Q: Who are you and what do you do?

A: I am Joshua Rios, 33 years old, a California native now residing in San Diego. I am an oil painter in abstract, expressionism, realism, and allover styles. When I’m not painting, I work as a k-12 visiting teacher for San Diego Unified. I also play guitar, make frames, and write novels and short stories.

Q: What is your background?

A: Beginning in high school I took art and ceramic classes for electives. I did not know then how important art would be in my life, so I merely enjoyed them without expectation. While going to community college I started painting on my own to decorate my bedroom walls, and eventually took several art classes, from general sketching to advanced painting. While earning my bachelor’s degree at San Jose State University I continued painting in my spare time and began creating digital artwork. During my years in San Jose, I was accepted into the Kaleid art gallery downtown for local artists and was a vendor for many art fairs in San Jose’s SOFA district, such as first Fridays and their multi-day subZERO art festival.  

Q: How do you work?

A: When painting at home I put away all distractions, sometimes working in complete silence or playing instrumental music in the background. Working with oil requires patience; it takes a while for the paint to set. But since I don’t have any, I am often working on multiple paintings at a time between sessions. Whether painting on site or in my home I absorb myself entirely and work as swiftly as I can. I will paint until a subject is finished or the canvas is completely wet and I can no longer add layers. I try to be efficient and plan out the amount of time and sessions I will work on a single painting. However, this is hardly the case and I accept my process must be free to continue as long as it takes. The process is a journey. I can only control it so much before I find myself working with a painting as much as on it. 

Q: What art and artist do you most identify with? How have they influenced you?

A: For whatever reason I have always found that abstract paintings resonate the most with me. I remember first learning about Jackson Pollock in high school during art class when our art teacher showed us one of his most famous works (number 31). I was so pleased to know that his style of art was valued in the world. This was before I had ever painted a picture in my life, yet I knew once I had the freedom I would create the same style of painting. I believe artists are inherently intuitive.

Learning about Van Gogh’s artwork was a similar experience for me. Viewing his sketch, The Postman, was the first time I recognized an artist’s style without seeing their signature. The professor showed the sketch and I instantly knew it was Van Gogh. It is like his signature is embedded within the artwork itself, that is how distinct his style is. And that is something I strive for as an artist. Whenever I paint scenes and subjects, I am always thinking of Van Gogh’s creative perspective and vibrant imagination.   

I also must mention Pablo Picasso, who I love for his fun, and simple yet sophisticated subjects. His paintings blossom in the imagination and take the edge off the seriousness of life. He is another artist who makes me confident in pursuing my own style with no expectations but my own. 

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A:  I started painting to experiment with color and design and decorate my walls. I was hooked when I realized how much artwork can positively change a living space and add to our lives. The more I painted the more ideas I had, and I fell in love with the possibilities. I look forward to bringing more unique artworks into the world for myself and others to enjoy. My favorite experience has been rediscovering a years-old painting and being inspired and reassured by it. It’s like receiving a message from your younger self hoping to tell you how talented you were yesterday, are today, and will be tomorrow. 

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: I learned many years ago that good advice can come from anywhere. One day while painting outside my apartment, my neighbor, an older gentleman who comes from a family of musicians, was walking out of his house and saw me working. He approached my station and asked what I was up to. I told him I was just experimenting with some paintings. He studied my work and then said, “you know, eventually it just comes down to proficiency. How proficient are you at what you do? Because not everybody’s going to like the same stuff. But if you can be proficient at what you do, then you’re doing alright, man.” That might have been the first time I thought of myself as having a distinct style of painting and realizing it doesn’t have to please everybody. 

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?

A: When I am not working I am working. My day job as an educator keeps me busy during the week. When I come home, I rest, eat, and then start painting, practicing music, or working on a writing project. But aside from work and home, I enjoy exercising, either at the gym, the park or just around my neighborhood. I like to get out in nature and take hikes or just walk around the city and find a new restaurant to eat at. Sometimes I go out and listen to live music on the weekends at a few different venues. You can find me at Balboa Park, walking through the museums, enjoying the scenery, or just passing through. I also go to Mission Bay or any of the beaches in San Diego when I want to swim or just relax outside. 

Q: How has your career as an artist shifted during the past two years? And did the pandemic have an influence on your art?

A: Two years ago I was not engaged with growing my career as an artist. I painted on a whim, reluctant to share my new work with others just yet. I had only just started painting again in 2018 when I moved into my own apartment in San Diego after not painting for 6 months. Over the pandemic, I completed several works that broke me through to a whole new level of expectation for myself. I knew it was time to start selling my paintings in San Diego once the pandemic was over. The most significant thing I did was build my website, which is now my most valuable tool as both a storefront and portfolio.

I painted only two pandemic-influenced paintings. One was at the beginning of the lockdown and the other was right before I caught covid-19, which ironically portrayed how it felt being ill. It’s a painting called The Blues on my website. Aside from the pleasant downtime, the pandemic provided me, I tend to keep it well in the rearview mirror and do not remember it often.

Attending Art San Diego 2022? Make sure to stop by booth #324 to meet Joshua and see more of his pieces!

The post Meet the Artist: Joshua Rios – Art San Diego 2022 appeared first on Art Business News.

Q. Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?

A. My name is Renata Cuellar. I am a Professional Artist and Art Consultant. And I also specialize in custom commission artworks. I have been painting for thirty years now. 

Q. What is your background?

A. My country of Origin is Colombia, although I was raised in the States. I am grateful for both cultures. My Colombian and American roots. I started oil painting at the very young age of six and attended the Roslyn School of Painting. I was blessed with the most talented instructors and parents who saw my talent at such a young age and fostered my artistic and creative abilities. Of course, I have had to put in the hard work behind it! And still do so. But I always like to give a little shout out to these great and positive influential souls that have been part of my life.

As I grew older artwork always stuck by my side. I get visions and I want to paint them. Ideas come to me. I love creating what has not been done before! I love challenging myself. I love when I create a significant art piece and it becomes part of my Collector’s life in their home or sacred space. The fact that my artwork can make people happy makes my heart sing. And lastly, I love being able to transfer my Client’s custom commission requests into elaborate works of art that only began as ideas. They are so meaningful. 

Q. How do you work?

A. I work with different textures and colors in my artwork. Along with mixed media. I invented a glass technique about twenty years ago that continues to evolve today! 

Q. What art do you most identify with?

A. I most identify with artwork that is outside of the box and that is new, fun and inspiring. I also love seeing artwork where the artists have a combination of soul, newness, great technique, creativity and flexibility.

Q. What artist(s) inspire you?

A. The artists that inspire me are very much classical artists, like Renoir, Chagall, Leonardo da Vinci, Matisse. I feel they paved the way and will forever be geniuses. And then of course I do love current contemporary skillful art as well! 

Q. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

A. The best advice I have received is to always follow your intuition and the higher voice within you. To constantly grow, ask yourself ‘how’ rather than ‘why’. Plan ahead by writing down measurable goals. To try different methods. And never give up. 

Q. When you are not working where can we find you?

A. When I am not working you can usually find me outside, doing sports or spending time with my family. 

Q. What does exhibiting at Spectrum Miami mean to you?

A. Exhibiting at Spectrum Miami 2021 means a lot to me. It is a talented bunch so I am happy to be a part of it!

The post Meet the Artist: Renata Cuellar appeared first on Art Business News.

Q. What is your background?

A. I have no formal art education, mostly a strong calling and a constant need to create, a devine intervention!

My journey started very early as a kid creating poster frame size art of family/friends life boards that eventually turned into figurative and pop art.

Q. What is the best advice you’ve received?

A. God first, love what you do.

Q. What does exhibiting at Spectrum Miami 2021 mean to you?

A: Everything! It has been my goal to showcase in Miami and I feel in my soul this is the right event.

Thoughts do become things! 

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With a desire to give voice to fair Directors by adding insights on their fair’s page, they have more than 90 fair directors who have shared valuable information about their fairs, exhibitors, and what to expect when collectors attend the event. From TEFAF, Frieze, Masterpiece London, and Art Basel to Design Miami, VOLTA, British Art Fair, Affordable Art Fair, SCOPE, Red Dot Miami, and Spectrum Miami, there’s a wealth of information to serve as an ultimate guide to art fairs across the globe.

We asked founder Pauline Loeb a few questions about herself and artfairmag and think you’ll enjoy knowing more about this terrific resource.

Q: Tell us about yourself – who are you and what do you do?

My name is Pauline Loeb, I am French, 34 years old, and a proud mum of soon to be 2 children. I am the founder of artfairmag.com, the only comprehensive art fair database. I have always been surrounded by art as my dad was an auctioneer and took us to museums and auction houses every week, so I knew very young that I wanted to work in the art industry. After studying Art History in Paris, I worked for 8 years in Galerie Kugel, a wonderful place that offers a uniquely wide range of high-quality antique specialties. Then I had my first baby and my husband and I moved to London. It was the perfect time to start a project that I had been thinking about for years.

Q: Tell us about artfairmag.com — when was it started and the premise behind it.

I’ve always loved art fairs. I love their atmosphere, their diversity, the beauty they bring out… It is quite an experience. Before the Covid-19 situation, I used to go to fairs once or twice a month, as a visitor and as a collector. I also used to participate every year in TEFAF Maastricht when I was working for the Kugel brothers. Planning the next fair to visit was quite a challenge as there wasn’t a reliable calendar that lists them all. I was dreaming about creating a convenient tool for art market professionals, collectors, and all art fair lovers. That’s how artfairmag started. I have worked very hard on this project since 2018 and the website was launched in September 2019. It wasn’t easy to collect all the data, create a beautiful but intuitive website, and build a competent team. But it was well worth it.

Today, artfairmag is more than a calendar. Each fair, no matter its size or prestige, has its dedicated page with all the relevant information and most of them have inclusive insights from their director. More than 95 fair directors have participated so far – TEFAF, FIAC, Masterpiece, BRAFA, ART021, KIAF, Art Paris, Redwood, and so many others – and this will keep on growing as we are always adding new insights (https://www.artfairmag.com/fair-directors-insights/). These insights are highly valuable as they help our audience to get the spirit of the show, the price range of the pieces exhibited, the style of the participating galleries, and so on.

Our ground-breaking website is all about art fairs worldwide. With our convenient tools, users can easily find and plan their next fair to visit. We gather the most relevant information about each fair and compile it in a clear overview, eliminating the need to search on endless separate websites to find the necessary information.

Q: What are the programs you are working on for the remainder of 2021?

In March 2020, the pandemic hit the art market hard and all galleries were forced to close for months. As they are for me the beating heart of art fairs, I wanted to help them as much as I could.

One thing I was able to offer them was visibility and the chance to be discovered or rediscovered by a qualitative audience. I started to interview some of the most talented art dealers in their field – contemporary, modern, antique art, but also primitive and oriental art. Kamel Mennour, Massimo Di Carlo, Colnaghi, Almine Rech, TOMASSO, Ben Janssen, Oscar Graf were part of them ( https://www.artfairmag.com/interviews-with-art-dealers/). I won’t stop here of course; many more interviews will come before the end of 2021.

Q: Anything new planned for 2022?

We have several interesting projects lined up to develop the website further, making it even more comprehensive. It is a bit too early to talk about them, but the main idea is to make artfairmag the only reference website for art fairs – both for collectors and amateurs, as well as for the professionals who participate or visit them, by centralizing all information about the shows and their upstream preparation.

Q: What else should we know?

artfairmag is perpetually evolving. Of course, we need to constantly update our calendar and the practical information of each show. Moreover, the number of art fairs varies every month: some new is created and some, unfortunately, won’t be able to be hosted anymore. Even if we have some reliable sources that keep us posted, we are always happy to receive an email from a visitor to tell us about a change or give us some personal insight!

The post Interview with Pauline Loeb, Founder of ArtFairMag.com appeared first on Art Business News.

Q: Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?

A: My name is Jayson Fate. I am a full-time collage mixed media artist working in Chicago. I have been a commission artist for 22 years and have projects where I have pulled in on bars, nightclubs, hair and nail salons, and residential interior and exterior design projects. Looking to expand markets and development towards the art community.

Q: What is your background?

A:  I am told I am an “outsider artist” 4$HO!

Q: What art do you most identify with?

A: POP but anything that catches my eye. Modern or contemporary art. I love minimalist art as well as street artists. I love when someone has created something that engineers design or has functionality as well.

Q: How Do You Work?

A: Most of my work has been some divine intervention. God has blessed me and honestly, I roll day by day. The art just happens organically and when I need cash I push a bit. I archive images that interest me from tear sheets, books, magazines, any form of mixed media even garbage I find on my litter cleanups and create. I love commission work because it sharpens my focus and pays well. I will collage by hand with images and Mod Podge on multiple surfaces.  In the beginning, I started on plywood or canvas. I found collage on a hard surface was a faster process so I started gluing tables, cabinets, walls, SPEAKERS, and who knows what’s next. I have been on a POPART series for some time, mostly musicians. I love music and will admit it was my first love. The art flows really well and does not feel heavy or frustrating which past pieces have. The eyeballs are changing so my style has been as well. “City of the Century” was the beginning of a new technique and I love the way they look.

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: Wow, I would have to say just the amount of art that has been created and what is still to come! I am amazed by this, it is the reason to continue also look back at what has been molded. Now with NFT’s in sight, I feel like I can make sense of the reward in the future. As an artist, you experience tears of joy, terrible gaps of income but I continue and seriously grateful to provide to this day. This world is a world of patience and productivity. As David Lee Roth quoted, “AFTER 10 years or 10,000 hours of what you drive towards, you earn the right title…Wasabi!” I got Wasabi. (It sounds better coming from his voice)

Q: Who inspires you?

A: My family, some friends. I draw inspiration from prayer and the vision of other art. Sunshine helps, good people, music inspires me tremendously, that is why I honor those who touched me.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: 1.) Do EVERYTHING with love.

2.) Show up with your talent.

3.) The hand is the overflow of the heart.

4.) Life does not hand you anything without asking for something in return.

5.) Enjoy this day because it is not coming back.

Q: How Has Your Career As An Artist Shifted in the Past Year?

A: Cleaning, I run a pretty tight ship. BTW I challenge ANYONE who has a cleaner neighborhood than mine. It is the cleanest in the world. That’s where you will find me OR the gym.

Q: How has your career shifted in this past year?

A: Great question, I have definitely purged things I do not need and had more time to organize my work/life environment. I am more focused to be in the public eye however that manifests. 

The post Meet the Artist: Jayson Fate appeared first on Art Business News.

Q: Who are you and what do you do?

Julie: I am a painter working with acrylics and many different kinds of drawing tools, such as graphites, pastels, paint sticks, and water-soluble crayons. I paint medium-large format contemplative abstracts that are heavily layered, exploring disappearing lines and shapes. 

James: I am also a painter working in acrylics, yet I paint expressionist faces and seated figures along with horses, usually with riders present. My work is loose and abstract, with a slightly primitive quality. 

Q: What is your background?

Julie: I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I started painting around the age of 5 in after-school classes. I continued through my mid-teens, working in oils and creating still life and landscapes. My work was drippy and messy early on, sort of a hint of what would come much later. My mother took me to many museums growing up and gave me many art books and encouragement until the time came for me to choose a career. My parents convinced me that it was possible financially to be a successful artist and steered me on a practical path. I wound up getting a B.A. in English at UCLA, then I earned my law degree from Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and was an appellate lawyer for many years writing pages and pages of briefs. The only art I did during this time was in my garage with my two sons who enjoyed painting and other creative projects.

Once the boys were in high school I felt the longing to paint and James showed up at just the right time, giving me the push and encouragement to pick up a brush again. From then on I was hooked and started taking workshops and classes. I was able to continue working as a lawyer part-time on a very flexible basis and still have time to develop myself as an artist. 

James: I was born in Indiana and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona at a very young age. When I was 10 years old my family moved to the Bay Area, settling in Danville, a suburb in the East Bay. I was creative as a child. I loved painting, drawing, and making puppets. My mother provided me with many art books, trips to museums, and allowed me to paint on the back wall of our house. I had a Tom Sawyer-type childhood, roaming freely through the neighborhood. I attended specialized art classes during high school at California College of Arts and Crafts and took various college-level art courses after returning home from Vietnam. I worked in construction for many years but continued to do my art along the way, often painting pieces of sheetrock. I am, for the most part, a self-taught artist. 

I met Julie while working on a remodel project in her home and could tell she was a painter longing to paint. During the project, I brought her a piece of wood, brushes, and acrylic paint and told her to see what she could do. She hasn’t stopped painting since. 

Q: How do you work?

Julie: I am an intuitive painter who works without a plan. At most, I might come up with a palette before I start and layout the necessary ingredients, but that is subject to change along the way. My current body of work is way less colorful and chaotic than it used to be. Right now, I am intrigued by depth and mystery and going with what comes out of my own interior landscape. I alternate many layers of marks with drawing tools and acrylic paint most often mixed with matte medium to create a more transparent feeling. Usually, but not always, I start with a layer of marks to sort of activate the canvas on paper. I don’t paint sitting down, my work is too big for that. Unlike James, I need a little bit of time after going to the studio to get started. I need to make friends with it again, so I usually do something like sweeping the floor, wash the dishes, or go into our loft area and stare at the work we have on our walls to gather inspiration. 

James: I usually get an idea in my head before I get to the studio. I go in and just start without a lot of time, pondering what I am going to do. I just want to get paint on the canvas and push it around. My ideas may change as the painting progresses, but I follow the paint the entire time. I paint on my feet, moving around, never sitting down. My paintings are painted and repainted many times. I like a lot of underpainting and texture, some of which show through in the final version of the piece. For the past year, because of COVID, I have been in a phase of heavy experimentation. 

Q: What art do you most identify with?

Julie: For me, it’s the 50s abstract expressionists, although my work has recently quieted down in color compared to most of those painters. The looseness, freshness, and boldness of that era have a major appeal to me. 

James: For me, it’s German expressionism, starting with the Blau Rider movement because it was gritty, experimental, and appeals to my emotional sensibilities. 

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

Julie & James: For both of us, the best thing has been that we are able to paint side by side with our soul mate in our comfortable art studio. Each of us constantly offers critiques (sometimes not too nicely!) and encouragement along with helpful suggestions. When one of us is stuck, the other helps out. We also both love presenting our work at art fairs and openings in-person and have greatly missed being able to do that this past year. 

Q: Who inspires you?

Julie & James: We inspire each other. Both of us are very self-inspired and self-motivated in general as people. We find inspiration simply by walking into our great studio, having our materials at-hand, and being able to work with them whenever we want. We are both very grateful to be able to do this after many years of juggling work and our careers as artists. We also find inspiration in our various painting heroes. During the past year, we have made it a practice to watch a log of documentaries on Netflix or Amazon about artists’ lives and careers and have found inspiration in those stories as well. 

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

Julie & James: To just show up and do the work. Follow your intuition and not the marketplace. If you paint authentically rather than by what you think will sell, the authentic work will find an audience. 

Q: When you are not working where can we find you?

Julie & James: In non-COVID times, we both like to sit and visit with people in local coffee shops, walk with friends along the trails in Santa Fe, go to the gym, and spend time with family and friends. 

Q: How has your career as an artist shifted during the past year?

Julie: Experimenting and being incredibly productive, more so than before.  I retired from the law in September 2019 and my plan was to offer live workshops and private classes in the studio. We were also going to host our own shows there until we decided what to do about local gallery representation. COVID upended all those plans, which were already in motion. Instead, I very quickly decided that I had to create online workshops since who knew when we would be able to do them in person again. So I went into action and took an online course on how to create an online course. I adapted my in-person curriculum into an online format and James filmed me teaching the courses which were launched last summer.  I also had planned to teach a live abstract painting workshop in our Santa Fe studio this past summer with an artist friend of mine in Atlanta, Cat Tesla, so Cat and I turned that course into an online course. We created a business class for artists, which we launched at the beginning of this year. So for me, the last year was spent figuring out the whole online workshop process and enacting it. My painting was actually secondary to getting the online workshop business going, which has so many moving parts and has been incredibly time-consuming. It’s been a huge education on so many levels and kept me busy constantly. Going forward I am expecting that the online courses may take up less of my time that I can then devote to marketing our work more.

James: Just before COVID hit, our main dealer on Canyon Road retired, much to our shock. For us, this was like a death in the family, and we have both had to deal with this loss, which is far greater than just an economic loss. Both of us had been with that gallery for many years and it was an end to a certain way of life for us. We haven’t yet figured out an alternative. Instead, I  have dedicated myself to experimentation and have greatly increased my productivity since most of my time, due to COVID limitations, has been spent in the studio.

You can learn more about Julie Schumer Abstract Artist and James Koskinas Abstract Artist on their website. And make sure to give Julie and James a follow on social media to stay up to date with their work!

The post Meet the Artists: Julie Schumer & James Koskinas appeared first on Art Business News.

A: I’m an Artist, Mentor, and Award-Winning Film Producer. I’m primarily focusing on street art based in Palm Springs, California. I partnered with the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission where we started a test pilot project for public art with the street bench program last year that was approved by the city. This program has now expanded around the entire city including the Palm Springs International Airport, City Hall, and the Convention Center. We were able to hire over 50 artists during the pandemic to help stimulate the local economy as well as uplift the morale and spirit of the community.

Q: What is your background?

A: I have always been artistic since I was a small child growing up in New Jersey. I really discovered my art style as a teenager, airbrushing and painting on jeans for classmates and kids that lived in my neighborhood. I started making logos for local businesses. My parents encouraged me to pursue my art and creativity, which built confidence in me. As I started to develop my craft, I received more opportunities, which led me to where I am today.

Q: How do you work?

A: I love to create. I get lost in my work where I lose all space and time. My artwork is a reflection of my desire to share my talent and gifts with the world. I can only genuinely create from my own inspiration. My mission is to produce artwork that can be admired by generations to come.

Q: What art do you most identify with?

A: I identify most with street art, contemporary art, modern art, and fine art. I am a gallery artist but most of my work consists of public artwork and wall mural projects. 

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: Mentoring is one of the highlights of my career. Spending time with my students through Zoom has its challenges, but we are able to impact these young artists in an effective way. Actually, it has made us grow closer as a group. I learn so much from these amazing students and also discover things about myself as well, so when we are able to meet again in person, it will be an extraordinary and important bonding moment. 

Q: Who inspires you?

A: I’m inspired by the works of famous street artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol. My inspiration also comes from the styles of Pablo Picasso. 

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

Q: How has your career as an artist shifted during the past year?

The post Meet the Artist: Tysen Knight appeared first on Art Business News.

A: My name is Samir Sammoun and I am an oil painter. 

Q: What is your background?

A: I was raised in Joun, Lebanon on my family’s 1,000-year-old olive plantation. My father, Fares Sammoun, was a broker at the Port of Beirut, and an olive grove farmer. My mother and father were married for 65 years and I am the third child in a family of six children; five boys and one girl. I began painting at the age of 13, while continuing formal education. After completing my studies at the Ecole des Artes et Metiers in Beirut in 1969, I emigrated to Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the age of 21. There, I obtained an Engineering degree in Electronics.

Q: How do you work?

A: I work in a series of images from one palette. I work with oils on jute and linen canvas, applying a heavy impasto, created in fast emotional bursts of energy. The result is a spontaneous rendering of the subject, as if a flickering effect of light is coming through. Critics like Noel Meyer of MAGAZIN’ ART said, “Sammoun attempts to make his audience feel the wind blow through the trees, the heart in the air and the colors of the sky…”

Q: What art do you most identify with?

A: Critics identify my work as Modern impressionism. I am mostly influenced by Vincent van Gogh, but also by Camille Pissarro and Claude Monet. However, my technique is exclusive to me. I would put it this way: in a specific canvas, my work is 90% Samir Sammoun, 5% van Gogh and the rest is a combination of other masters.

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: From an artistic point of view it is of course and with no doubt, the discovery of my technique and subjects of paintings in the 80s, followed by, and still continuing the research to introduce new subjects and build on the experience of the technique, which evolves smoothly without a break from the past. Collectors can recognize a Sammoun executed 35 years ago and connect it with what I do today. From a career perspective, my favorite experience was definitely my participation in the first Artexpo New York in 1996, which I continue exhibiting every year. Thanks to Artexpo New York, galleries in the United States discovered my work and began representing me. Other important benchmarks in my career are listed below:

Museum exhibitions:

• Boston Museum of Fine Arts, “Give the Arts a Chance” project 2014, 2012, 2011

• Plattsburgh State University Art Museum, Plattsburgh, New York, 2009

• Latino Art Museum, Pomona, California, 2008

• Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Art Gallery, Quebec Nov–Dec 2005

• Retrospective at the Marc-Aurèle Fortin Museum, Montreal, November 2003 to January 2004

• McCord Museum, Montréal, Group Exhibition 2002

• Permanent collection of the Latino Art Museum, Pomona, California

• Permanent collection of the Plattsburgh State University Art Museum, Plattsburgh, New York

• Permanent collection of the Champlain Museum, Lake Champlain, New York

• Permanent Collection St.Joseph’s Oratory Museum, Montréal, Québec, Canada

• Permanent collection of Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development Museum, Kuwait

Publications:

• Boston Museum of Fine Arts “Give the Arts a Chance” Catalog 2011, 2012

• Fine Art Magazine, Samir Sammoun in Montreal, Channeling Van Gogh, Victor Forbes, Winter 2006

• Musée des beaux-arts de Montreal – Galerie d’art Catalog. Foreword by Michelle Dionne, First Lady of Quebec. 2005

• Fine Art Magazine, Samir Sammoun Fields of Faith, Groves of Gratitude, Victor Forbes, Spring 2004

• Fine Art Magazine, Samir Sammoun Walking with Giants, Victor Forbes, Spring 2003

• Musèe Marc-Auréle Fortin Museum Catalog “Sammoun au Musée Marc-Auréle Fortin” 2003

• MAGAZINART, October 2000 : Samir Sammoun, Artiste Peintre de Grande Classe

• Samir Sammoun, Artiste Peintre de classe internationale, Pierre H. Savignac, 1996

• National Library of Canada, 1993

• Bibliothèque Nationale du Québec, 1992

Q: Who inspires you?

A: As an artist, mostly Vincent van Gogh as I stated before. My paintings are based on where I live and places I have an emotional connection with. So mainly I paint scenery from my birthplace Joun in Lebanon, Brossard, Montreal in Quebec Canada, Ile d’ Orleans near Quebec City, Toscana Italy, Paris, Florida and the Miami beaches, Boston Park, and Central Park.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: In 1995 I was exhibiting at an Art Show in Montreal. Two representatives from Artexpo New York came to my booth and advised me to start showing my work at Artexpo New York. In March 1996, I was at Artexpo New York. That was the beginning of my success.

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?

A: You can find me on the golf course.

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What the pop-up brings is an exciting experience that engages us in the experiment and creates a sense of urgency in its “here today, gone tomorrow” concept. So we were intrigued when the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Lafayette embraced the idea of a pop-up and morphed it into an exciting community-based experiential endeavor.

JPG@The Bank, a pop-up art gallery and interactive event space, opened its doors in February to an exciting launch. Orchestrated by Jennifer Perlmutter, founder of Lafayette’s successful Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery, JPG@The Bank is housed in a long vacant Wells Fargo building.

We wanted to know more and took the opportunity of asking Perlmutter a few questions. It’s a terrific story of problem solving and community commitment.

ABN:
How did the idea for JPG@The Bank happen? What was the impetus driving the concept?

JP:
In the summer of 2018, the city of Lafayette held a retail workshop with property owners and business owners to solve the issue of long-term empty storefronts. I was invited to be on the panel, offering my perspective. The city wanted to find solutions to make the downtown area more interactive, give people more reasons to come to Lafayette all days and hours of the week. The property owners and developers on the panel had vacant buildings, both large and small, but were resolved to only lease them to viable tenants. Councilman Mike Anderson suggested the idea of a pop-up art gallery and the empty bank building emerged as a gallery and interactive event space. Working with the city and property owner, Steve Cortese, JPG@The Bank was created.

ABN:
And there you were with an opportunity. We get it—but you already have a gallery. Why open another one just down the street?

JP:
I am an artist. When my family and I first located to Lafayette, I had a studio in Berkeley. I tired of the commute and realized I wanted to connect directly with my customer and offer an experience elevated from a studio visit. I wanted community connection and I knew I could represent myself as an artist. I opened the Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery in February 2014. Finding ways to bring art and commerce together for everyone to win is a blast most of the time!

JPG@The Bank is intended to be more that what can be accomplished in my small gallery. There will be community events with music performance, artist talks, wine tastings, collaborative painting, a weekend painting workshop with the Carl Heyward of Global Art Project (GAP), a youth poetry slam, Cal Shakes salon, a speaker night on the art of leadership, and more.

For the last five years, I’ve been having community events in my gallery, bridging culture, commerce, and community. Now, with this space, in the center of town, even more people get to experience the strong creative culture in Contra Costa County. It’s just exciting.

ABN:
It’s a pop up gallery. What does that mean to you and the community?

JP:
Retail pop-ups are becoming a very popular model. Not dissimilar to the art fair model. What it means to me is “make it count”. What it means to the community is they will have an activated, interactive, artful business where they can bring their families. They now have more choices for art without traveling outside the area. It means another empty, sad, dark building will be full of light. Their city becomes a more engaging place to be on the weekends, date nights can last longer than a meal. We’ll host artist talks, demos, concerts, and help local non-profits gain more awareness by hosting fundraisers and guest exhibits.

It may disappear but it will, and it already has, sparked more positive connections in our residents and organizations. Artists will meet more collectors, the gain is tangible. Even the neighboring businesses will see an increase in business on the days and nights we are open.

ABN:
Is it temporary only?

JP:
Who knows? I know my license to the space has an end date on it. I am focused on creating exhibits and experiences to remember long after the site becomes something else. We are taking over the best and most visible building in the city. I intend to make every day count. I have the same philosophy with my flagship gallery as well.

Nothing lasts forever, live every day as though it is your last. Things change and naturally evolve. My nature is not to whine about obstacles or lack. It is to offer something positive. I gave a Tedx talk in 2011 called “Begin Where You Are.” This is my process. Give me an old bank, I’ll give you an art gallery with exhibits, events, music and collaboration. Give me a piece of sidewalk and I’ll figure out a way to bring value to people passing by.

ABN:
What are your goals for both the Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery and JPG@TheBank?

JP:
The goal at JPG@TheBank is to over-deliver on what I promise my artists and supporters. And the goal for the Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery is creating exposure and awareness, leading to increased exposure and sales. All of which will enable us to thrive as a valuable member of the business community in Lafayette.

ABN:
And for the future?

JP:
I am open.

One of the artists Perlmutter represents, Patty Taylor, is excited about the opening of JPG@The Bank. An award winning sculptor, Taylor shares her insight on the importance of the endeavor: “When I think about exhibiting in a gallery, it must be a gallery that represents respected work, with a following of collectors, decorators and designers. It also needs to be a social place where art is not only exhibited, but celebrated. Both of Jennifer’s spaces accomplish this and give back to the community. It’s that big city gallery feeling in Lafayette—exceeding my dream for representation, where I can be proud to invite my collectors, family and friends. I hope it’s a pop-up that transcends the pop-up concept!”

Traffic at JPG@The Bank has been steady, event days are filled with enthusiastic art lovers, and sales have been good. Perlmutter is thrilled: “For the last five years, I’ve been bridging culture, commerce and community in my flagship gallery. People here are thirsty for art and creative connection. Now even more people get to experience the strong creative culture in Contra Costa County. It’s nothing short of exciting.”

It’s a lesson for all of us in expanding beyond perceived boundaries. Step out of the box and see what can happen.

For more information and the current schedule of events for JPG@TheBank, go to www.jenniferperlmuttergallery.com/jpgatthebank

The post Hey Cities! Got Space? How About a Pop-Up Gallery? appeared first on Art Business News.