 |  | Opening Reception Thursday, May 7th, 2009, 7-9 p.m.
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John's one-man show features new garden paintings, desert scenes, and
landscapes from his travels throughout the west this past year. This Xanadu
exhibit is one of the most extensive of John's career, and represents some of
his finest and most important work. Below is an interview of John we think
you'll enjoy! If you are in Arizona, we invite you to meet John at the reception
on May 7 from 7-9 p.m. If you can't visit the gallery personally, please be sure
to check (and collect!) the new paintings on our website!
On May 21, the vibrant abstract acrylics of Penny Benjamin Peterson
will debut with a reception for the artist from 7 - 9 p.m.
"I look out at the sky, the
mountains and desert landscape in order to draw on it for inspiration," says
Penny Benjamin Peterson. "I love to watch the subtle changes in the landscape
and light on the mountains. It gives me a wonderful sense of belonging, a
connection to Mother Earth. I play a variety of music and let my mind start to
wander. It is my personal journey into thought that I put on canvas. My thoughts
are, of course, my life experiences. Life experiences are universal, after all,
and mine speak in bold color, texture, shapes and brush strokes. I choose color,
layers, shapes and texture to express my feelings about these life experiences.
The layers symbolize our lives and the metamorphosis that takes place as we
mature. The layers create subtle and sometimes dramatic changes that seem to
mirror my life. The interrelationship of texture and color and how they
influence each individual viewer intrigues me. When a viewer looks at one of my
paintings and has an emotional reaction to it, I know I have communicated
well."
We look forward to seeing you all at John's and Penny's
shows!
Warmest regards,
Elaine
Director
Xanadu
Gallery |
| | |  In the art world, there seems to be an attitude among many artists and galleries that unless you
buy art for “art's sake,” the art you select is demeaned in
some way, and the artist insulted. If you ever dare mention that you
like a painting because it will match the colors of your room or fit
over your sofa, heaven forbid!
From the beginning of John Horejs' art career, John has taken a different view.
After
basic art and design classes in college, John found that he had natural
talent for interior design and was offered a position as manager of a
top interior design studio in Southern Idaho. Concurrently, he began
oil painting in earnest. As these two artistic pursuits developed, John
became keenly aware of how art completes a beautiful environment. As a
result, he has always painted with the end destination in
mind--someone's environment.
John works in a
very organized, methodical way. For usually a total of eight to twelve
weeks scattered over the course of a year, John is out with his
camera gathering subject matter. John often paints en plein air, but
since most of his paintings are quite large—40x50 on
average—he finds photographs are the most practical way of
capturing moods and lighting of the landscapes and gardens that inspire
him.
Upon his return to the studio, Horejs selects the
subject matter reference and builds a canvas for his next painting.
Years ago, he devised a stretcher system built from plywood that is
lighter, stronger, and more resistant to warping for his large works.
Once the canvas is stretched, primed and taped off, John tints the
entire canvas with red tinted retouch varnish that gives a subtle unity
and glow to all his paintings. His simple palette of seven colors and
white are laid out on a glass taboret in front of the large easel, and
the painting begins.
John paints ala prima—wet into
wet—and works as quickly as possible so that the colors, tones,
and shapes are fresh and vibrant. He only works on one painting at a
time, completing each work before moving on to the next.
As he
is doing each painting, an underlying thought is that the painting is
being created for a specific setting and client. Unless it is a
commission, John has no idea who that person or place is until the
connection is made through a gallery. His work has resonated with
collectors throughout the country over the past 23 years that he has
painted full time. Some well-known collectors include Paul Allen of
Microsoft and Steve Wynn, Las Vegas resort developer. At his numerous
one-man and group gallery exhibitions, John is always delighted when
his work finds its intended home and collector.
 This
past week, his major wildflower painting “Sweet Peas, Poppies,
and Babies Breath” found a beautiful home in Northeast Phoenix
with collectors Tom and Dr. Susan M.
John enjoys the challenge
of commissions, where he has the opportunity to translate the client's
vision into a work of art. One of the largest and most interesting
projects was for Key Bank in Boise, Idaho. Here were the specs: the
painting was to be a single canvas 5 ft. x 12 ft. in size. The bank
wanted a well-recognized Idaho landscape as the subject matter. The
deadline for completion was two weeks from the day the painting was
commissioned. The race was on!
The art consultant overnighted
fabric swatches, paint chips, and floor covering samples to John. While
the samples were en route, John constructed the massive canvas in his
workshop and selected the subject matter of the Boulder Mountains which
are just north of beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho, from his file of
reference photos.
 Thirteen
days later, the painting was finished. John loaded it in the van, where
it barely fit from the back door to the front windshield. John and the
consultant installed the painting on the feature wall of the new bank.
When the bank president and his staff walked into the room, they
stopped in stunned silence then broke into applause. The painting was
exactly what they had hoped for, and it was delivered on budget and on
time.
John's latest work is featured in his 7th annual one-man
show at Xanadu May 7-19. The artist will be in the gallery from 7
– 9 pm Thursday, May 7th for an opening reception during Art Walk.
We invite you to preview the show online at www.xanadugallery.com, and add a John Horejs painting to your home or office today.
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| | | | Artists - please take a few minutes to participate in our online artists' survey at www.xanadugallery.com/survey | |  | |  | | Charles McAlpine(r), Owner of Storm Wisdom, with Jason Horejs(l), Artist Andrew Smith, and Fito with Andrew's piece "Ruins Pump". | | | | | On May 1st, 'Storm Wisdom'
opened their doors to the public for the first time. It is the newest spot in
the Phoenix metropolitan area to offer group workshops and individual sessions
for personal and spiritual growth and self-healing. It is also home to a
beautiful Crystal Gallery! They have one of the largest local collections of
unique one-of-a-kind crystal and stone/metal sculptures, with large and
high-quality specimen pieces of Amethyst, Citrine, Clear Quartz and many others.
Storm Wisdom also features a wide variety of artwork from primarily local
artists, from Kaleidoscopes to Oil on Canvas, and Giclee', French Dye with Wax
Resist on Silk and Anodized Aluminum.
Charles McAlpine, one of the
owners and the primary visionary behind this project is also an avid Art
Collector and long time client of Xanadu Gallery. His love of art and vision
of creating a sacred space for personal growth lead him
to acquire the kinetic sculpture "Ruins Pump" by Andrew Smith, our featured
artist last month. The sculpture sits in a place of prominence within the
Crystal Gallery (even though it is not for sale), because as McAlpine says...
"it is a reminder of the contrasts in our lives and the juxtaposition of
rigidity or flow that is always just a choice away".
I have known Charles since we
first opened Xanadu in it's original home at Gainey Ranch Village. He was an
Executive at Wells Fargo and Company for over 26 years. When I asked him what
inspired him to shift careers and to open Storm Wisdom, he indicated that even
though he loved his time at Wells, he was drawn to supporting people on their
personal journey and helping them find the awareness and tools to live
fulfilling, abundant lives. (He has been a Life Coach since 2005) It was also
a priority for him to create a space that is open to all, regardless of how they
connect to their Life's Purpose be it God, Buddha, Goddess, Universe, Spirit or
any other description that makes someone comfortable. So although there is a
heavy emphasis on Spirituality, there is no specific religious belief that is
favored. Charles holds the view that "Spirituality - is the pursuit of looking
inside of ourselves for answers and taking responsibility for creating the life
of our dreams".
Please visit Storm Wisdom and
experience for yourself the magic that happens when someone combines their
passions all under one roof... or visit them on the web at: www.StormWisdom.com
Storm Wisdom
3375 E Shea Blvd, Suite A-1
Phoenix, Arizona 85028
602.334.1204
| |  | | Bugs and Bulbs by Gary Lee Price, sold to Mr. & Mrs. Ken G. - Wisconsin | | | |  | | Shalece Flack - Sold to private collector from Wyoming | | | |  | | Days End, Ireland (Giclee) - by Susan Kennedy - Sold from Xanadu Studios to a private collector from Montana | | | |  | | Sweet Peas, Poppies and Babies Breath - by John Horejs - Sold to Tom & Dr. Susan M., Phoenix, AZ | | | | | | | | | | |
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