David Sikes with winning painting of Pasadena's Parrots. Photo credit Joanne Wilborn

Karen Yee with her award-winning painting Phoenix Crown. Photo credit Joanne Wilborn

An oil painting depicting Pasadena’s iconic feathered friends soaring above treetops by artist David Sikes was named winner of the “Museum Purchase Prize” at the awards reception for the new exhibition Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden IV, which will be on view at Pasadena Museum of History through January 11, 2015.

Autumn Pasadena Parrots was chosen as the entry most representative of the exhibition’s theme, and will be purchased by the Pasadena Art Gallery Association (PAGA) for Pasadena Museum of History’s collection. “We are grateful to PAGA for its generous gift of this work to the Museum’s permanent art collection,” said PMH Executive Director Jeannette O’Malley. “When one thinks of local sights and scenes, we generally visualize landscapes, vistas, and architectural landmarks; Pasadena artist David Sikes has captured a familiar sight that is both elusive and predictable, anywhere and everywhere in Pasadena – a soaring, cacophonous, and brilliant fact of life in this City.”

Closeup of painting Autumn Pasadena Parrots. Photo credit Joanne Wilborn

Karen Yee of El Segundo won the SouthwestArt Magazine award for her painting of a Chinese woman in ceremonial dress, entitled Phoenix Crown. The magazine also singled out two additional works for Honorable Mention, James Crandall’s At the Athenaeum and Ezra Suko’s Nightfall at City Hall.

The Exhibition

Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden IV is the fourth biennial fine art exhibition presented by Pasadena Museum of History in collaboration with the Pasadena Art Gallery Association featuring scenes of the greater San Gabriel Valley by nationally recognized representational artists.

Hundreds of representational artists were invited to create and submit artwork for possible inclusion in this singular, juried event. One hundred and one contemporary pieces – including paintings, sculptures, and photographs – were selected, representing the artistic vision of eighty different artists. For a complete list of artists in the exhibition, please visit the PMH website: http://www.pasadenahistory.org/.

A special display of vintage paintings of the San Gabriel Valley, on loan from private collectors, by Frank Coburn (1862-1938), Eugene Franquinet (1875-1940), Joseph Greenbaum (1864-1940), Nellie Hofman (1868-1944), Samuel Hyde Harris (1889-1977), Mable Packard (1873-1938), Hanson D. Puthuff (1875-1972), Louis H. Sharp (1874-1946), and Peter A. Stetzenko (1886-1971) provides historic context for the exhibition’s present-day works.

Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden IV is jointly curated by the sponsoring galleries of the Pasadena Art Gallery Association: Fremont Gallery (South Pasadena), Galerie Gabrie (Pasadena), Segil Fine Art Source (Monrovia), Silvana Gallery (Glendale), and Tirage Fine Art Gallery (Pasadena). Artworks will be available for acquisition through these galleries after the close of the exhibition.

Special thanks to lenders of the vintage art — Kirk & Linda Edgar, Harris Artworks, Charles N. Mauch, Deanna Stetzenko, and Maurine St. Gaudens – and to Award Sponsor & Media Partner, SouthwestArt Magazine.

Hours, Admission, Parking

Artistic Eden, Contemporary Masters IV is open 12:00 to 5:00 pm Wednesdays through Sundays through January 11, 2015 at Pasadena Museum of History, 470 W. Walnut St., Pasadena 91103. Admission is $7; Museum members and children free; Free parking. For more information visit www.pasadenahistory.org  or call (626) 577-1660.

Bio – David Sikes

David Sikes, a member of the Pasadena Society of Artists, was born in California and has lived in Pasadena since 1978 with an interlude of eight years when he lived and worked in Saudi Arabia. A graduate of both UCLA and USC in urban studies, Sikes has worked in the area of municipal and city planning for 35 years. His love for urban and city environments is reflected in his oil paintings. His surface choice is Luan wood veneer, which imbues his detailed and colorful works with a wholly unique look.

His inspiration for painting Autumn Pasadena Parrots comes from the parrots themselves. Sikes explains, “Gregarious, beautiful, and very vocal, these birds are known to Pasadena residents young and old alike and their origins are part of Pasadena’s urban legend.”