Artist Michael Warren is Nominated for a LABA Icon Award

Michael Warren

Beverly Hills, California, USA. 24th August, 2023. Artist Michael Warren was born in South Bend, Indiana on March 5th, the youngest of three children. He graduated from South Bend Central High School where he was in the National Honor Society, and the Senior Class President. Warren earned a scholarship to UCLA in 1964 and played three years on varsity basketball for legendary coach John Wooden. He was an All American academically and athletically, and played alongside two other tremendous college All Americans, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, aka Lew Alcindor, and Lucius Allen. He is the only player Coach Wooden named to captain on two successive NCAA National Championship teams, (1967 and 1968). Coach Wooden said, “Mike Warren is the smartest player I ever coached.”

Warren transitioned from basketball to entertainment first as a series regular in TV shows “Sierra,” “The White Shadow,” and most notably “Hill Street Blues,” winning a NAACP Image Award and Emmy® nomination for his portrayal of Officer Bobby Hill. He also co-starred in the films "Norman Is That You?" starring Redd Foxx, and "Fastbreak" starring Gabe Kaplan, before fulfilling his dream of becoming a producer with the television pilot, “Home Free.”

Warren’s love for photography led him to taking professional headshots and filming concerts. The latter earning him a photographic credit in the Los Angeles Times for an image of The Jackson Five. In 2015, Michael heard a voice inside of him that said, 'Look up' where he began noticing the most incredible cloud formations. He became a cloud chaser, driving all over the city looking for the best vantage points to shoot clouds. His favorite artistic tool is the Apple Pen which allows him to experiment with colors and shapes that influence his unique style. His inspiration comes from that inner voice he calls God, who whispers poetic thoughts to his photographic creations.

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Artist Rosana Largo Rodriguez is Nominated for a LABA Icon Award

Artist Rosana Largo Rodriguez

Beverly Hills, California, USA. 22nd August, 2023. Artist Rosana Largo Rodriguez has been nominated for a LABA Icon Award by the LABA Organizing Committee. Rosana Largo Rodriguez is a Spanish artist, who has exhibited her works in galleries throughout the world. She is the Director of the Museum of Science and Children's Literature in Spain, and most recently had her artwork appear on a large 95-ft tower billboard in New York Times Square, "Leonardo Da Vinci's The Dream of Flying," with King David de Pedro Berruguete, representing the municipality of Paredes de Nava (Palencia) in the background.

Rodriguez creates contemporary surrealist paintings inspired by classical techniques. Her artistic inclinations begin with realism and imagination as she incorporates a variety of techniques and materials to create engaging visual elements and chromatic softness. The lauric quality in the texture of her pieces is achieved through the use of olive oil for a silky and almost innocent surface finish. In her works, figures emerge out of a darkened or solid-colored background into the fantastic scene she presents to the viewer. Delicate and provocative, Rodriguez arranges a variety of forms, symbols, and objects which, as they emerge out of a darkened background, together create dialogue. She often features hidden symbolism and hidden critiques of present day life and culture.

Rodríguez’s works are lauded for their great profusion of details that create strong visual narratives; from her delicate handling of color and texture to her sophisticated detail in costume, lighting, and expression. In 2019, she was awarded the Michelangelo International Prize in Rome, one of the most prestigious art awards to be received. In 2022, she received the Top 10 LABA MIMV (Most Influential and Most Valuable) Award.

The Beverly Arts News is sponsored by The Beverly Arts Foundation

Artist Jiannan Huang is Nominated for a LABA Icon Lifetime Achievement Award

LABA Blue-chip Artist Jiannan Huang

Beverly Hills, California, USA. 17th August, 2023. LABA Blue-chip artist Jiannan Huang has been nominated for a LABA Icon Lifetime Achievement Award by the LABA Organizing Committee. Huang has had a long and successful career as an artist, with numerous accomplishments that have made him one of the most influential artists of his time. Huang was born in 1952. Born in Heyuan, Guangdong, China, he is a national first-class artist in China with expertise in Western oil painting and traditional Chinese ink painting. Currently, he is a part-time professor and researcher at the Shenzhen Graduate School of Tsinghua University, Director of the Chinese Traditional Culture Promotion Association, Member of the Creative Center Committee of the Chinese Artists Association, Member of the French National Artists Committee, Honorary Chairman of the French Oriental Culture and Art Association, Art Advisor of the World Low Carbon City Alliance, France Geany City Gold Medal Honorary Citizen, Senior Advisor for The Beverly Arts in the United States, and winner of the first Los Angeles Beverly Arts (LABA) International Art Festival Blue-chip Artist Award in 2021. Huang is also an Honorary Member of the Royal Society of St. George, and the first Asian artist to be awarded an honorary membership. In 2022, he was awarded the Royal Society of St. George "Master of Arts Award" and the LABA International Art Festival Most Influential and Most Valuable (MIMV) Artist Award.

Since 2015, Huang has ranked in the top ten of the Hurun Art Ranking. He is ranked third on the 2023 Hurun China Art List and 19th on the 2020 Hurun Global List with sales of $29 million. Huang is ranked 21st in the "Top 500 Global Contemporary Artists" at Artprice, the authoritative website of European and American art. He is one of the very few Chinese artists who have successfully entered the mainstream European auction market.

Since participating in the LABA International Art Festival, Huang has been well-received by the American art community. There have been many articles written about his work, including articles from the well-known art critic and art historian James Daichendt, Ed.D and Professor Richard Wearn from California State University, Los Angeles. Huang's work has also been praised by Todd Williamson, former Chairman of the West Hollywood Art Committee, Homeira Goldstein, Chairman of the Manhattan Beach Art Center, and Robbie Conal, a famous street artist.

In his early days, Huang walked more than 38,000 kilometers for nine years, traveling north and south, going deep into desert villages and towns to experience nature and paint from life. In 2006, he successfully held solo exhibitions in New Zealand and Australia. His artwork is the only piece of Chinese art in the collection of Mr. Bryin, a large British collector. From 2009 to 2020, Huang traveled to France and lived in Paris, France for 11 years, to study and exhibit his art. His artwork was recognized by two heavyweights in the French art world, art critic and art historian Gérard Xuriguera and President of the French Artists Association, Rémy Aron, who both wrote articles about him.

In March 2008, the oil paintings "Rivers of People" and "Sunrise" won the International Gold Medal at the Tokyo Exhibition of World Chinese Art Boutique Exhibition in Japan. In 2008, he participated in the UAE Invitational Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Powerful Calligraphy and Painter, and was warmly received by the Minister of Culture of the UAE. In 2019 and 2020, he was awarded the top ten influential figures of China's charity world. He is the Overseas Art Advisor for the 2022 Beijing Olympics "Olympic Cheers" organizing committee, and has now been awarded the title of "Chinese International Cultural and Artistic Exchange Envoy".

As early as 1981, Huang's works were exhibited in the West German World Family Art Fair, a highly valued exhibition at home and abroad. Most of his artwork in the 1980's was collected by foreign collectors and purchased by Hong Kong merchants. Many of his oil paintings have been collected by the Royal Family of Thailand and Princess Sirindhorn. A considerable amount of his artwork has been collected by political leaders in China and by over a hundred art institutions and museums internationally.

In November 2011, Huang was invited to Taiwan for an academic visit and cultural exchange. He visited Hsinchu Xuan Zang University and Taichung University of Education for academic exchange activities. Dr. Dingming Wang, President of Zang University, and Dr. Guangrong Zeng, Vice President, invited Huang to have cordial conversations with Taiwanese political leaders, Lien Chan, Honorary Chairman of the Kuomintang, and former Vice President Xiulian Lu. Huang was also invited to visit the Taiwan Development Research Institute, and the traditional Chinese painting "Harmony" was collected by the Taiwan Development Research Institute. Huang had a cordial conversation with Kewang Mei, the current Dean of the Taiwan Development Research Institute and the former president of Taiwan Police Eunuch University, and was invited to paint at the Taichung city government. Huang met with the Taichung City Mayor, Hu Zhiqiang, Culture Director Shushan Ye, and other key members. Master Ming Sheng and others accompanied him to Tzu Chi to visit the respected Master Cheng Yan, where he donated some of his paintings. Huang visited Master Ming Sheng, a disciple of Yinshun Tutor, and donated the Zen Chinese painting "Blessed Sharing".

Some of Huang's award-winning exhibition records include: 2006-2008 New Artist and New Work Award organized by the Beijing Artists Association for three consecutive years. On October 12, 2011, the traditional Chinese painting "Melody" was exhibited at the Louvre Carrousel in France and won the International Silver Award. Huang won the gold medal in the 2012 Olympic Art Appraisal. The Chinese painting "Eternal Life" won the Innovation Award in the 2012 China-US Art Exhibition. The Chinese painting "Eternal Melody" was selected for the French Art Exhibition and won the International Best Original Award. As of January 2014, at the Carrousel in the Louvre, France, Huang won the International Silver Award twice in three years, the Innovation Award once, and at the “East and West International Art Exhibition”, he won the International Silver Award.

In November 2014, Huang participated in the Grand Palais Exhibition, one of the three major exhibitions in France. In November 2016, at the 3rd LOHAS Art Fair in Shanghai, the oil painting series "Pulse" won the special prize. In December 2008, at the invitation of the organizer of the Thai Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Huang went to Bangkok to participate in the highest-level painting exhibition in Thailand's history. At that time, Thailand was experiencing heavy turmoil. Huang was received three times by the Prime Minister, Dowa Lak. Huang was also invited to attend the state banquet of the Emperor of Thailand and to take a photo with the Imperial Forest Army. During that period, nearly 20 oil paintings were collected by Princess Sirindhorn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and her colleagues for the upper-level group halls. In order to enhance the friendship between China and Thailand, Huang donated oil paintings and traditional Chinese paintings worth more than 20 million Thai beads to the community of various circles in Thailand, and donated one million Thai beads in cash to the Royal Thai Children's Education Foundation for Chinese language education. At the invitation of Princess Sirindhorn, Huang had dinner with the Princess Sirindhorn, the Prime Minister, Army generals, and other important officials.

The Beverly Arts News is sponsored by The Beverly Arts Foundation