Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Alexey Steele unveils three major works at two California Universities

All three new works represent an important step in Alexey's career depicting major themes of his figurative work and reflecting his deep beliefs on the role of ART within a contemporary society.

They also amply represent his method and philosophy that he describes in the web magazine www.novorealism.com as part of NOVOREALISM project he founded.

Monday, August 22nd, 2 - 4 p.m.

Alexey unveils his painting  
commissioned by CSU Dominguez Hills  
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this statistically one of the most diverse campuses in the nation.
  

The event will take place at the Fall Convocation reception in the Loker Student Union ballroom of CSUDH as part of the official convocation ceremony.  
All three new works represent an important step in Alexey's career depicting major themes of his figurative work and reflecting his deep beliefs on the role of ART within a contemporary society.
 They also amply represent his method and philosophy that he describes in the web magazine www.novorealism.com as part of NOVOREALISM project he founded.

On Monday, August 22nd, Alexey unveils his painting  
commissioned by CSU Dominguez Hills  
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this statistically one of the most diverse campuses in the nation.
  

The event will take place at the Fall Convocation reception in the Loker Student Union ballroom of CSUDH as part of the official convocation ceremony.  
 ASteele Learners of Dominguez
"Learners of Dominguez: Howard, Jenika, Auburn, Chris, Ronald" features the likenesses of five of the university's students, from its oldest at 80, Howard Christiansen, to its youngest at 17, Auburn Hightower, along with Jenika Miller, Chris Barnette, and Ronald Farol.

Conceived as part of his ongoing "My Neighbor" series, Steele painted his work in a series of intense live sessions with the students whose emotional openness and engagement made them in his words "his co-authors". None of the painting was touched up after the sittings, resulting in what Steele says is a "live painting from first stroke to last". He said that through realism of such collective participation he wanted this 15-inch by 60-inch painting to capture the soul of the students, and as a result, the university, sharing live experience of the community.
  
 ASteele working on Learners 1
 breaking canvas with Jenika and Auburn

                                    ASteele Howard
          with Howard  
                              ASteele Working on Learners 2                                                                     painting Auburn and Chris on the same session
                                    ASteele working on Learners 3
                                             to accommodate the desired natural day lighting the special set was constructed
                                    ASteele working on Learners 4
                                                                                                     painting Ron
                                     ASteele working on Learners 5
                                              posing last, Ron is the first one to see finished work and to capture it on his mac  
  
http://www.csudhnews.com/2011/08/csu-dominguez-hills-president-opens-2011-12-academic-year-with-convocation/

 http://news.wooeb.com/843973/ContactUs.aspx
  
  
  
                                                                                                     ***


Saturday, August 20, 7 p.m.

is an opening reception at
Kwan Fong Gallery of California Lutheran University
for a group exhibition

The New Romantic Figure 
 
The show includes works by:
Michael Lynn Adams, Peter Adams, Jeremy Lipking, Cyn McCurry,
Michael Pearce, Tony Pro, and Mia Tavonatti


As part of this exhibition Alexey presents a painting and a large-scale figurative cartoon drawing.

Both works are portraying real people and function as portraits within meaningful settings where the "realness" of the characters emphasizes the metaphoric context of the works. Alexey calls them "painted songs."
 
ASteele Madonna of The Storm web1
"Madonna of The Storm: Unia and Wolf. The Storm is Coming"  80" X 36" oil on canvas - is a commissioned portrait executed on site live for a client in the span of ten days of non-stop live painting sessions. It is painted in San Juan, Puert Rico on an approach of the hurricane Earl of 2010 and is presented to the public for the first time.
  
  
                                             ASteele Working on Madonna of The Storm 1

The living room of client's house, situated just one block from the beach with the help of the staff was transformed into a fully functioning painting studio.
                              ASteele working on Madonna of The Storm 2
                     this type of live work is wholly dependent on the complete participation and dedication of the models
                   
                                         ASteele Working on Madonna of The Storm 2
                                                     live and life-size multi-figure painting is quite an intense sport

The work was conceived as "Madonna of The Storm" several weeks prior to artists' arrival, yet the appearance of a full-throttle Caribbean hurricane, first in a season, in the middle of executing the work obviously could not have been anticipated.

As the massive storm was gathering over island which was franticly bracing itself for the onslaught of nature, Alexey was happily taking his models to the beach for studies.
 ASteele hurricane Earl
                                                                                                          ***

"Rising: Jaboy, Christian, Derron, Michael, Luis"   100" X  80" charcoal, pastel pencils, mixed media on paper - is a cartoon, a full scale drawing study for a painting, that Alexey is working on in various stages since 2003.  


ASteele Rising Cartoon 

  
It represents an insuppressible force of the human spirit in the face of the power of a totalitarasing and corrupt society. It centered around live-studying of the authentically diverse  characters of modern day fighters, juxtaposing their personal identities and straggle to the consumerist dictatorship through undue political influence of monopolistic corporate brands and financial conglomerates.

 ASteele Working on Rising 1
each figure was studied in live drawing sessions with central characters of the work 
ASteele Working on Rising 2 
 from the live studies the figures  were developed    
ASteele Working on Rising 3
  
  
Each meaningful "load-bearing" element was meticulously researched, fabricated  or staged
ASteele Working on Rising 4
 ASteele Working on Rising 5
ASteele Working on Rising 7
ASteele with Rising
in the great "battle of brands" ART always wins
IN ART WE TRUST!  
  
  
  
  
  


Artists' reception:         
 Saturday, Sept. 10, 7 p.m.
  We look forward seeing you all!
  
Admission is free. Located in Soiland Humanities Center, the Kwan Fong Gallery is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Street parking is by permit only Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visitor parking is available in the parking lots on Mountclef Boulevard north and south of Olsen Road.
Sponsored By
Lois and Allan Friedman Family Foundation and the CLU Art Department

  
  
  
  
  
We look forward seeing you all!
  
check out alexey steele's blog,  
 visit his website 
and gallery at www.americanlegacy.com