Frank Tenney Johnson Cowboy On Horesback oil    11.75" x 15" Estimates: $40,000 - $60,000	Victor Higgins Pueblo oil    14.75" x 21.25" Estimates: $15,000 - $20,000

    On Tuesday, Feburary 16th, John Moran Fine Art & Antiques Auctioneers will host their California & American Fine Art Auction. The auction will be held at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California. The auction preview begins 12:00 p.m. and the sale begins 6:30 p.m. (all times PST).

   John Moran Auctioneers has brought together buyers and sellers at state of the art auctions since 1969. Their monthly sales at the Pasadena Convention Center, feature select fine art and antiques from estates and private collections offered to a worldwide audience. As a full service auction house they also provide complete appraisal and estate services.

For more information about the John Moran California & American Fine Art Auction, please visit their web site at: www.johnmoran.com

Burt Procter Seated Cowboys With Their Horses oil    20" x 24.25" Estimates: $5,000 - $7,000	Howard Everett Smith Horses Under Trees, Carmel Valley oil    25" x 30" Estimates: $5,000 - $7,000

Hernando Villa Apache Indians Overlooking A Valley And Mountains watercolor & gouache    20" x 18.5" Estimates: $3,000 - $4,000	Nicolai Fechin The (Sycamore) Tree oil    30" x 26" Estimates: $250,000 - $350,000

Michael Maczuga        "The Fifth Veda"     oil     30" x 40"

   Scottsdale Fine Art is excited to present the extraordinary work of three talented figurative artists this month. "The Beauty of Form" will feature the exceptional talents of Aldo Balding, Michael Maczuga and Tae Park. The narrative quality of their work is the common thread shared by each of these exceptional artists. Hailing from three entirely different parts of the world, their depiction of character, mood and emotion reflect what they know; the world around them.

Award winning artist, Aldo Balding’s sought after figurative paintings are said to capture the nostalgia of a by gone era, although the artist prefers to consider them as timeless. Born in England, now living in France, Balding has just recently started showing in the United States. Much of Balding’s work includes suited men, many of which have their backs to the viewer. The result is a mysterious vignette that is masterfully realized. The narrative quality of his work casts the viewer into a voyeuristic role.

Michael Maczuga’s loose brushwork, broken color and his ability to capture movement are hallmarks of his recognizable style. Mazcuga gathers much of his reference for his spirited dancers from the many local Phoenix, Arizona cultural festivals. Having worked with children for many years, his portrayal of their optimistic and exuberant nature is skillfully portrayed in his paintings.

Tae Park currently lives and teaches in San Francisco. When she is not teaching Graduate courses at the Art Academy University, San Francisco, she travels to her native Korea and throughout Europe where she gathers reference. It is her travels which inspire her evocative paintings. Park’s works draw the viewer in as if they were present in the scene by capturing the atmosphere and mood of the moment. The character of her chosen locale and subject cause the viewer to bring their own meaning to the figures, on both narrative an metaphoric levels.

Scottsdale Fine Art Gallery Owner, Beth Lauterbach explains, "The allure of the figure has captivated viewers for centuries. These three contemporary painters bring their own narrative to this age-old craft. The commonalities and sharp contrast in their unique approach to the figure is what makes this show exciting."

For more information about Scottsdale Fine Art's "The Beauty Of Form", click on their web link: www.scottsdalefineart.com

Aldo Balding "A Long Way Home" oil    24" x 18"	Tae Park "Nymph In The Forest" oil    40" x 30"

Chuck Middlekauff      "Get Your Kicks On Route 66"     acylic & collage     48" x 36"

   After receiving public acclaim at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, the exhibition entitled "Route 66 Meets Highway 41: Roadside Impressions by Chuck Middlekauff," travels to Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. The paintings will now be available for purchase at the gallery, which invites the public to meet the artist at a February 18th reception.

  In the fall of 2008, the Booth Museum, one of only three major Contemporary Western Art Museums in the U.S., and Legacy Gallery, which represents the artist, invited contemporary Western painter Chuck Middlekauff to take an artistic journey down these two historic American highways.

  Internationally known for his close-up paintings of cowboys, neon signs, Coke machines, roadside diners, motels, billboards, and other nostalgic icons, the Texas artist has long been fascinated with all of these fading roadside attractions. He jumped at the chance to explore parts of Route 66, which runs from Chicago to Los Angeles, and Highway 41, which runs from Copper Harbor, Michigan, to Miami, Florida, and create a series of paintings contrasting the two highways in his distinctive style, which he sometimes refers to as "Western art with a twist." 

  Middlekauff and his wife Carol traveled east to Highway 41, focusing on sections of the road in Tennessee and Georgia and searching for old signs and other icons. However, finding the older images for the Highway 41 portion of the exhibition proved to be a challenge. "Sadly, it seems that Chili’s, Chick-fil-A, and Wal-Mart have bulldozed most of those old motels and diners, and the glorious old signs went away in the process," said Middlekauff. "During one trip we actually saw some men on a ladder, in the act of covering over one old sign." Regardless, Middlekauff managed to find enough material for many paintings, with a few left over for future canvases.

  The artist has traveled Route 66, which runs between Chicago and Los Angeles, many times while living in Texas, Colorado, and California. To refresh his connection, in April of this year he and Carol cruised "America’s Main Street," as this legendary road is called, from Amarillo to Los Angeles in their white 1975 Corvette, looking for more rusty remnants of those “good ole days” to recapture on canvas. He picked 15 images and has many more to paint in the future. "Route 66 is beautiful in its wide open spaces, and Highway 41 is beautiful in its lushness and greenery, definitely two different roads," Middlekauff said after his recent travels.

  Featuring 31 works, the show opens February 18, 2010, at the Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, with an artist reception from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.  

For more information about Chuck Middlekauff's Show at Legacy Gallery, click on their web link: www.legacygallery.com

Chuck Middlekauff "Who Let The Dogs Out" acrylic    30" x 40"	Chuck Middlekauff "Tanning Beds" acrylic    30" x 30"

Chuck Middlekauff "Coolin' His Heels" acrylic & collage    36" x 48"	Chuck Middlekauff "Disoriented" acrylic    18" x 24"