MATTEO

MATTEO’s passions and talent lie in new media video art combined with sculpture. His work and accolades in the design, commercial entertainment and advertising industries have kept him on the edge. He has chosen that peripheral position as a cultural observer who brings the outside in and the downside up.

For that he has been awarded two grants from The Burning Man Arts Foundation, for his large-scale interactive video sculptures entitled "HeadSpace" and "Spectre" which were exhibited at the annual events in 2005 and 2006 respectively. The reaction was spectacular as he brought people art that they could work with in ways familiar to them from the ubiquitous Internet experience while adding layers of visual complexity. His art responds to, challenges and reinvents the technology driven changes in human interaction and communication.

MATTEO has been working in the arts since he was a young man in his hometown, Toronto. He rapidly outstripped the traditions of a classical arts education and film study at the University of Toronto, where his father was founding director of the Cinema Studies Program. At age 18 he became an entrepreneur, producing, directing, shooting, editing and marketing successfully in the U.S. and Europe his special brand of video art for use in nightclubs. His many pursuits kept him conceptually engaged with contemporary culture as his technical savvy and business skills brought him deeper into entertainment industries. His successful video art compilations led him into establishing, designing, and managing startling new and different nightclubs like Caribou Club, Enertia Nightclub, Alligator Bar and Flix Lounge. His work earned him popular accolades: “The next new wave in groovy hangouts” –The Toronto Star. "The wildest decor in Toronto history! A great place for dancing and lounging the night away!" -The Toronto Sun.

Relocating to Los Angeles in early 1992, he worked with world-class production designers Jeremy Railton (three time Emmy award winner) and Bruce Rogers (1996 AT&T Olympic Pavilion, concert stage design for Sting, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac) who understood the level of MATTEO’s talent.

In 1995 he established his own design company, Matteo Industries Inc. Since then he has won numerous design awards for his work in television, music video, stage, concert, special event and commercial production including five International Broadcast Design Awards. Clients are familiar names like: The Jim Henson Company • Dick Clark Productions • MTV • VH1 • ABC • NBC • CBS • The Eagles • Alanis Morissette • Sega GameWorks • Mattel • Intel • Nissan • Larry King • Novell • iLink and Nickelodeon.

Another branch of MATTEO’s trajectory includes creating and designing full concept commercial venues, restaurants, offices and residential interiors. Beautifully crafted and unique contemporary furniture and details are what transformed those projects into living installations. MATTEO is comfortable in all circles of art and design but his move to bring art closer to life both ties him to the early history of design – when it was still art – and the post-modern situation of merging and deconstructing known and knowable areas.

MATTEO brings innovative, original, fresh and unique creative skills to his projects. He knows technology, he knows business, he is a passionate and cutting edge force always looking forward and ahead of the curve.

John Lewis

Having a life long passion for the arts and painting, John Lewis is now putting his brush to canvas. His paintings exploit direct, immediate brushstrokes and fluid movement. His styles include impressionist and interpretive abstract. John’s painting philosophy is to create art that provides the viewer with long term enjoyment. The viewer should continue to discover nuances and details in his painting for years. He also wants his work to convey a sense of completeness, believing that great art takes on a life of its own. When a painting “lives” we derive a sense of satisfaction from it because consciously or subconsciously we are having a visual experience that needs nothing added or removed.

Born in Bloomington, Indiana to parents with interest in the arts, John was encouraged to develop his talents in art and design from an early age. By the time he was seven years old, he was spending countless hours in the basement of his home designing and sketching what he envisioned to be cars of the future. In high school he began to acquire the artistic skills that would allow him to illustrate his ideas. He worked and experimented with oils, watercolors, pastels, clay and wood. At the age of 17 he was awarded a General Motors scholarship to attend Art Center School of Design where he further developed his skills as a designer and artist.

Upon graduation from college John was hired by Chrysler as a car designer where he made contributions to the designs of vehicles in the “muscle car” era of the late 60’s and early 70’s. After relocating to Southern California he continued his career as a designer and magazine illustrator. John enjoys sharing his knowledge with others, having taught rendering classes at Long Beach State and conducting private art lessons.

In 2003, after an inspirational trip to Italy, he felt that the time was right to express himself as a fine artist. John has focused on oils as his primary medium of expression. Part of his fundamental approach to painting is to involve the viewer with a three dimensional experience. To achieve this he approaches a painting as a sculptor would develop a clay model. Darks and lights, cools and warms are moved and manipulated until the final effect has been achieved. Oils provide the best results for this style of painting.

Today John continues to paint in several styles. He searches for subjects that will result in paintings that have excellent abstract qualities regardless of content.

Dan Pyle

Dan Pyle is a charcoal artist rapidly emerging into the current art scene. His recent shows in Los Angeles have opened doors and gained him much acclaim for his distinctive style and compositions.

Working exclusively in charcoal, Dan uses a photo realistic style that mimics photography to the point that extra signage has to be displayed with his work, touting that these are drawings, not photos. He loves shadows, contrast, anonymity and using negative space in his compositions. His gifted eye catches timeless “fragments” of life in his work----- whether it’s the intricate lines of the human hand, or the delicate folds of a garment, they are drawn in detailed simplicity. The mystery of his work lets the viewer use their imagination to interpret the meaning behind each beautiful image.

With virtually no formal art training, Dan has been drawing since childhood. Throughout the years, he has displayed his work in local art shows, accepted commissions for residences, restaurants and private collectors, and his work has been selected for the cover of a local publication. More recently, he has been a featured artist in the annual Walk of Art and Design in West Hollywood, for the past several years. His work can also be seen in several public spaces around West Hollywood.

Originally from Washington state, Dan has been residing in Los Angeles for over 20 years, and just in the past 4 years has built his website, expanded his collection and begun to gain the respect of the art community as a serious and unique artist. His work intimately reflects his simple, independent sole and his relentless enthusiasm for detail.

His current collection encompasses isolated pieces of serenity, emotion and moments in time.

James Shilaimon

James Shilaimon is an embodiment of the self-taught artist who is continually searching for ways to express the artistic voice that has been with him his entire life. This inner voice has lead James to develop his artistry in several different mediums. Whether painting in oils or watercolor or sculpting in stone, James is always exploring ways to convey his stylized expression.

Growing up in Greece, the cradle of the Masters, you begin to understand this passion and some of the influence that has shaped as well as guided James and his creations. James is driven by a need to be honest with his creative voice and also to be recognized by his artistic peers for his artistry and his respect for those that came before him. James has spent a considerable amount of his artistic life pursuing commission work while developing his craft.

With each new series from James, we see touches of the masters he has studied as well as the influence of Modern Day expressionist like Paul Ecke and Don Treadway.

This series represents a seminal moment for James in his artistic endeavors. Delivering an entire body of work with a thematic component is just the beginning of the journey that James has now embarked on. His inner voice has a direction and focus that will allow us to share in the remarkable journey to come.