Spotlight on Thomas Arvid Fine Arts - news

ATLANTA--Using an untrained hand and a regard with affection of fine wine, artist Thomas Arvid has made a name for himself as the preeminent painter of wine since the inception of Thomas Arvid Fine in 2000

The company unofficially started when Arvid decided to show giclees of his originals for galleries showing his work. He then exhibited at DECOR expo--Atlanta, and Thomas Arvid Fine Arts, which consisted of himself and his wife Vanessa in their garage at the time, was born.

Although they went into the exhibit inexperienced, Arvid said, "We had a gangbuster present to view we were talking to a apportionment of galleries that were interested in the outcome and placing orders. From that point upon it was just like a whirlwind. The orders were coming in, and we were trying to come by more product printed."

The Atlanta exhibit was a springboard to Artexpo fresh York where the company achieved smooth greater success, signing 35 galleries and selling without all the originals to the trade upon the first day. Arvid said, "We were floored through it. I remember people saying, `I have been in this industry a drawn out time and I haven't seen anything recent and new in so lengthy This is it!'"

This was big novels for the Detroit native whose parents, on the outside of concern for their son's welfare, encouraged him toward the commercial art field, teaching or design. While Arvid made a living working at a sign company, printing companies, level as a fashion photographer, the artist in him was beckoning. in like manner Arvid moved from Detroit to Atlanta and began painting in a cafe that hired artists to paint as entertainment. upon his first night, he sold a painting. He then decided that in order to be able to have a one-man present to view he needed a theme. He said, "the hardest thing for an artist to do is focus, because as an artist, everything can be creative. on the other hand by doing everything, you're not creating a path for nation to follow to see where you're going."

His first focus was red--R Flyer wagons, commune tennis shoes, Coke cans, Campbell's broth cans--anything red. To add to his series he decided paint r wine, which sold before it was finished. Arvid then realized he was upon to something.

nearest he went to Napa Valley to investigate the art view there. While in Napa, Arvid also consigned six pieces to a gallery there, which sold in individual weekend. According to Arvid, "The gallery holder said, `You need to be painting everyday. I'll vend everything you paint.' That was single of the first clues I was upon the right path."

Still the path was not without its jars "It has been tough for me to procure through to some of the galleries because the tribe working in the galleries [can't necessarily] afford $300 bottle of wine. with equal reason when I would go to exhibit my work, people would gaze at me like, this is all you paint? All you paint is wine? I don't secure it," said Arvid.

As Thomas Arvid Fine Art, the company has had to try to find out the right galleries to not away Arvid's work. "Since we're upon a new subject matter, we ne to make positive the marketplace knew of Thomas Arvid. When they diocese an intimate wine painting I want them to think of Arvid."

Arvid takes great satisfaction in representing his hold work. "When a client calls with questions or question at issues I'm here to answer the question. Our customers are getting 100-percent quality care," he said.

Arvid's interest in r wine is not all business, however. He regularly attends wine incidents and donates various pieces to wine auctions for charity. He said, "I muster a lot of wine, I hang in more [i]or[/i] less wine drinking circles, I have a cellar. When I paint, I use parts of my be in possession of collection." Many times people will toss a favorite or special bottle of wine for Arvid to be delighted with and commission a painting.

Whether a commission or creating a work to propagate as a giclee, Arvid takes, upon average, five weeks to consummate a painting, "I use all natural light, with equal reason I'll chase light through the house, dragging tables, moving bottle of wine, pouring wine."

The family oriented business is kept relatively lean with Vanessa serving as director and president, Kate Steven as assistant director and Gary Handler as director of sales. This team has since mov from the garage to the basement of a larger house on the other hand now they hope to impel the whole operation out of the house soon

Regardless of where he plants up shop, Arvid hopes his work will continue to inspire his collectors as his business expands "That's how I feel art should always be," he said. "Just by the agency of looking at an image, I want to take race from the place they are to another place in memory."

FACTS & FIGURES

* Thomas Arvid Fine Arts started in the Arvids' garage and has since mov into the basement of their of recent origin house.

* A work of Arvid's work will be released in 2004

* For more information, visit www.thomasarvid.com.

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