Winning artist Tom Steck (right) with Nadi Volna at the reception

Southwest Art Magazine announced the "Best of Show" painting is "Reconstruction" by Tom Steck during a crowded artists reception at the Pasadena Museum of History. The 65-paintings exhibition, called “Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden,” features canvases portraying San Gabriel Valley scenes and continues one more week through August 26.

“Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden” fine art exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of History runs daily from 10 am to 5:00 pm through August 26.   Over 175 nationally recognized representational artists were invited to create artworks reflecting scenes of Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley for this singular juried event.
 
Communities represented in the artworks include Altadena, Arcadia, La Cañada, Monrovia, San Dimas, San Marino, Pasadena, San Gabriel, Sierra Madre, and South Pasadena.
 
In the early years of California Impressionism, the spectacular beauty of the greater Pasadena area was the frequent subject of paintings created by such renowned area artists as Benjamin Brown, Jean Mannheim, Edgar Payne, Hanson Puthuff, Granville Redmond, Guy Rose and Sam Hyde Harris.  The museum recently showcased a critically acclaimed, retrospective exhibition, accompanied by an extensive catalogue, of hundreds of works by Harris never before seen publicly.  Many of these artworks depicted scenes of the San Gabriel Valley and served as inspiration for some of the artists invited to submit works for the “Contemporary Masters” exhibition.
 

Karen Hackett and Kevin Casey, both of Tirage Fine Art Gallery, Ardis Willwerth, Director of Education & Public Programming for the Pasadena Museum of History, Michael Hollis of Michael Hollis Fine Art, and Jeannette O'Malley, Pasadena Museum of History Executive Director, at last night's reception.

“Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden” was the brainchild of a consortium of fine art galleries in the San Gabriel Valley:  Galerie Gabrie, Michael Hollis Fine Art, San Marino Gallery, Segil Fine Art, and Tirage Gallery to bring attention to the area as a fine art destination.  The initial list of 175 invited artists was culled from among the country’s most honored fine art painters, with the final selection juried by museum officials, independent fine art professionals, and the gallery sponsors.
 

A total of 65 paintings by 39 artists from across the United States were chosen.  Exhibiting artists are:  Michael Alten, Lisa Bloomingdale Bell, Linda Brown, Connie Bryson, John Budicin, Armand Cabrera, John Cosby, James Crandall, John Creech, Arthur Egeli, Esther Engelman, R.Jay Ewing, Eugene Fedorov, Timothy Geisen, Jerry Greenberg, Patrick Harper, Donald Hildreth, Catherine Hill, Keewon Hong, Anna Kelly, Frank Lennartz, Paul Lowe, Jennifer McChristian, Charles Muench, Don Munz, Michael Obermeyer, Ljubomir Popadic, Jesse Powell, Kat Sawyer, Alex Schaefer, Robert Sherill, Tim Solliday, Tom Steck, Joseph Stoddard, Gary Thomas, Sylvia Trybek, Isabel Wadsworth, and Kevin Yee.
 
The winning painting from the exhibition was purchased by Southwest Art Magazine and the participating galleries and donated to the Pasadena Museum of History as a gift of appreciation.  It will add a contemporary work to the Museum's important collection of California plein aire paintings, many of which are on view in the Fenyes Mansion and showcased in art tours led by specially-trained docents on the first Sunday of every month October through July (no tours in August and September).
 
The Pasadena Museum of History is located at 470 West Walnut Street, Pasadena (corner Orange Grove Blvd. & Walnut St.).  Suggested donation: $5 adults; $4 students/seniors; free under 12; free parking. 
 
For more information telephone 626.577.1660 or visit www.pasadenahistory.org.