Brad Stroman in North Caroline Home Magazine

Read the article, here: http://www.gallerymar.com/info/press/

As an artist-activist Brad combines his passion for making art with his concerns for our environment. His paintings have won acclaim from environmentalists and art lovers alike. Today his work is exhibited nationally in both solo and juried group shows. Currently represented by galleries in Pennsylvania, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio, New Hampshire, South Carolina and North Carolina, Brad’s original paintings and giclees are also included in over 100 private and corporate collections.

Brad Stroman, "Winter Raven" 32" x 32" in Acrylic, 2011

During his 34 years spent as an art educator he received several honors through “Who’s Who of American Teachers” and the 1990 national ‘art teacher as artist’ award from the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation. He belongs to several professional organizations, one of which includes the Colored Pencil Society of America where he achieved Signature Status. Stroman grew up in south-central PA but resides today in Black Mountain, NC with his wife, cat and two rescued dogs. His painting studio is located in the River Arts District in Asheville, NC. The district is a collection of old converted warehouses and is home to over 150 artists and craftsmen.

Painted in 2011 in oil, 48″ tall by 24″ wide.

Queen: And since you’ve been so good to poor old Granny, I’ll share a secret with you. This is no ordinary apple. It’s a magic wishing apple.

Snow White: A wishing apple?

Queen: Yes. One bite, and all your dreams will come true.

Snow White: Really?

Queen: Yes, girlie. Now, make a wish, and take a bite…

Michael S. Parker studied at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. After a few years of freelancing and working in-studio for Castle Rock LLC, a company in Orem, Utah, Michael decided to continue his education with graduate studies in painting. For two years he studied at Laguna College of Art + Design in Laguna Beach, California. There he worked with artists Wes Christensen, Joe Gerges, and F. Scott Hess. In the Spring of 2009 Michael completed his studies at LCAD and received his Master of Fine Arts in painting. Currently, he is teaching at BYU, and painting in his studio. Michael lives in Utah with his wife Mary and three daughters.

Artist Statement

“My aim is to make memorable images. I choose to paint implied narratives through representational realism. It is my goal to make images that invite the viewer to participate in the narrative, to find themselves reflected in and connected to the characters within the story. I find that the implied narrative is a strong way of conveying emotions and meaning that people can interpret and connect to in many different ways. I search for levels of meaning within the painting, not only with the narrative but also through references to art history and my own personal artwork. Through my work, I seek to find interesting moments that present themselves through everyday living. I draw upon personal experiences as well as from the observations of others.”

Last Thursday, the Kimball Art Center‘s Jury selected 5 incredibly talented architects, from a pool of 18, to compete for the chance to design the KAC’s new redevelopment, the “Transformation” project.

Be sure to mark their “Meet Your Designer Night” on your calendar. This evening of presentations will be at the historic Egyptian Theater on Wednesday, November 2nd from 5:30pm-6:30pm. The Top Five architects chosen to compete will make a short 10-minute presentation about their firms as they compete for the Kimball Art Center Transformation Project bid. The Kimball Art Center is inviting the public to attend this free and open event.

The five architect firms selected are as follows:

BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group – Offices in New York, NY and Copenhagen, Denmark; www.big.dk

Brooks + Scarpa Architects – Los Angeles, CA; www.brooksscarpa.com

Sparano + Mooney Architecture – Salt Lake City, UT; www.sparanomooney.com

Will Bruder+ Partners Ltd. – Phoenix, AZ; www.willbruder.com

Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects – New York, NY; www.twbta.com

The competing architects will spend the afternoon of the 2nd touring the City and getting to know the programming needs of the Kimball Art Center.

“We were stunned at the level of architects who applied to our competition. The architects in the mix are comprised of men, women, Americans, Danes, Utahans, thirty-somethings, and sixty-somethings. Their styles range from contemporary, bold, refined, historic, spiritual, and minimalist to global. We have an extremely exciting and vibrant contest in the works that we hope will gain international attention. Furthermore, we believe our collective effort will help shape the future of Utah as an important upcoming arts and culture destination. After much deliberation, we believe this is reflected in the five architects who were ultimately chosen to represent the spectrum of distinct styles that will give us an incredibly diverse and exciting design competition,” shares Robin Marrouche, Executive Director, Kimball Art Center.

The November 2nd Egyptian Theater presentation is a chance for the community to hear directly from these architects about their design philosophy and to see some examples of their past work. All of these firms will bring a completely new approach to Park City architecture and as a requirement of the competition regulations, will partner with a local Park City or Salt Lake City design professional with a proven record of designing and building in the mountain areas similar to that of Park City.

After the November 2nd presentation, the five competing firms will have until December 21st to design and submit their version of the new Kimball Art Center. The final designs will be on display for the community to enjoy at the Kimball Art Center, where the public is invited to come and share their thoughts about them throughout the holidays until the final decision will be made in February when the winner of the design competition is to be selected.

Several years ago, I signed up for Gwyneth Parltrow’s Blog updates on her “GOOP” website. She typically opines on topics such as fashion and food (how does she eat so much pasta and stay so thin?!?) but this week there is a wonderful post from Maria Brito on artwork and what it means to collect, value, and appreciate it.

You can see the link to the newsletter here, but I have excerpted a few choice pieces of information.

From Maria Brito: “Contemporary art is the art of our times and the art that reflects who we are individually and as a society. It engages the eye and the mind and can open doors and windows to places as remote as Kyoto or as close as Brooklyn. It should not be difficult to live with such an engaging and interesting form of expression, and yet, as an interior designer and a collector myself, I see that not enough people are enjoying the opportunity to live with art. It’s my mission [as an art adviser] to demystify the world of contemporary art and interior design and marry them both in a way that is attainable (and irresistible).”

There are three other important factors to think about when starting a collection (and don’t be scared by the word “collection;” anybody with more than one piece of artwork has already started a collection):

* Pay attention to the artist’s career…

Obviously emerging artists (not necessarily young but generally in the first five years of his or her career) have artworks with price points that are lower than those who are mid-career or established.

* Consider the medium…

Prints, editions and photography are more accessible than originals. There are cases, for example, where mid-career or established artists who usually work with oil or acrylic or mixed media on canvas decide to release a limited edition of prints that are a fraction of what the originals would cost. I love prints and photography and recommend them to a lot to my clients because you can get large, graphic works without breaking the bank. Note: Whenever possible, buy limited editions rather than open editions.

* Size is key…

In the world of contemporary art, bigger is usually better. I will always favor buying a larger piece because of the impact it can make, turning a room from ‘blah’ to ‘wow!’”

Montana-based Gallery MAR artist Shawna Moore is presenting a sold our workshop at the Kimball Art Center this weekend. Fling in and out of town, she was able to bring new works for exhibiting at our gallery, as we are very excited to have them here. The chain elements and calligraphy work is expanding into circles and orbits in her work, and the color in this particular series is inviting and warm. Enjoy…

Shawna Moore - "Sokoto," 40" x 30"