Tulsa Art Studio Tour Preview Exhibit Opening Reception Recap

Paintings from top left: Yang, Kountoupis, Rosser, Vaught, Frakes

What a wonderful evening we had last night at the Opening Reception at the Circle Cinema Gallery thanks to the hard work of all the folks from OVAC, Circle Cinema as well as the many, many others involved in making our night so special.  The food, wine (courtesy of Old Village Wine & Spirits), and awesome live music by Mark Kuykendall, were extra special.  In case you weren't able to make it out last night, don't forget the Preview Exhibit continues through April 4...so there's still time to get a sneak peak at some of the artwork from the 9 artists on the studio tour.  You'll see some glimpses of their work in these snapshots, but to really appreciate it, the best way is to see it in person.  The exhibit is free and open to the public, so be sure to stop by the Circle Cinema Gallery at 12 S. Lewis in Tulsa.





So, who are the nine artists on the tour?

• Michael Benton, wood
• Kim Doner, illustration
• Alan Frakes, painting
• Mark Hawley, furniture
• George Kountoupis, painting
• Steven Rosser, painting/printmaking
• Christine Sharp-Crowe, printmaking
• Celeste Vaught, painting
• May Yang, printmaking

Hawley Chairs, including "Sitting Image" chair

Here's a cool story demonstrating what a small world it is.  While visiting with Mark Hawley last night, custom furniture designer, I learned that my brother-in-law, Tristan Vaught, did the  upholstery work on this group of chairs on display!

From left: George Kountoupis and May Yang

Here I am with my pastel painting, "Sun Dance" and a little glimpse of one of Alan Frakes' oil paintings from his very popular 
"Dumpster" 
series.

While I didn't get a chance to visit with all the artists last night, it was fun visiting with Kim Doner, illustrator and hearing the story about the time a buffalo followed her in her house!  (Not to worry it was tame.) Her illustrations are charming and full of sweet humor and clever wit.  My fav so far is this one of the buffalo at the baby grand piano - demonstrating her meticulous graphite work.  Kim said  her favorite medium with which to work is pencil - you'll see why when you see this piece.


Also in seen here is a peak at the imaginative work of painter/printmaker Steven Rosser.

 Here's a snapshot of my smaller pieces on display - three acrylic paintings from the "Tulsa Brick x Brick" series and two pastels from my "Taos" series.

Bespectacled me happily enjoying the evening and having just heard about the red dot...Yippee!


Also seen here are some of the amazing inlaid woodwork 2D pieces of artist Michael Benton...hmm, he's got a red dot too, nice.  

Congrats to all the artists represented - it was a great opening to an exciting event: the Tulsa Art Studio Tour.  We have such a rich pool of talent in Tulsa.   If you want to see more work by these nine artists, and have a chance to come into our studios and learn about our creative process, why not take the tour April 9 & 10 from noon to 5 p.m.   

Tickets information:

Passports to the Tulsa Art Studio Tour are $5 in advance or $10 at the studio door.
Attendees ages 18 and under are admitted free.

Tickets available at:
The Gadget Company, 104 E. 15th St
Dwelling Spaces, 119 S. Detroit Ave
Lovetts Gallery, 6528 E 51st St.
By phone: 405-879-2400.
Or online  through Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition.

"Circle Cinema" Sold & Preview Exhibition

"Circle Cinema", Acrylic, 8 x 10", Showing at Circle Cinema

It seemed to be a given that the next painting in the "Tulsa Brick x Brick" series should be of the historic theater: Circle Cinema since it's the location for the Preview Exhibition of the Studio Tour!  So, I dug through my photos and finally found the one I had taken one bright sunny afternoon parked across the street in the Whittier Square parking lot.

Doing a little research, I've found out that in 2003 the "Circle Theater" was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Here are some of the interesting details about the building that I learned from the Tulsa Preservation Commission website.  It was built in 1928 and was built closer to the street than the other buildings in the area.  The reason?  Lure passersby into the theater to enjoy that "escape to the movies" experience.  Another distinguishing feature is its red and green/brown brick facade, unique among the buildings on the block.  The Circle was one of 9 movie theaters operating in Tulsa when built, it was the first suburban theater and it's the only remaining pre-1960's theater.  When it opened, ticket prices were 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children!  My how things have changed.  And the first movie shown?  The Oklahoma premier of "Across the Atlantic" starring Monte Blue - who by the way I learned was part Cherokee and was even in the landmark film "Birth of a Nation"....but that's another story, back to the Circle.

The theater is located in the Chilton Building, named after its Architect/Builder William R. Chilton and originally housed the Chilton Apartments on the 2nd floor.  They were modern efficiency apartments, elaborately designed and even included electric refrigerators!

Can you imagine growing up in Tulsa and with just 15 cents you could enjoy a movie, cup of peanuts and orange juice?  Or maybe in the 1960s catch one of the latest films like "Goldfinger" - apparently the Bond films were among the most popular ever shown at the Circle.

So, why not set a date on your calendar for Thursday, March 10, 2011 from 7-9 pm and join us at Circle Cinema Gallery, 10 S. Lewis, Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the Opening Reception of the Preview Exhibition.  Enjoy food, drinks and art by the nine Tulsa Art Studio Tour Artists.  The event is free and open to the public. Parking is in the back.  More info: www.tulsaartstudiotour.org