Hessam Abrishami

Artworks convey a unique view of the world through the eyes of the artist. This view is colored by the individual beliefs and experiences of that artist. Hessam Abrishami was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1951. He has been greatly influenced by the ancient history that surrounded him as a child. Seeking a society free from the limitations of modern day Iran, Hessam left his home country to expand his knowledge and awareness of the outside, changing world. His quest to excel as an artist took him to Italy, one of the historically great epicenters of the art world. He began his higher education in Pietro Vanucci, at the Accademia di Belle Arti.

Hessam Abrishami is still driven by the deeply felt values that he developed during his early days in Iran and Europe. Understanding the struggles encountered by emerging artist, Hessam has always been willing to help new artists develop their careers. Hessam believes strongly in the goodness of people and this world, which is reflected in not only his art, but in his personal values. Hessam additionally creates some artistic statements that defy oppression.

Hessam Abrishami has diligently worked from his early years to gain the freedom and education necessary to make his life’s vision come true. Hessam currently has over 20,000 private collectors world–wide and has exhibited in over 100 One Man Gallery Shows, over 25 International Exhibitions, and multiple Museums. In 2006, Hessam was presented with the "Key to the City" of Ormond Beach, Florida where his work is currently displayed in the Museum of Arts and Sciences. Hessam has also been invited by the American Liberty University in association with California Polytechnic University in Pomona to receive an Honorary Doctorate to commemorate his achievements as a fine art painter.

Hessam’s art has become much more than a grand collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures. It has become a legacy. The inspiration, passion and beauty of his art are just a few reasons why his work is so widely collected.

Museum Exhibitions:

• 1980  Museum of Contemporary Arts, Tehran
• 1986  San Bernardino (California) Museum of Art
• 2006  Museum of Arts and Sciences of Daytona Beach, Florida
• 2009  Latino Art Museum, Pomona, California

Mark Story

The photographs for this portrait series were taken in various locations around the world between 1987 and 2005.

The Gerontology Research Group estimates there are 250,000 centenarians (people 100 years and older) currently living in the world. In rare instances, people live to 110 years and beyond, inspiring a new demographic label: supercentenarian. The Gerontology Research Group, through rigorous investigation of records, acknowledges about 65 supercentenarians, and estimates that about 350 are alive worldwide today.

The idea to photograph people who have lived in three centuries evolved over the course of the project. First, I was simply interested in taking portraits of people who appear worn beyond their years by living extraordinarily hard lives. Those experiences drew me to centenarians, and on to supercentenarians and their stories.

People consistently ask the same questions when viewing the portraits: How does a person live to be 114 years old? What do these long-lived people have in common that makes many of them look younger than people in their 90s, 80s and even 70s? The notes on aging is a short review of the current research on longevity.

The experience of talking with a 110 year–old man whose father stood next to Abraham Lincoln during the Gettysburg Address does not easily lend itself to words. A photograph seemed appropriate.

–Mark Story, September, 2005

Website:  http://www.markstoryphotography.com

Steve Kaufman

From his first art show at age eight to the Olympics with Ali, CNN with Sinatra, Woodstock, The Oscars, a president’s portrait, and his charity work, Kaufman was truly an extraordinary artist. By the age of 12, Kaufman was working at Macy’s painting dog and cat faces on customers’ Pet Rocks. In 1976, then just 16, Kaufman was part of a group show at New York’s prestigious Whitney Museum. Having developed a highly respected reputation for his technical ability, Kaufman was offered an opportunity to work with Andy Warhol cutting the film for canvas screening, a job which afforded him an opportunity to gain a different perspective on the world of art. Using his wages, plus those he earned by working in two galleries, Kaufman made ends meet while attending the School of Visual Arts on a full scholarship. Kaufman nicknamed "SAK" by Warhol, worked for Warhol into the ‘70s.’ After leaving the Warhol Studio in the 80’s, Kaufman was fully committed to his own creative expression, seeking out innovative opportunities to bring his art to the general public. Even though demand for his work was growing daily, Kaufman wanted to remain in touch with a broad audience.

Driven to create, Kaufman considered himself a workaholic, often rising before dawn and retiring in the early hours of the day. From dreams, Kaufman frequently derived art; as quickly as a thought flashed through his mind, Kaufman visualized the art and then made the image a reality.

One would say that SAK is an Icon for the ’90s generation. Fresh on the Los Angeles scene after years in New York City, he had already been commissioned by some of the great pop and media star of our time – the Rolling Stones, Larry Mullen of U2 and Jay Leno to name a few. He had numerous awards and his artwork hangs in the White House and the Smithsonian.

Sadly, Kaufman died in February of 2010, leaving MOCA this collection of his original works.

L.M. Chan

Leather Sculpture

Born in 1946 in Taiwan to a very poor farming family, Chan toiled in the fields with his father and grandfather learning humility and discipline through hard work. Unable to suppress his artistic nature and with no money for pencil or paper, he drew endlessly in the dirt with a stick. Through a government Teacher Training Program he was able to get an education and was finally accepted at the National Art College. Gifted, he became a woodcarver, sculptor and painter.

Then fate stepped in and he became intrigued with the long lost art of leather sculpture. It took him five years of research and experimentation before he perfected his craft. In 1986, Chan was declared a "Living Treasure" by the government of Taiwan. They sponsored a tour of his work to Seoul, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Paris. His works are in the collection of the Heads of State of Hungary, Japan, Argentine, Poland, South Africa and Panama among others.

Chan's all leather sculpture reflects his expertise in creating life-like figures to scale which express depths of emotions and captures the color and movement of the soul.

"Leather is soft, alive, like skin. It is warm and allows for movement. It gives life to the work," explains Chan. And fortunately for us, Chan’s genius gives unique, artistic life to the leather, to feed the world’s soul. Chan does all of his own leather sculpting, which takes an inordinate amount of time.

Chan sculptures are on loan from the “Tia Collection: represented by Galerie Zuger in Santa Fe, NM

Nick Japaridze

Nick Japaridze’s work is distinguished from other by its themes, unlimited fantasy, high performance and professionalism. The artists conveys his emotions, moods, state of the heart and dreams via symbolic language seen in his paintings. The overall gamma of works, characters and even minor, from a first sight, details are all carry symbolic meaning. The artists explains that all the characters: whether it’s a king, a philosopher, a child, a jester or a musician are all depiction of his varying from day to day soul transparent to the canvas. Nick’s works can be described as unearthly, tale like and mystique creation regarded by the artist himself as a surreal and symbolic one.

The artist gets inspired from listening to special meditation music while working. Nick’s work is a combination of Georgian traditional murals, Asian décor and Mid Ages fine art technique. This technique utilizes multi layers oil brush strokes where the main stroke is being adjusted above by additional very subtle glazing layers. This takes a lot of time and effort however as a result of it the painting acquires a beautiful and colorful flare.

Renzo

"I saw what I Dreamed and the Pigment Ran"

Renzo was born on April 11, 1953 in Martinez, California and raised in the state’s Bay Area. He has since spent one year in Brisbane, Queensland Australia, six years in Yelapa, Jalisco Mexico and nine years in San Diego, California. The youngest of three brothers, Renzo was raised within a conservative and strictly religious environment by his father, a retired Baptist pastor and house painter.

Renzo’s paintings express and communicate his observations of what he believes to be the basic qualities that separate humanity from the inanimate objects that surround it. His passion for Latin America continues to be a catalyst for his work.

Renzo’s images are opaque with transparent overlays to form composites, ranging from the figurative to abstract expressionism. In his 39 years of painting, Renzo has experimented with a variety of techniques and styles. He has always use of water paints, because of his connection with their unique qualities on the canvas. Building layer upon layer in a process of construction and illustrated depth, Renzo depicts metaphors and variables on relationships, spirituality, intent, and even tribal similes. His practice of alchemy, use brush strokes and habit of scratching at the surface of the canvas to produce a primal nature to these imaginary vehicles help to convey an ever illusive inspiration through each painting. With no formal academic education in the fine arts, Renzo began addressing his artistry as a profession early on in life and was represented by his first gallery before graduating from high school. During the same period, he worked as an Editorial Cartoonist for the local newspaper.

Renzo has shown his work throughout California and is in the permanent collections of the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Crocker Museum in Sacramento. His work is also represented in the ongoing exhibition for the Kaiser Corporation, as well as public and commercial galleries in Chicago, Kentucky, Germany and Mexico. While painting, he has held various positions within the visual arts arena including: illustrator, art director, graphic designer and exhibit designer. He had also worked as an instructor and the career development administrator at The Art Institute of California, in San Diego, California where he was responsible for faculty management, curriculum development and undergraduate instruction.