Produced by Howard Alan Events and hosted by the Las Olas Association, the Las Olas Art Fair, October 22 – 23, will feature 150 of the finest artists in the country as well as many leading locals from South Florida. Admission is free and open to the public.  The displays of original artwork will line Las Olas Boulevard from SE 6th Avenue to SE 11th Avenue. The wide array of handmade art and affordable gift items include diverse styles and media such as paintings, jewelry, pottery, photography, sculptures and much more. Exhibitors will be present for the duration of the festival and welcome the opportunity to discuss their work with art enthusiasts and potential investors. Las Olas Art Fair collectors’ edition posters will be available for purchase onsite at the festival booth located across from the Cheesecake Factory on S.E. 6th.  The Rickie Report introduces three of the artists and shares all of the details here.

 

 

29th Annual Las Olas Art Fair

October 22 – 23, Saturday & Sunday

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale
Between SE 6th Avenue and SE 11th Avenue

Navigational address: 600 East Las Olas Boulevard, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301

Support the Arts, the Local Economy, & the Las Olas Association

Free and open to the public

 

FESTIVAL AT-A-GLANCE:

• Juried first-class outdoor art gallery showcasing local and national artists
• Original Artwork
• Handmade in America
• More than 150 artists from 30 different states
• Prices set to suit all budgets – ranging from as little as $25 to $30,000 
• Artists hand-selected by independent panel of expert judges from hundreds of applicants 
• All artists on site for duration of festival
• Vast array of artistic media including paintings, sculptures, photography, ceramics, glass, wood, handmade jewelry, collage, mixed media

 

Commemorative Festival Posters ($10) & T-shirts ($15) for sale at booth located across from Cheesecake Factory
A portion of the proceeds benefits the Las Olas Association

 

MEET  THE  ARTISTS:

 

Sip Tshun Ng

http://www.tshunart.com

 

“I am Chinese but I was born in Indonesia. I grew up in a small house. Downstairs my parents manufactured noodles that we sold to both restaurants and the public. My grandparents had moved to Indonesia from China in the 1930s to try to make a better life for our family. Being immigrants, we were limited to only the ways of the native Indonesians. We were not permitted to study our heritage or our Chinese language. I spent my youth playing in the lush jungles and on the pure white sandy beaches of the Java Sea and the South Pacific. These colors and surroundings would later become the inspiration for my work”.

 

3D Artwork by Sip Tshun Ng

 

 

“In elementary school we were given blank paper and directed to paint whatever we wanted to. We would spend 2 hours in school or at home painting in our books. The next day, the teacher would collect our artwork and grade it.  I was fascinated by a circus book we had at home and studied the shapes of the faces and proportions of the bodies. When I took my painting of a seal with his trainer balancing a ball on his nose to school, the teacher wouldn’t believe that I had painted it myself! I painted a picture in school for him to prove that I could do it. The teacher and school were impressed but I thought, ‘I only do this for fun so it’s OK'”.

 

 

“When I wasn’t working in my father’s business after school, I was indulging my passion of painting. My art began to evolve into a pastime of cartoon illustrations. A friend who had seen my work, wrote a book and asked me to illustrate the cover.  I was happy to do it and began to do covers and illustrations for other books as well.  One of my older brothers went into the clothing manufacturing business. He liked my use of color and design, so  I began to produce designs for his clothing and it got to the point where we would get requests for my work. We sold to stores who would buy 12 dozen at a time, sell them all and come back for more! I felt happy and honored that my work was liked so much and to think I only did it for fun! It was then that I knew that art would remain the great passion of my life”.

3D Artwork by Sip Tshun Ng

 

“In 1998 a crisis economy swept Indonesia creating great unrest. Many of the Chinese people were the target of hatred by the native Indonesians, burning our businesses and homes. Once, we had to hide our hide in the attic of a building for 10 days until the rioting stopped. I made plans to leave Indonesia to get away from the hatred and physical assaults. I was fortunate enough to get out and find refuge in the great country of America. I now live in south Florida, where I am able to continue producing my artwork, which continues to evolve.  My sculptures reflect the simple pleasures that life affords us even amid the hustle and bustle of our daily routines. I draw my inspiration from the present as well as the past. The one constant is time. It is precious and we must live in each moment of it. While we shouldn’t worry about each minute passing, we should be mindful of it and appreciate the whole spectrum of experiences that come with it. Enjoy your journey!”

 

 

 

Roy Rodriguez

www.royrodriguezart.com

 

 

Artwork by Roy Rodriguez

 

 

Born in Cuba in 1967, Roy discovered his passion for art at an early age. Started his art studies at “Casa de la Cultura” in Havana, Cuba where he later exhibited at the age of seventeen. Accepted in San Alejandro School of Art in Havana, he later left the country, arriving in Miami, Fl in 1985 and continued studies in different art fields. However, Roy is adamant that he is a self-taught individual who has been schooled in the techniques of the great contemporary masters. He seeks his own aesthetic vocabulary and imagination in the use of color and texture to create a sultry palette. “There is something that fascinates me about colors and I love to use it on my canvas. I’m always searching for a rich and translucent texture, obtained through various material and tools that has allowed me to enjoy my mixed medias, acrylics and oils paintings in the pursuit of achieving my subject matter of the woman’s figure and architectural landscape”.

 

Artwork by Roy Rodriguez

 

 

Using his childhood memories of Cuba, Roy Rodriguez, passionately projects the hedonistic reality of his native island utilizing vibrant colors and exploring the exotic. His work has been exhibited in galleries, cultural events and has been featured in television programs and magazines. Roy is an active community leader who is in the process of creating a new innovative concept to merge social media with art by teaching his techniques to other people with Social Painting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paola Gallardo

http://PAOLAGALLARDOART.COM

 

Painting by Paola Gallardo

 

Florida – based artist, Paola Gallardo, was born in Bogota, Colombia in the early 70’s. At  age 4 her family moved to Spain. Paola studied art starting with black and white media at the age of 12 at Jose Joaquin’s Studio in Zaragoza, Spain. She explored other techniques at Goymar School of Arts in Madrid, and Graffito and charcoal at Artaquio Studio after she graduated. Paola splashed onto the art scene in the early 90’s and worked as a private teacher for almost 8 years. She enjoyed blending her artistic European influence with the Latin-American artistic movement through collaborations with different artists in Colombia. While living there, she also worked as a tutor for portraiture at El Gorgojo studio. She is always embracing color and texture, which is evident everywhere in her pieces. Her artwork has been on exhibit in Galleries in Spain, Colombia, New Mexico, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

 

Painting by Paola Gallardo

 

“My artwork communicates with the viewer in a special way. It is what you see and what it makes you feel. Emotions, reactions and even memories. My figurative artwork is part of who I am as a human, and it also becomes part of the viewer’s identity. Today, using oils, and other media, I create my own unique style of art focusing on portraying human identity; I look for the genuine expression of color, shapes, texture and detail to bring it to the audience in the most natural way”.

 

 

About Howard Alan Events, Ltd.:

Howard Alan Events, a Florida-based company, develops and presents art and craft shows throughout the country. For the past 33 years, Howard Alan Events has produced some of the nation’s finest juried art shows, including more than 40 venues each year such as the Alexandria King Street Art Festival (Alexandria, VA), the Downtown Aspen Art Festival (Aspen, CO), the Beaver Creek Art Festival (Beaver Creek, CO), and the Las Olas Art Fairs, (Fort Lauderdale, FL). Several shows are ranked in the top 100 art fairs in the country by Sunshine Artist magazine.

For additional information on the 29th Annual Las Olas Art Fair and other Howard Alan Events art and craft shows across the country, visit www.artfestival.com or call 561-746-6615.

 

 

 

 

 

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Rickie Leiter, Publisher

The Rickie Report

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Port St. Lucie, FL 34986

Rickie@therickiereport.com

561-537-0291