Planning on staying in town for the first big three-day weekend of the year coming up in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.? Start it off right by meeting up with friends and family for a casual, sun-filled day of Art Under the Umbrellas at Old Town La Quinta on Saturday, January 16, 2016. The event runs from 10 am to 4 pm. It’s fun, fabulous and free! Plus complimentary parking is available throughout the downtown Village area.
Presented by La Quinta Arts Foundation, Art Under the Umbrellas will assemble over 80 of its most popular artists to set-up their booths within the borders of the idyllic Old Town La Quinta venue to exhibit their original art works in a broad spectrum of media categories.
The ever engaging Steve Madaio Band featuring Horace Miller and Brigitte Valdez, with Bobby O’Connor on keyboards, will provide captivating musical entertainment for shoppers as they explore the artist booths and visit Old Town’s mix of boutique shops and excellent restaurants.
Exhibitors featured on January 16th are both innovative contemporary artists based in the rural high desert who employ complex self-created techniques and methods enhanced with various elements and materials.
Mixed Media Artist Richard Daniel – A California native, Daniel was once involved in the early days of the flourishing art scenes of Laguna Beach and Santa Barbara in the 1970s. He defines the style of his large-scale mixed media works as “Abstract Expressionism,” incorporating many different styles – with the goal to make art that while abstract, is also expressive or emotional in its effect. He uses air brush, dry brush and air hose to apply metallic paints, acrylics and solvents, capturing rich copper tones.
Photographer Mark Stephenson describes his mixed-media photographic artistry as “visual Haiku, created with a Zen esthetic.” He related that his favorite subjects to shoot are grasses, trees and water, “because my artwork points to, and celebrates the transcendent value of life itself as manifested in common natural forms.” What makes his art special is its elegant simplicity, amazing luminosity, texture, depth and clarity. He uses a self-developed, multi-step, highly technical process: original photography with inkjet printed over hand applied metallic leaf on hand textured, cradled wood panels flooded with resin.
Old Town La Quinta, known for its Early California inspired architecture, is located in the Village of La Quinta. Take Washington Street south, go west on Calle Tampico two blocks; Old Town is on the left. Visit www.LQAF.com or call 760-564-1244 for more information.
