tutored by top contemporary artists. The idea of the show is to discover the next top British talent, and perhaps the next group of “YBAs.” Most likely, the talent that is to be uncovered will be incredibly commercial, akin to artists Damien Hirst or Tracey Emin. But what’s wrong with a little hype and competition for the art word?

Finalists in the “Best of the British” will exhibit their work at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, after their private instruction in London. The winner of the competition? Well, who do you guess will exhibit him in his galleries? It’s a smart move for the former advertising scion, I have to say!

Saatchi says about the new show, “I am looking forward to the prospect of finding undiscovered British talent. Anyone with a fresh creative approach should enter, because nobody knows where the next art star will emerge from.” The competition and resulting reality TV show will showcase all artistic genres including installation art, painting, digital media, sculpture, printmaking, and performance art.

I think it’s quite curious that Saatchi has decided to front this show, as he is notoriously camera shy. Personality, he has it in droves. Although one of the most active collectors/dealers/promoters in the art world, he is incredibly discerning and not just interested in the “new” for the sake of it. It should be said that Saatchi has an incredibly vast investment in the contemporary art world, and it behooves him to promote this world in order to stabilize the market and keep hold of the value of his own art investments. What better way than to be the “cover boy” for the emerging talent market? It’s possible that the show could uncover the next creative genius. However, I see a different outcome for this series: a reality-show-as-performance-art piece that speaks to the nature of contemporary art and the market itself.

Either way, a discussion and promotion of the art world and its artists is beneficial to us all. I hope that we in the US will be able to enjoy the show. Artists 18 and over, residing in the UK, can submit themselves at www.submityourart.com.

Ryan Brown, “Sunlit Path,” Oil

Gallery MAR artist Ryan Brown (of Utah) has recently opened a new art training school, modeled after the prestigious Florance Academy of Art in Italy. The Center for Academic Study and Naturalist Painting (CAS) is an answer to the growing need that a number of students find when seeking traditional academic art instruction. This Academy teaches the same classical techniques and methods of drawing and painting taught at the best ateliers and academies in the world. And it’s the only academic training center, based on the 19th century artisanal art school, west of the Mississippi. The CAS is now presenting an open figure drawing class and an anatomy class and they are currently looking for students and artists who wish to participate with the center.

This is Brown’s vision: “The ultimate goal of the CAS is to provide artists with an education that allows them to pursue and produce an art that serves the public, elevates society and reestablishes the standards of art as a visual language that can be understood and felt beyond any boundaries. It is our belief that craft precedes artistry, knowledge precedes inspiration, observation precedes invention and a process-based art always yields a higher standard of work.”

In an extremely regimented environment, CAS students are able to learn how to observe nature with a high degree of accuracy. Students quickly develop discipline in drawing by expecting more from their work with raised awareness and standards. For questions concerning the Center for Academic Study and Naturalist Painting please contact its director, Ryan S. Brown at ryan@ryansbrownart.com.

Ron Russon “Golden Aspen,” Oil, 2009

This Friday marks Gallery MAR’s first “Art Lovers Valentine’s Eve” and Painting Demonstration. Join us on the 13th of February (Friday) for a lovely evening. Ron Russon will be in the gallery starting at 6 pm for a painting demonstration. Bring your favorite art lover and stop by the gallery for chocolate dipped strawberries and other Valentine’s Day treats. We will also feature new works by Ron Russon, Ginger Bowen, and Brooks Yates. We hope to see you there!

Article excerpted here by Amber Foote, Herald Correspondent

Utah artist Rob Colvin views the world through shape and color, and his exhibit “Geometry of the Land,” at the Springville Museum of Art, is a typical representation of his artistic style. “The main way I would describe my work is ‘geometrical,’ ” Colvin said. “That’s the way I’ve always seen the world.”

Colvin, a Utah resident, is a veteran freelance illustrator who has done work for various prestigious financial and technology magazines and national newspapers since 1983. He exhibits work at Gallery MAR in park City, Utah.

He began painting oil and acrylic landscapes approximately nine years ago, and is now becoming recognized for his depictions of the unique landscape and scenic formations found in southern Utah and Arizona.

Approximately 30 paintings from Colvin’s collection will be displayed at the Springville Museum of Art and will feature landscapes of mountains scenes as well as many red rock formations from national parks including Zion, Capitol Reef, Cathedral Valley, Monument Valley and others.

“The red rock in southern Utah has always inspired me,” Colvin said of the ideas for his paintings. “I’ve always been excited about design and geometry and seeing the shapes and the different values and subtlety of color.”

Springville Museum of Art director Vern Swanson said that the museum is excited to be exhibiting Colvin’s works — Swanson considers him to be one of the “great Utah painters of landscapes.” Swanson also said he feels that Colvin’s paintings of the red rock areas of southern Utah are some of his best work.

“They’re very, very powerful images,” Swanson said. “They’re big, bold, abstracted landscapes that are very stylized.”

In addition to Colvin’s characteristic red rock landscapes, he also has started a distinctive series of paintings that look like giant U.S. stamps — serrated border and current first class price are included on the larger-than-life canvas stamps, which also feature various red rock formations. Six of Colvin’s stamp paintings will be displayed.

“I’ve always loved stamps, but stamps are so small and I wanted to see them big,” Colvin said of the creative idea. “I’ve always wanted to see my work on a stamp, and so I’ve done a series of landscapes on big stamps.”

If you go… “Geometry of the Land” at the Springville Museum of Art, 126 E. 400 South, Springville. They areoOpen Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday 3 p.m.-6 p.m.

What an exciting addition to Park City and our event coverage! New to cyberspace, Park City Voyeur is Park City’s first and only society and entertainment online media venue. You can find them at www.ParkCityVoyeur.com. Produces and run by Niki Norton, they are a community-driven site with input from locals on art, nightlife, fashion, art, gossip and philanthropy. Gallery MAR has our own listing, under the “Atelier” section.

ParkCityVoyeur.com is a resource to find out where to go at night, answering the question, “What do you do in Park City after skiing?” Their goal is to make the rich culture of Park City more accessible to locals and visitors alike and to entice people to get out of the house and get involved with the community. They bring the news to you direct, with tasteful ‘cheeky sophisticates’ who dish the latest entertainment news and gossip relevant to our town.

ParkCityVoyeur.com… it’s where to be seen.