Wednesday, May 14, 2014

KALOUST GUEDEL PAINTING

KALOUST GUEDEL PAINTING
Title:Excess #237
Dimensions:35" x 30" x 4"
Medium:Mixed media
Year:2014

Sunday, June 16, 2013

"Bright Lights Big City" Showdown Runner-up, Kaloust Guedel




Congratulations to our "Bright Lights Big City" Showdown runner-up, Kaloust Guedel, who lives and works in Los Angeles. Kaloust's painting "Cityscape #147" will be exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery, London.

Check out the Top 10 Finalists: http://saatol.us/10jkWzU


http://www.saatchionline.com/showdown/view/showdown/14/artist/90515

For comments visit to:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151637421163447&set=a.416331628446.190768.143517328446&type=1&theater

 

Saatchi Gallery in London to Display Work of Kaloust Guedel

By Anush Kocharyan


11:22, May 24, 2013

Kaloust Guedel is an artist based in Los Angeles with roots in Lebanon.
His Cityscape #147 assemblage/collage art work will soon be on display at the prestigious Saatchi Gallery in London.
The work came in second out of the ten finalists in the Saatchi Gallery’s recent Showdown competition where artists can showcase their work and be given the chance for it to be judged by internationally acclaimed artists and curators.
The top two works will be shown at the Saatchi Gallery in London.
One of the conditions for entry into the Showdown competition is that the top ten original works must be exclusively for sale on Saatchi Online for 6 months following the end of the competition.
Cityscape #147 is now on sale at Saatchi Online for $8,000.
The work is made by applying acrylic on transparent forms and turned down-side up before placing on surface of the board. This unique technique is experimental in terms of media and its use and produces reflective outcome. in my work bright and uplifting colors represent hope and optimism.
I had a chance to talk to the artist recently about Showdown and his work in general.
I would first like you to talk about Showdown.
In the past thirty years, Charles Saatchi has been one of the most influential figures in the art world. He has a private collection and an artist whose work appears there receives important recognition from art aficionados and the market value of his work increases.
Saatchi has a huge museum of contemporary art in London where his other collections are on display. He also has a web page administered from Los Angeles.
Before talking about the competition itself, why did you choose Cityscape #147 as your entry piece?
The main reason was the theme of the competition, “Bright Lights, Big City”.
The work was done using non-traditional materials. Vinyl, a transparent material, was used. Most of the colors were applied from the back.
This completely changes the traditional approach in painting because in other artists we usually see the last layer and then the previous layers appear less so.
In this case it’s the opposite.
What was the evaluation process of the competition like? Who did the judging?
The competition was comprised of several stages. 3,300 painters submitted works which was filtered down to 300 after the first leg. Of these, 50 were judged on-line and 250 by a Saatchi team.
The prominent artist Eddie Martinez from Brooklyn picked the top ten works in the final round.
So what are your expectations from London?
I still don’t know. I hope to hear some critique, since indifference for me is even worse.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Kaloust Guedel On The Cover of New American Paintings 15th Anniversary Edition


Not so long ago, one of his Blue Canvas peers informed him that he has seen his work on the cover of New American Paintings of 15th Anniversary Edition. Guedel explains: Selection of my work for the cover from about 200 accomplished American artists was unbelievable to me. Finally I got my copy and the long wait came to finality. To me as an artist, this kind of small but significant events make life interesting and exiting. In conjunction of two other books by MOT, a British publisher: Masters of Today and Trends  has generated tremendous publicity for the artist. As an evidence, his name is being googled throughout the word and interview requests are pouring in.  Since then thousands of visitors have visited his site  and joined with him in celebration. Other then creating art, Kaloust Guedel is active in curating art exhibitions.
One of his curated shows is in H. Kazan Fine Arts titled Objects Are Forever. An exhibition featuring the work of five innovative and accomplished Los Angeles area artists, working in a variety of media, but specifically using objects as the preferred medium to communicate their artistic philosophy. Participating artists are: Betty Bairamian, Ursula Kammer-Fox, David Jang, Joyce Kohl and Nancy Kyes.
The next exhibition he is working on, will be exhibited at Asto Museum of Art with title Carnalistic Initiative will bring together about 30 artists using human form/body as preferred subject, as an acknowledgment of an art moment that has been in existence, but never before have brought together as a group. The exhibition is scheduled to open on September 11th, 2010.