Mary Scrimgeour, “Some Good Hats,” Mixed Media, 2009

I am very pleased to announce a series of exhibitions, fund-raisers, and artful events for Gallery MAR’s Autumn season. Mark your calendars, and we hope to see you here!

Upcoming Events and Exhibitions

• “Art Meets Fashion” Presented by Gallery MAR and (a)perture marketing at The Yard, Park City
  

Saturday, October 17th at 6 p.m.

Art Meets Fashion, Park City, will open with an exclusive cocktail hour from 6-7 pm and will offer a selection culinary delights and a selection of fine beverages from Park City’s finest establishments. By showcasing the fashion arts amidst a backdrop of fine art, (a)perture aims to bring attention to all aspects of the artistic experience. Gallery MAR artists will exhibit their works in The Yard’s gallery. Fashion shows will commence at 7 pm through close of evening. An after party of dancing will conclude the festivities.

Ticket sales will benefit two local Park City charities; The Peace House and Summit County Friends of Animals. AMF is a diverse  event that presents runway inspired fashion shows in alternative artistic settings. Each event is unique to the host city and features local artists, fashion boutiques and designers. The community inspired event is designed to benefit local charities. For information regarding this event please contact (a)perture marketing at 801.953.0109 or visit www.apertureslc.com

• “Casting Survivors” A Benefit for Image Reborn, Park City
  

Saturday, October 24^th from 4-7 p.m.

Join Gallery MAR and Image Reborn for a celebration of life! View new art work by Ashley Bennett-Stoddard, inspired by breast cancer survivors, as you sip pink champagne and enjoy appetizers from culinary artist Jean Louis. The exhibition will feature a new series of paintings dealing with the emotions of the healing process as well as bust reliefs of breast cancer survivors. The journey of the survivor is Bennett-Stoddard’s inspiration for these paintings. Nine of Bennett-Stoddard’s new pieces will be donated to “Image Reborn” and will be sold through a silent auction on the night of the show. “Image Reborn” is Park City retreat for women who have breast cancer. Together we can inspire a difference. In addition, Ashley Bennett-Stoddard has designed a gorgeous silver pendant for “Image Reborn.” It is a fund raiser for their cause, and viewed at abennettstoddard.com. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. RSVP to Gallery MAR is required.

• “Green Art Stroll” Recycle Utah Awareness at Gallery MAR
  

Friday, October 30th from 6 to 9 p.m.

Join Gallery MAR in welcoming the Park City Recycle Center for a night of “Going Green,” recycling awareness, and recycled artworks by locals Young Artists. Become a member of the Recycle Utah Recycling Center and  you will be entered to win a fabulous art prize.

• “Herb and Dorothy,” The Movie: You don’t have to be a Rockefeller to Collect Art.
  

Thursday, December 3rd at 6 p.m.

Gallery MAR sponsors HERB & DOROTHY, a new film which tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to Minimalist and Conceptual Art, Herb and Dorothy Vogel quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists. Devoting all of Herb’s salary to purchase art they liked, and living on Dorothy’s paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment.

This film is brought to the Jim Santy Auditorium in Park City by Gallery MAR and is a fund raiser. The movie ticket sales will go to benefit Arts Kids, Park City, an after-school group that empowers youth through the expressive arts, and connects students thorough creativity. Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $5 for students/seniors. The Jim Santy Auditorium is located at 1255 Park Avenue, Park City, Utah, 84060 (above the library). Recommended for art lovers, aged 10 and up.

Kieron Williamson’s artworks are filled with light, perspective and dimension. The palette is pleasing and the composition is well designed.  Watercolors are never easy to master, and yet this artist has defined his own look at a tender (and almost unbelievable) age: six. I don’t know about you, but at age six I was freely experimenting with finger paints and glitter, not mastering watercolor.

These paintings of harbor scenes, rural vistas, animal portraits and landmarks, have shadow and reflections that demonstrate an ability well beyond his young age. This summer, he is preparing for hist first exhibition near his home in Norfolk, England. I’m sure he’ll have to look for a larger gallery, with all of the fuss and publicity that he is receiving.

His mother, Michelle, said, ‘Until last year he didn’t draw anything and in fact we had to draw dinosaurs for him to color in. The turning point was when we took our first family holiday to Devon and Cornwall last May and he liked the boats and scenery. He asked for some plain paper and started drawing his own stuff. At the time, they were like the drawings of most five-year-olds, but he really took off after going to some art classes. We often think about why Kieron has chosen art in this way and I think it’s because we live in a top-floor flat and we have no garden or outside space, so perhaps he’s had to create his own scenery.”

The young artist agrees with his “Mum,” saying, “‘I like painting because it’s fun and inspiring. It makes me think of places I can’t see. I’m going to send one of my pictures to Prince Charles. I’ve already sent one to the Queen but I haven’t had a reply yet. ”

It’s unusual for such a young artist to have such a great deal of definition. His ability to paint in a stylistic way is remarkable, as most children his age would be less precise and patient, splashing paint all over the paper.  His talent was recognized by a family friend, artist Carol Ann Pennington, who offered to give him lessons at age five and from there his talent has grown.

Another favorite (and controversial) young artist is Marla Olmstead, of Bridgehampton, New York. Her paintings are gaining huge popularity amongst the public and are currently on display in several museums. She’s had many sell-out shows in the New York area. But she’s only a child! Olmstead quickly rose to fame at the age of 4.  Soon after her first art show was hung, a “60 Minutes” episode showed the public that the authenticity of her work was under doubt.  Some of that controversy has since disappeared since, and she is back in demand with art collectors, selling original paintings for tens of thousands of dollars. This young girl is sweet and innocent, and painfully shy, and is said to be the quietest one in class. And she’s clearly adorable.

But here’s the controversy: Marla paints alone, and sometimes under the supervision of her Dad; and, her painting process has only been documented a few times. The 2007 documentary “My Kid Could Paint that” highlights this discussion: did Marla complete the paintings by herself or did she do so with her parents’ assistance and/or direction? And what does this say about the nature of contemporary art and abstract expressionism? What about the value of works by accomplished artists, as opposed to art world newbies?How do we decipher between the two if they truly look alike?

I think that there will always be more value in works by artists who have truly studied and lived their art. What can a child have to “say” about their world, their experiences, their desires? Not much, yet. Child artists like Marla are fabulous for PR and marketing schemes, but will the value of a $300,000 work of art by a four year old last? Is it only as valuable as any of the other “ploys” in painting such as painting with wine, applying crystals and diamonds to art to make the surface “sparkle,” or even those “paintings of light” by a certain mass-marketing-genius?  Everyone has to have a place from which to start, and Marla certainly has a giant leap ahead of most!