10,000 Balloons Project Sketch

courtesy of artist Yazmany Arboleda

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One Saturday morning (the start of the work week in Afghanistan) in May, the artist Yazmany Arboleda and 130 volunteers will surprise Kabul [...]]]> 10,000 Balloons Pop Up Event

10,000 Balloons Project Sketch

courtesy of artist Yazmany Arboleda

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One Saturday morning (the start of the work week in Afghanistan) in May, the artist Yazmany Arboleda and 130 volunteers will surprise Kabul locals on their way to work with 10,000 pink balloons.

The team — half women, half women — will spend six hours handing out 10,000 biodegradable balloons each of which will include a message written by the individual who donated $1 for that particular balloon.  Organized with the Afghan Women’s Network and the United Nations, the public art project has won over Francesco Rulli, founder of Film Annex and co-founder of Mrs. Mudd with John Malkovich, who has bought 1,000 balloons. “Every balloon that will be seen in Kabul will be the physical manifestation of an individual’s belief in art and culture as a way of moving forward — and not war,” said Arboleda, who will take his public art show to Brussels and his hometown of Medellin, Colombia next year and then to New York City in 2015.  [from WWD.com]

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To help fund this public art project, Arboleda has teamed up with Greg Spielberg of Imagination in Space, Jacquelyn Lipp of Streetwater Art, House of Horology and NYC-based international artist Paul Zepeda to create a Pop Up Event in NYC on Monday May 6, 2012 at Ludlow Studios, 40 Ludlow St. NYC.

Be a part of the magic and spread some love – have your message sent and your photo added to the mural wall!

More info about the event here: 10,000 Balloons Pop Up Event

Click Here for Video Live from the Event

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All of these balloon-themed works in oil paint, gold, copper and silver leaf  will be available at the event, with a portion of the proceeds going to purchasing balloons for the project.

Flyaway

8″x8″

[sold at auction]

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Pink Balloons, Blue Stone Vase

12″x16″

[sold at auction]

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Paris

20″x30″

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Solo

20″x30″

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Puddle Fishing for Dreams

22″x28″

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4:30pm

236 E 3rd St

NYC

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Facebook Event Page

New York artist Paul Zepeda is known for painting live on location at [...]]]> Saturday Spotlight

Saturday May 5, 2012

4:30pm

236 E 3rd St

NYC

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Facebook Event Page

New York artist Paul Zepeda is known for painting live on location at events around the world.  Fresh off of an 11 day painting adventure in Las Vegas during which he painted live on the strip and at the sign, at Planet Hollywood, on the rooftop terrace of the hottest spot in Old Vegas and in a fresh poolside cabana, the artist will be painting live during the Saturday Spotlight featuring the groovy sounds of marQue, Orion Freeman and Jennah Bell.

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10″x10″

Available Exclusively to Benefit Color Thief Filming

click here for details

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Color Thief Bulls

Oxidation (Rust & Patina) on Canvas

10″x10″

Available Exclusively to Benefit Color Thief Filming

click here for details

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Please Help Us Make this Ode to Artistic Integrity

Click Here

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More About the Film:

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Behind the Scenes of Color Thief: In the Studio with Artist Paul Zepeda

Behind The Scenes III – Artist Paul Zepeda from Violeta Barca-Fontana on Vimeo.

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4 Oxidization/Patina Paintings Available

All Proceeds Go to Creation of the Film & You Receive a Title in the Credits of the Film!

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Color Thief Bull 1

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Color Thief Bull 2

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Color Thief Bull 3

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Color Thief Bull 4

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I visited the museum on a white-dusted morning to experience the exhibition, with particular interest in the Gutai Box piece, which dispenses artwork Mondays and Fridays for a $1 token, and the funds go to Ashinaga – a win-win situation for everyone involved (and fun, [...]]]>

I visited the museum on a white-dusted morning to experience the exhibition, with particular interest in the Gutai Box piece, which dispenses artwork Mondays and Fridays for a $1 token, and the funds go to Ashinaga – a win-win situation for everyone involved (and fun, too!).  I contributed 105 pieces I made using rust, gold, copper and silver leaf and was curious to see how the entire project came together.

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It started with a few days of Factory Play Time at an artist’s studio just a few block from the museum.

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Detail of an Oxidation Piece

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I delivered the goods in standard protective packaging given the weather.

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Frank Lloyd Wright Skylight with Snow,

Gutai Suspended Colored Fluid in Foreground.

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What’s in the box?!

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The Artist’s name on the wall at the Guggenheim along with several other talented creatives including Ari Lankin, MIike Serafino, and Zehava Winkler.

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Here’s a sample of the cards I contributed to the Gutai Box project.  Check out the exhibit in person for a chance to get one for yourself – each is signed, dated, numbered, and completely one of a kind.

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Find more available art in the Online Gallery

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by Paul Zepeda

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Zepeda Solo in SoHo will present previously unreleased paintings [...]]]> Update:

Click here for photos from the opening
Exhibit Extended - See It Now
at House of Horology

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Zepeda Solo in SoHo will present previously unreleased paintings and sculptures inspired by ancient art and culture.  The event will take place February 20, 2013 at House of Horology (193 Prince St) from 6:30-10pm, with previews at 6pm or by appointment.

    Artist Paul Zepeda uses traditional materials such as oil paint, gold, silver & copper leaf, and mineral based oxidants to create paintings and sculpture that are inspired by ancient art and culture. These classic materials and traditional techniques bring a sense of memory, contemplation and connection with humanity’s roots to a contemporary audience.  Figures painted in caves 40,000 years ago, such as bulls and bears, still hold symbolic significance to people today and are even used to describe the complex workings of our economic system.  Translated onto canvas, ancient forms receive new life, and pull the viewer from the bustle of modern day to a time when being connected to their environment and fellow man meant a chance at survival and continuation of the species.

    A self-taught artist, Zepeda, 30, was born in the Land of Enchantment and has spent the last 15 years creating and exhibiting nationally and internationally. Zepeda’s work can be found in collections across the globe.  Considering philanthropy a personal mission, the artist’s work has been auctioned to benefit the American Cancer Society, Anti-Defamation League, Broadway Bares AIDS Charity, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Make a Wish Foundation, Stoked Mentoring, Girls Inc. Santa Fe, and the V Foundation.

    He has also recently participated in several large scale projects including  Red Bull Curates NYC,  was a US Representative International Artist in the Mayan Parade for the Mexican Board of Tourism and is  a contributing artist to the upcoming, “Gutai: Splendid Playground” exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum.

A true experience, guests of the opening will step down into the sub-level space, leaving the streets behind and entering a chic, grotto-like environment of dark walls gleaming with the reflection of light as it plays across the metallic-leafed surfaces of the canvases, flickering as they are approached and shadows are cast across them.  Unreleased paintings made using rust will look as though they have been cut from ancient cave walls in the South of France and transplanted to Soho to be contemplated by NYC’s hippest trend-setters.  Sculptures of the deity Pakal from the Mayan Parade project will also be exhibited for the first time in the United States.

Please feel free to contact the artist directly for pre-show sales and inquiries.

   Paul Zepeda

   paul_theartist@yahoo.com

    914-282-2191

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New Unreleased Oil Paintings & Sculptures

RSVP to ZepedaContact@gmail.com

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Big Bull, Little Bull 2103

iron oxidation & oil paint

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Oxidation is essentially the interaction of oxygen with substances that it comes in contact with. It is the process by which rust is formed, it is the reason for the green patina of the [...]]]>

Big Bull, Little Bull 2103

iron oxidation & oil paint

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Oxidation is essentially the interaction of oxygen with substances that it comes in contact with. It is the process by which rust is formed, it is the reason for the green patina of the copper Statue of Liberty, and it is a major factor in why our bodies “grow old”  and break down.

Oxidized Bull 2012

iron oxidation & oil paint

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My creative process often utilizes chemical reactions – whether it’s an oil paint wash with OMS or applying sizing for gold and silver leaf or creating layers of rust and patina, the end result is completely dependent on the process.

Camel 2009

iron oxidation & patina

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Contact the artist to commission your very own original chemical reaction today. paul_theartist@yahoo.com

Reaction 001

iron oxidation on canvas

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View more available works in the Online Gallery

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Paul with his creations in Tonala, Jalisco.

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Watch the video of the creation of both pieces in under two minutes.

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My piece was created in a way that was meant to evoke [...]]]>

Paul with his creations in Tonala, Jalisco.

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Watch the video of the creation of both pieces in under two minutes.

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My piece was created in a way that was meant to evoke a sense of awe in the face of human history, simultaneously conjuring thoughts of how what we do today will affect future generations.  The project was designed to correspond with the “end” of the Mayan calendar as a symbol of the birth of a new era, and I see that new beginning as one that is full of hope.  We have the knowledge and the power to leave a healthier Earth to our descendants by nourishing a healthy economy using sustainable practices – it’s a win-win for everyone.  The Mexican culture is rooted in tradition, and many of the means by which we humans have survived as a species can be found in the traditions that have been passed down.  This includes the knowledge that we are part of nature and must live in harmony with it in order to enjoy it to the fullest.  For this reason I transformed the futuristic looking fiberglass sculpture with a painted patina that gave it the look of an object created by man from natural materials that had withstood the weathering of time.  Ornamentation increased the regality of the symbolic figure while tying it directly back to the Earth from which it was mined.  Gold has long been revered as a symbol of purity, health, and the finer things in life, and the circular pattern with which it was applied echoes the notion of the cycle of death and rebirth as well as the organic patterns of plants and animals that figure prominently in Mayan Mythology.

The title “Antiguedad Futura/Future Antiquity” was meant to reinforce the idea of consideration of the fact that our present is the history of the future, and that what we do today will forever define our legacy.

My work in general focuses on relationships – relationships between symbols (including colors, textures and shapes) and the viewer, as well as the overall theme of the relationship individuals have with their environment and the microcosms they create.  Steeped in world mythologies and art history, the imagery I create in a wide variety of media expresses an unspoken connection that is reminiscent of religious icons and primitive totems – one need not know the back story in order to experience its value.

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The artist adding final details.

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Read more about the artists adventures in Mexico here.

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 Mayan Parade Website

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