Starting  my New Year off right with a new painting on the easel, a 72"x36" abstract PoP Art Style in shades of blue, brown and gray.  One of my goals for this year is to create more of these PoP Art Abstract paintings, they are a lot of fun to paint and are perfect for just about any home decor or corporate themed interiors.  

This painting is on a 72"x36" Genie Canvas, one of the last few blank one's I have left...but luckily I have several more on the way, including a massive 60"x96" canvas, yikes!!  

What are some of your goals for 2016?

My first year at Miami Art Basel is a wrap!  It was an amazing experience to be surrounded by so much art and creativity, as well as the opportunity to share my art with even more people that might not have otherwise known about it.

I showed at the Spectrum Miami satellite fair with Art Blend Gallery in their booth and also had my oversized 60"x72" "Living the Dream"© painting prominently featured in the VIP lounge, it was such an honor and all around amazing experience.  In addition "Living the Dream" was also the cover art for the Art Blend magazine that was given out at the show and also sold in Barnes and Noble, Hudson Booksellers and other retailers across the country.  I was also supposed to participate in the Art Basel Food and Wine Festival, but due to the non-stop rain, and threat of torrential rain, the event was cancelled as it was set to be outdoors.  An unfortunate turn of events, but we can't do anything about the weather.

One of the most important things I came away with was getting ideas for how I want to show my art at next years Art Basel.  I'm still debating if I want to go with a gallery, my own booth in one of the fairs, or be completely outside of the box and have my own solo show somewhere, or combined with a group of artists I know.  To give me an idea of how to go outside of the box, I visited a lot of the smaller shows, such as Mijares, an artist whom I've followed on Instagram for quite some time, it was amazing to see his work in person and also how he set up his solo gallery show.  He is definitely an inspiration and an artist to follow.  Another great show was "The No Commission Dean Collection", put on by Alicia Keys husband, music producer "Swizz Beatz", Keys actually performed during Art Basel week at the show, which would have been amazing to see!  The Dean Collection was by far one of the most "step outside the box" events at Art Basel this year, as Swizz Beatz organized the entire event centered around the idea that artists should be given opportunities to share their art without it costing a fortune.  None of the artists in his show had to pay to participate and didn't have to pay a commission on any work sold during the show, this certainly got my head spinning with ideas for collaborations with other artists and brands.  

There were so many events with artists collaborating with supportive art brands, such as the Hublot watch company, Bagghy Purses, Viber App Stickers, Bacardi, Absolut Elyx Water, etc., the list goes on and on, and as someone who knows how to work closely with brands through the licensing world, I think this would be so much fun to be involved with some artsy brands at next years Art Basel.  Definitely on my To Do list to reach out to several different brands for collaborative events next year :)​

In addition to all the ideas I came away with for next years show, and collaborations, I was blown away by so much of the art, here are some of my favorites and shots of my paintings on display as well.  I hope you enjoy this little peak into what Miami Basel Art Week is all about, it's definitely worth the visit!!  And I will be back next year :)

As many of you know I will be displaying my original paintings during Miami Art Basel, starting tomorrow through Sunday December 6th.  I will be one of the featured artists in the VIP section of the Spectrum Show and with Art Blend Gallery in booth 307.

I will also be displaying food and alcohol related original paintings and prints at the Basel Food and Wine Festival on Saturday Evening, including offering a raffle for an original painting!

I'm getting so excited to be doing my first ever show at Art Basel Miami!  It has been something I've wanted to do or years, and the opportunity was finally right to be there this year, I hope you are able to get the chance, if in Miami this week, to stop by and see my art in person and I would love to meet any of you who make it out!

I'ts been a busy weekend here at MADART Studios hanging art at two new location in New Smyrna Beach, FL.  The first location that is now carrying original MADART paintings is the fabulous, and delicious, Outriggers Tiki Bar and Grille at the New Smyrna Marina.  When you first walk in the door you are greeted with my tropical artwork front and center, they look fabulous and are the perfect compliment to the tropical oasis setting at Outriggers.  And the food is sooooo good, I've eaten there numerous times and everything is amazing!  If you like seafood be sure to try what ever freshly caught fish they have on the menu, you won't be disappointed :)

The other location now displaying one of my paintings is the brand new, state of the art, New Smyrna Chevy Dealer.  My painting "Fire and Ice"© fits so perfectly in with the crisp white of the space and their blue logo, it really ties in amazingly well and adds some great color and shows what a difference art can make in a space.  And it was only fitting to transport the painting to the dealership in our corvette of course; had to represent Chevy, hehe :)  Everyone that works at New Smyrna Chevy is fabulous, the customer service is great and highly recommend them for your next vehicle.

So, if you are in the New Smyrna Beach area and would like to see some of my art in person be sure to visit Outriggers and New Smyrna Chevy!!

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and I can be influenced by what is going on around me as I create my art.  One of my most recent paintings "The Outpost"© was one such painting where I was influenced by the futuristic SyFY Channel, TV show, "The 100".  I love everything fantasy and science fiction, those were my favorite books to read growing up, and now I always have some kind of sci-fi or fantasy show, or movie, playing on my computer while I'm painting.  

The post-apocalyptic TV show "The 100", is about a futuristic world of humans fighting for survival in a world that can barely support life, or life as we used to know it. It has a very dark feel to it, but it also shows the resilience of human beings to survive no matter what happens to us, or around us. Plus, it has a very strong woman character for one of the leads, I love it when women are shown as strong and independent!  I've already watched all the episodes and looking forward to the next season, and I'm running out of shows to watch, so I can't wait, haha!!  

This painting started out with the idea of it being a cityscape, with this color theme, in my funky PoP Art style, but the more it came to life, the more it felt as though "The 100" had infused itself into the soul of the painting and makes me look beyond the colors and design into an uninhabited world waiting to come back to life.  Every time I look at this painting I feel as though I am looking at an abandoned city after a devastating, worldwide event took place. But, at the same time, it has bright colors that create a feeling of hope and promise that we can create a new world from the ashes and learn from our past mistakes.  

What do you feel when you look at "The Outpost"?

Not only is there an interesting story behind this painting, but it is HUGE!!  72"x48" on the remarkable Genie Canvas, perfect for that large wall waiting for a bold, unique piece of art.  Here are some mockups to give you an idea of the size and impact this painting would have in your home.