Palm Springs Part 2: ART

One of my favorite art galleries is Rubine Red.

"Rubine Red

It's a color and a pigment.

It's the punch in red paint and lipstick.

It also captures the vibrancy of Palm Spring's style."

We were excited to find Master realist painter Geoffrey Gersten's first solo show was still on display (it was supposed to conclude on December 16th).

Mid-Century Magic is so me!

Gersten is arguably the best around in throwback realism -- his iconic images bring back the tastes, smells, treats and playtime of our mid-century youth. I laughed out loud when I saw Boyfriend in a Box. So totally realistic. Wow.

I have admired Nikki Virbitsky's art for the last few years. Nikki is a fiber artist (and sometimes a painter, jewelry maker, and taxidermist) from Pennsylvania who recently relocated to Palm Springs in search of new inspirations and a greater abundance of naturally sourced Vitamin D.

Her embroideries feature a vibrant color pallet juxtaposed with antique elements, and are a playful mix of syrupy sweet and hauntingly tender. I wish you could see her talents up close. Her work is amazingly complicated and joyful.

These paintings were the ones that surprised us the most. We are huge fans of trompe l'oeil and Michael Bane's work is some of the best we have ever seen. It stuns in its nod to art, vintage and the fine art of Painting. These 'backs of canvases' are actually the front... the masterpiece image. Oh my gosh!

"Michael Bane is an American artist whose work merges technical mastery with emotional depth. Known for his distinctive style and his reimagining of iconic works, Bane often pays homage to the artists who inspire him while creating original, thought-provoking compositions that explore the boundary between reality and imagination."

Colin Robert's Toasties cracked me up. "Colin's work consists of sculpture, paintings and installation that explore various themes of the human condition. The varied pieces evoke mined cultural imagery from both past and present, and are obscured in strange and fantastical ways stemming from interest in various subjects. The art is a careful balance of culture, humor and technical feat. Through this, the work crosses significant cultural, social and psychic boundaries."

These open-faced sandwiches were whimsical.

Rubine Red is certainly diverse with the artwork it showcases. Troy Schooneman's Fine Art Photography and Digital Portraiture mesmerized us. The Art of Stillness and Strength: Male portraiture as a language of tenderness and grace is hard to truly fathom. It demands thoughtful study.

"The male form and male portraiture has long been a cornerstone of artistic excellence. In the classical world, particularly within the vibrant culture of Ancient Greece, it was revered, symbolizing not only physical might but also the intellectual and cultural prowess of a society at its zenith. This respect is evident in the remnants of that era—sculptures, frescoes, and pottery all pay homage to the male form." Troy's modern homage is just fabulous!"