TURQUOISE TORTOISE GALLERY CELEBRATES 41 YEARS

 

1st Friday Gallery Tour
Tony Abeyta: A Solo Exhibitionhy

May 3, 2013, Artist Reception Friday 5-8 pm.

Visitors and art collectors can enjoy a rare treat as renowned Contemporary artist Tony Abeyta returns to Sedona for our “1st Friday Gallery Tour” in May. The solo exhibition will unveil many new pieces – so new we don’t even have images to unveil for you!

Busy lately with numerous commissions, Abeyta turned his attention to the creation of new works especially for this Sedona exhibition. "I experiment with images, techniques and mediums, translating paint into an image both personal and spiritual," he notes. Among Abeyta’s new pieces will be works in charcoal and also more of his distinctive mixed media landscapes. Abeyta’s unique Contemporary style draws on his Navajo (Diné) heritage while embracing a universal feel that overwhelmingly connects with viewers. Tony Abeyta's paintings hang in museums and private collections throughout North America, Europe and Japan.

Those familiar with Abeyta’s work will not be surprised to learn that the exhibition falls just a few weeks prior to the artist receiving an honorary doctorate degree from Santa Fe’s Institute of American Indian Arts. Abeyta, an alumnus of this prestigious institute went on from there to receive a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and has also studied in France, Italy and the Chicago Institute of Art. This new honor is a true credit to the continued respect Abeyta receives from the world of art.

Last year the eighth annual Native Treasures Indian Arts Festival honored Abeyta with a Living Treasure Award. Though still a relatively young artist – forty-six when honored – Abeyta has consistently created a body of work that portrays complex Navajo (Diné) beliefs in a compellingly modern style.

W. Richard West, founding director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, has written of Abeyta’s work: “His art is never static or complacent and is, instead, fearless, always changing, always moving; constantly pushing to new places of artistic creativity and resolution.” Both the museum’s groundbreaking and opening used commissioned works by Abeyta as official illustrations; works that are now part of the museum's permanent collection.

Abeyta’s mixed media pieces; often painted onto board; sometimes onto canvas, involve creative combinations of oil paint, acrylic, sand, gold leaf, encaustic wax and collage elements. “As a Native American and as a Native American artist, the spiritual is part of who I am and what I do. And I work at that,” Abeyta says. “When I’m painting and I’m right on, I’m channeling all of this stuff from some other place, from some divine. I don’t know what it is.”

Nature, with all its subtle or overwhelming aspects colors Abeyta’s palette. “My small universe is really about nature. It’s about light, it’s about ... design,” he says. “… It’s the shapes, the forms and the directions that they all sort of carry my eye.”

Visitors are welcome to stop in and meet Tony Abeyta, to ask questions, acquire art that is truly significant and enjoy the reception. “Tony Abeyta: A Solo Exhibition” runs through May 12. Be sure to visit Facebook and find /TurquoiseTortoiseGallerySedona for plenty of interesting gallery info and lots of photos!

 

Paintings
The Gathering II 40 ”h x 60”w Mixed media on paper. SOLD		Red Canyon Rainstorm 44"h x 60"w Mixed media on canvas. SOLD Click on the image above for a larger view
The Gathering II Detail 40 ”h x 60”w Mixed media on paper. SOLD
On the first Friday of each month, from 5 - 8 p.m., members of the Sedona Gallery Association offer a unique monthly showcase highlighting artists, special exhibits, and art events. These special art receptions give locals and Sedona visitors alike the opportunity to enjoy light refreshments while beginning their weekends with an exploration of Sedona's exciting art scene. Turquoise Tortoise Gallery is proud to present "Tony Abeyta: A Solo Exhibition" as its featured artist for SGA First Friday in the Galleries event on May 3, 2013    with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. You are invited!

 

 

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