The Central Coast Wine Classic not only benefits non-profits in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties whose mission is to sustain the healing, studio or performing arts, it is in itself also an embodiment of the varied expressions of art. The following extremely creative individuals are our Sustaining and Commemorative Artists, whose works are presented for your edification at the Wine Classic Auction.

The Artists will be Paired with Extraordinary Vintners to Share Their Art in a Unique Manner. Each Art Work Will Be Etched & Hand-Painted on a Salmanazar, a Nine Liter Bottle Holding an Entire Case of a Unique Wine Created by Individual Vintners or Pairs of Vintners. The Art Work will be auctioned, and the Salmanazar will be Auctioned, as well as Three Magnums and Six 750ml Bottles containing the related wine, and the Bottles will have the Central Coast Wine Classic Logo and the Blend Particulars Etched & Hand-Painted on them. In the Auction Lot Section of your catalog, you will find Images of Our Artists' Art Work Offerings for the 2011 Auction.

Mark Bowles
La Quinta & Orangevale, California

We are grateful and pleased to welcome artist Mark Bowles, who has been introduced to us by PierceModern Gallery in Paso Robles, among our family of Commemorative Artists for 2012, and we hope that the association will well continue into the future.

Mark is a native Californian artist whose large-scale canvases capture both a sense and scene of the western landscape. He has been working as a painter for thirty years and studied at the California College of Arts (and Crafts) in Oakland and the Institudio Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

These studies are coupled with the artist’s commitment to his work, which over time has resulted in a body of evolving imagery that maintains a stylistic consistency while exploring fresh territory. The artist states that, “It is always my intention to address the canvas directly, honestly, and boldly.” This premise is evident when considering his present scope of mature work.

Bowles prefers large-scale canvases to 60” x 70”. This scale creates a broad field of color on a vast visual picture plane. It also provides the opportunity to visually read a piece observing bold areas of color intermingled with subtle painterly passages. One is reminded of the work of Richard Diebenkorn whose paintings the artist admires.

Bowles’ landscapes are individual statements that have emerged with individuality from a rich tradition of California landscape painting. Through painterliness and gestural force, Bowles renders large-scale landscapes balanced on the verge of abstraction. Energized fields of rich color, integrated with selective washes and drips define his work. Based on western locales (the broad plains of the California Central Valley is a favored subject matter), Mark Bowles’ paintings are a personal tribute to the vast American scene, powered by his focused output and artistic drive over a forty-year career.

Bowles’ work is shown extensively throughout the West, with two US Embassy exhibitions in Kathmandu, 2010 and Mexico City, 2009. His work is represented in numerous private collections and publically in the Denver Art Museum, Tucson Museum of Art and Crocker Art Museum, in California.

As previously indicated, Mark Bowles has been introduced to the Central Coast by the wondrously eclectic PierceModern Gallery, located on Gallery Row, 617 12th Street in Paso Robles. Since showing at PierceModern, Bowles has opened an exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Art - Artists Gallery and also had a triptych installed at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. His recognition and popularity continue to grow.

For more information on Mark Bowles and his art, please see www.markbowles.com.

James-Paul Brown
Carpinteria, California

It is impossible to be in the presence of our friend, James-Paul Brown, without absorbing his good energy and enthusiasm. James-Paul projects a positivism that is positively contagious. His thoughtfulness and generosity in creating special art works for Honorees and for his annual Commemorative Art Auction Lot are remarkable.

Michael Zakian, Director of the Frederick Weismann Museum of Art, describes James in this manner. "James-Paul is a sensitive and caring recorder of intimate sights and events. His paintings are lyrical. As in lyric poetry, the poetry, the art results from a rapid outpouring of intense personal feeling. Intuition and spontaneity rule."

A Neo-Impressionist artist, James-Paul melds the broad brushwork and vibrant colors of Van Gogh with the ethereal strokes and pastel shades of Monet to produce enchanting, passionate masterpieces. A renowned painter, radio entrepreneur, wine aficionado and marathon runner, his life resembles a colorful palette, capturing the beauty and adventure of the human spirit. His broad range of subjects includes Hollywood celebrities, famed athletes and world leaders, as well as favorite cities, landscapes and vineyards.

Although James Paul first discovered his artistic talents at the age of eight after taking lessons from a neighborhood artist in Indiana, it was not until the 1970's that his treasured hobby would become a passion. Living at the time in Malibu, California, and painting as a means of escape from an unpleasant conclusion to his marriage, he began to discover a new perspective on life and experience a personal renaissance. As a result, his artwork evolved in to the impressionist style for which he is now revered. In 1980, living in Venice, California, his first art exhibit at Venice's renowned West Beach Cafe was a sell-out. From that point, his art career took off, leading to relationships with New York's Balanchine Ballet, the Los Angeles Ballet, and Russian companies, the Bolshoi Ballet and the Kirov Opera.

In 1982, CBS Sports hired James to capture the World Games in Canada and the 1983 Pan American Games Venezuela, while NBC sent him to England to paint the 1985 Wimbledon Games. His love for sports has resulted in paintings and sculptures for the '84 and '96 Olympics and the Americas Cup. Last year, he journeyed Monte Carlo, where he was the official artist for the Monaco Grand Prix. Most recently, he was commissioned to paint his impressions of the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, and the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, as well as by European Television to paint the portrait of Nelson Mandela.

James was also commissioned to paint the Inaugural event portraits of Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton. Many of his subjects are selected based on their talents and personal achievements, with portraits including James Dean, Alex Trebek, Mark McGuire, Carl Lewis, Julia Child, David Bowie, Marilyn Monroe and Thelonius Monk, to name but a few, as well as an exquisitely poignant portrait of President Barack Obama.

Today, James-Paul's art work continues to reach new levels of inspiration and admiration. As a bon vivant and wine aficionado, his passion has led him to create wine labels, first for other vineyards and now for his own wine, Artiste, which is now seen in such notable restaurants as Café des Artistes in New York and Bouchon in Santa Barbara.

James' art appears in many private collections in the United States and abroad, including those of Clint Eastwood, Robert Altman, Joan Kroc, Mrs. Anwar Sadat, Elton John and Hank Aaron.

For many years, James-Paul has donated works to charitable causes, such as the Children's Hospital and Cedars Sinai Hospital in New York, the American Cancer Society, Easter Seals, and of course the Central Coast Wine Classic.

James and his multi-talented wife Juliet, who is a subject of many of his paintings, now live in Carpinteria.

The Central Coast Wine Classic is honored that such a wondrously accomplished artist as James-Paul Brown would devote his time, energy and artistic talent to enhance our event with his commemorative art which provided the exhilaratingly colorful artistic palette for our registration brochure.

For more information on James-Paul Brown and his art, please see www.jamespaulbrown.com.

Robert Burridge
Arroyo Grande, California

Robert Burridge embodies the Central Coast symbiosis of "laid back" and "very energetic." He is an exciting and lively artist who leads an exciting and lively career with an impressive resume of credits to his name, and the Central Coast Wine Classic is fortunate and proud to hold Bob as one of its Sustaining Artists.

Bob is the first artist featured on Starbuck's Commuter Mugs; he was selected as the Official Artist for the 2001 Sausalito Art Festival, and as the Official Pearl Vodka Artist, and his "Three Cheers America" is featured on the hang tags of every bottle. Named by the LA Times as one of California's top ten artists, Robert is a winner of the prestigious Philadelphia Water Color Society Gold Medal, previously won by Georgia O'Keefe, Andrew Wyeth and Pablo Picasso. His work even appeared on a billboard in Santa Maria on US Highway 101, touting our local wine country. Hollywood has become another avenue for Bob; he has created 12 huge abstract paintings for the film "Dean Quixote," and he is working on illustrating a book written by one of the directors of the TV show "Just Shoot Me."

Burridge was honored as the 1st Place Award winner for his Abstract paintings at the prestigious "Affair in the Gardens," in Beverly Hills, California. His poster design, "Party of the Arts" for the 2001 Sausalito Art Festival, was named the top poster of the year by Sunshine Artist Magazine. He is currently represented by Gallery Carla in San Francisco and also exhibits his work in Murphys, Manhattan Beach, Tampa, Maui and Australia. Locally, Burridge's work can be seen at McConnell Gallery in San Luis Obispo and the David Ryan Gallery in Old Orcutt.

Bob paints every day in his country barn studio located near Arroyo Grande and on California's Central Coast along the beaches of San Luis Obispo County. His style explores and interprets "real life" in his own passionate, painterly voice. Burridge's artwork has been praised as "happy, intriguing and powerful." Art critics describe his work as "vibrant, beautiful, masterly done and just a little tweaked." "His use of bold, rich color and adventurous texture, while complex, is uplifting and 'Pop'." His favorite subjects feature "the Good Life," and include tropical vistas, coastal landscapes, impressionistic still lifes, and luscious fruits & vegetables. An art critic recently commented, "This man makes vegetables exciting! He is a very fine painter with a strong artistic voice."

About his style of painting, Bob says "Art should be an uplifting experience and a celebration of all that's wonderful about life and its quirkiness!"

Bob teaches a variety of painting workshops to professional and emerging painters throughout the United States, Mexico and France. His workshops have historically changed artists' lives forever. Daily, he receives letters and emails from artists who have attended his classes and whose careers have taken off in new and productive directions.

In a great peer tribute to his expertise, Bob has been selected to jury new emerging painters as well as professional painters into national and international competitions. They include the following, among many others:

• Waterloo Watercolor Group, Austin, Texas, Annual Members Show
• International Society of Acrylic Painters, Annual International Exhibit, Seattle, Washington
• Annual Members Show, Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, California
• Annual Members Show, Paso Robles Art Association, Paso Robles, California
• National Plein Air Festival, sponsored by the San Luis Obispo Art Center, San Luis Obispo, California
• Buenaventura Art Association, Ventura, California
• Amsterdam Art's International Competition & Exhibition
• Santa Barbara Artwalk, Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, California
• Sausalito Art Festival, Sausalito, California

Robert Burridge is also an energetic, passionate speaker and motivator for anyone who wants to be a winner. Using real-life examples and his famous tell-it-like-it-is style, attendees proclaim a renewed vigor and a clearer sense of purpose in their artistic lives.

On a local level, he also volunteers his time teaching art to school children with learning challenges. And, at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, Burridge paints with and creatively supports terminally ill children whose artwork now hangs in galleries.

Bob has written and published two artist books: Loosen Up Studio Workbook and Art Marketing: The Business of Selling Your Art. He produced and starred in five teaching videos and DVDs. His wife, career manager and best friend, Kate, co-produced all of the above. He is also a contributing writer for Art Calendar magazine and has written features for various magazines, periodicals and newsletters.

We are so very pleased that Bob would continue to bring his wondrous energy and talent to our proceedings and favor us with a commemorative painting, etched and hand-painted on one of our Commemorative Salmanazars, particularly a work so pertinent to the Wine Classic aura and to the current state of humanity. Thank you, Bob, for all that you do for all of us!

Robert Burridge's paintings are sold in galleries nationwide and currently hang in corporate spaces, professional offices, public places and private collections. For more information or to contact Robert directly, call (805) 489-9649 or view his web site, www.robertburridge.com

Carissa Chappellet
Avila Beach, Big Sur & St. Helena, California

Carissa Chappellet could be termed an "Artist of Life," as her interests are broad and pervasive, and she explores them with talent, focus and dedication. Her parents, Donn and Molly Chappellet, founders of Chappellet Winery, have long been aficionados of the arts, and their pervasive interest in the subject has certainly been transferred to their children. Molly has become famous in the Napa Valley as a person who manifests art forms of every sort, from gardening to photography. Carissa followed Molly's interest in photography; she has documented two trips around the world and is rarely ever seen without a camera or two.

In 1987 Carissa graduated from Monterey College of Law, went on to pass the bar and practiced civil litigation in Monterey. An interest in the Chinese Language and culture led her to spend a semester in Shanghai teaching English and learning Chinese with an eye towards a career in international law.

Called upon from time to time to assist in the promotions of the family wines, Carissa discovered her interest in traveling, photography and the culinary arts all combined nicely with work in the marketing side of the wine business. With encouragement from her brothers she put aside the practice of law and joined them in running the business, where she became Chappellet's Director of Legal Affairs, at the same time as she is the equivalent of the winery's Ambassador-at-Large.

Obviously a woman of many talents, Carissa published her first book in 1997, The Romance of California Vineyards, a visual tour of the wine country with breathtaking photographs by Daniel D'Agostini. She recently published her second work, The Dragons of Pritchard Hill, which chronicles the fantasy of the geologic, physical and metaphysical history of Pritchard Hill above St. Helena and Rutherford, the location on which Chappellet Winery sits. Her compellingly interesting and entertaining dragon paintings now adorn Chappellet Winery Malbec bottlings, adding fine art to fine wine. Someday, if she is not too busy with other projects, she may even recount her 15,000 mile millennium adventure on the Odyssey 2000 bicycle trip around the world. During that adventure she cycled in over forty countries.

Carissa makes her home with Archie McLaren in Big Sur, Avila Beach, and St. Helena, California. When not on the computer or phone, she paints, writes, gardens, bikes and cooks. A skilled photographer, painter and musician, Carissa not only carries her camera, but also her paints, banjo and mandolin with her everywhere. In fact, it is simply amazing that, while in the midst of all of her various projects, she still finds time to practice the banjo and the mandolin. A true Renaissance woman she's also a licensed hypnotherapist and certified massage therapist.

Carissa may be contacted at www.chappelet.com

Gary Conway
Paso Robles, California

Gary Conway is truly a Renaissance Man in every sense of the word. He has graciously and generously brought his creative energy to the Wine Classic for many years, offering Auction lots that included his fine wine and his breathtaking art, and he has participated in a number of Wine Classic Symposia, including last year and this year, as well as hosting a Vineyard Symposium on his property at Carmody-McKnight.

Gary was born Gareth Monello Carmody in Boston, Mass. The family moved to Los Angeles around 1950.

From an early age, Gary showed great potential as an artist. During his teens at Los Angeles High School, he was able to take time off to attend the Otis Art Institute on a regular basis. He studied art and painting for eight years. He moved on to the University of California in Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.) to continue his art studies, but dissatisfied with the course, he went to earn a degree in Theatre Arts in 1958.

Whilst at U.C.L.A. Gary appeared in some university stage productions, including 'Volpone' in which he played Leone. During the production, Gary met his wife to be, Marion McKnight, who was crowned "Miss America" in 1957. They married in 1958. They have two children, Kathleen born in the early sixties, and Gareth who was born later around the time 'Land of the Giants' was made.

After graduating, Gary enlisted in the U.S. Army, and had an opportunity to try his hand at radio broadcasting when he was assigned a job as radio announcer. Whilst stationed at Fort Ord in California, Gary was invited to attend a screen test at Warner Brothers. Straight after he was discharged from the Army, Gary attended the screen test for a series 'The Alaskans'. He didn't get the part but was signed to a contract with Warners, under which he guested in popular shows such as '77 Sunset Strip' and 'Hawaiian Eye'.

His career started to take off after he left Warner Brothers. He had a string of guest roles, and then in 1962 won the role of Tyler Duane in the western 'The Young Guns of Texas', about a group searching for gold. This film was particularly known for the fact that it brought together the children of a number of well known actors including Robert Mitchum's son James Mitchum.

Soon after, Gary was signed up for Four Star's 'Burkes Law', with Gene Barry, in which he played a young police detective Tim Tilson. Gary stayed on for sixty six episodes, and he became a household name. Before being cast in 'Land of the Giants', Gary had a few more guest roles in shows like Daniel Boone, and a pilot feature called 'Attack' that never got off the ground.

It was 'Land of the Giants' which gave Gary his first leading role. The role of Steve Burton was an acting challenge for Gary. Can you imagine how difficult it is to spend half your time speaking to the ceiling, whilst pretending that you are talking to a giant, which would be added later with advanced optical techniques.

Gary is not only a talented actor. He is also a skilled architect and builder. He has designed many fine homes, homes and vineyards in California. Gary was also a pioneer in the music cassette industry, co founding the National Cinema Systems company to specialize in producing and distributing cassette tapes. He also acted as consultant in the field.

In 1987, he returned to cinema with a vengeance in American Ninja II: The Confrontation, for which he also wrote the screenplay. Gary went on to write the screenplay for 'American Ninja III: Blood Hunt', but he did not appear in it. Gary has become more well known as a screen writer, not only writing for the Cannon's 'American Ninja' films, but also for other major features such as Sylvestor Stallone's 'Over the Top'. In a 1990's interview with Starlog (#151) it is suggested that the idea was originally conceived as a vehicle for himself.

In 1987, Gary together with friend and partner Dean Zanetos formed a production company, and they produced a pilot for a proposed series called 'Vineyards and Vintages'. Marion Conway was spokesperson for the series, and it aimed to savour some of the top vineyards worldwide.

Gary and Marion have developed one of the premier vineyards in California, in what was a 320 acre cattle ranch near Paso Robles. The Carmody-McKnight property is widely considered to be one of the most profoundly special terroirs on the central Coast, and the wines from Greg Cropper, Carmody McKnight's winemaker, certainly prove it.

Recently Gary had his first book published called 'Art of the Vineyard' with many of his colour paintings and has recently produced a moving film called 'A Woman's Story'. As well as these accomplishments, Gary has never stopped creating moving, often breathtaking paintings, with colors that lift from the canvas to mesmerize you with energetically artistic depictions of animal life or wondrously colorful landscapes.

For more information, please visit www.carmodymcknight.com.

This year, we are pleased to say that Gary is one of our illustrious Central Coast Wine Classic Vintner Honorees.

Adam Licsko
Los Angeles, California

The Twenty-Fifth Annual Wine Classic was Adam's inaugural one as a participating artist. He had made a very large impression on Wine Classic Chairman, Archie McLaren, and it was only a newspaper reproduction, and a very small one at that, of one of Adam's paintings that caught Archie's eye. One thing that is for sure about this 30-year-old artist from Los Angeles, California, is that his painting is a conscious force that really hums. Adam creates Colorscape that glorifies everything that is right about the spirit of the famed California landscape. In only five years as a professional artist, his unique minimalist style has attracted a devotee following.

Adam was born in Victoria British Colombia in 1975, his father is the world-renowned artist Frank Licsko and his mother is the realist artist Joanne Licsko. His parents moved the family to Los Angeles in the early eighties for a few years before settling into Carmel on California's Monterey Peninsula. He started work as a martial arts instructor and later worked with a prestigious landscaping company in the Carmel area. In September 2000 a serious spinal injury sidelined his landscaping. Being bed ridden for two months was, needless to say, very difficult for a young man who was used to working outdoors. As a form of therapy he turned to his love for drawing. Ever since he could pick up a pencil Adam has had a passion for both artistic drawing, as well as having sketched hundreds of ideas he has for inventions.

Then the other shoe dropped. The doctors told him his landscaping days were over and he would have to find a new occupation. His parents hoping to find something to help him cope and stay busy during his long recovery gave him an oil paint set and two small canvases as a Christmas present. With nothing else to do and out of desperation he picked up the brush and began to paint. Four weeks later he finished his first ever painting. He also then began the patenting process for some of his inventions. The rest, as they say, is history.

In his short painting career he has been featured in many magazine and newspaper articles, his paintings have appeared three times in Art World News he has already had three one-man shows and has among his many collectors several major corporate collections including Nissan, Amgen, Seagate Technologies and State Farm. In 2005 he received his first patents for a brilliantly simple device, only 3 1/2" long, to help maintain proper posture while carrying heavy or awkward loads.

Adam's painting continues to intensify, and one thing that is for sure about this 31-year-old artist from Central California, when you see one of his unique and powerful paintings you know it is an Adam Licsko. It is a great pleasure to have Adam join us again. You will be amazed by the power of his work.

For more information, please visit Adam's website: licsko.com/adam.html

Joanne Licsko
San Miguel, California

Last year was the initial year of realist artist, Joanne Licsko's, joining us for the Central Coast Wine Classic, and her painting was transcendent!. Joanne first heard about the Wine Classic from her son, artist Adam Licsko. His enthusiasm for the event inspired her to visualize what she would paint for such an occasion. Her painting last year "Celebration" was the direct result of Adam's positive description of his experience.

Artist, Joanne Licsko was born in Vancouver, and raised in Victoria, and the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada.

For Joanne, art has been a life-long passion. She was introduced to art at an early age watching her father, an aircraft engineer and designer, always drawing and creating three dimensional models while at home.

His sister, Joanne's aunt, Isobel Davy was a landscape and figurative artist. She and her husband had an extensive art collection filling their home with antiques, still life, large landscapes, nudes, historical portraits, and sculpture. During summer vacations, Mrs. Davey took every opportunity to teach young Joanne to see color, and appreciate fine art. Between the ages of 8 and 10 years old, Joanne was allowed to accompany her aunt on her plein-air outings. At the age of ten, Joanne surprised the family with her first drawing of a nude woman.

It was not until 1970 when she met, and later married the internationally known artist Frank Licsko, that she began to realize her dream. Joanne was his favored model for over twenty-five years, and for hundreds of paintings. During those years he generously guided her painting skills along the way.

Choosing to first devote herself to family life, she painted only enough to keep learning until their two children were independent. Since returning to her art full time in the 90's, she has won many awards, and has participated in numerous juried shows throughout the US and Canada.

Collectors value her work for its high detail and beauty, and for its content. Though Joanne Licsko is best known for her still life and figure studies, there is now a growing demand for her oversized still life paintings of wine glasses and bottles.

Living near Paso Robles, California, wine culture became a part of her life. Joanne Licsko lives on a hill top overlooking endless vistas of vineyards, and has become enchanted by both the daily light patterns, and the seasonal changes of the vines. "The culture of grapes and wine is so romantic. Sometimes in the fall, one can smell the fragrance of the crushed grapes in the air. The vines and vineyards are so picturesque, the wine, and the glasses that the wine is served in look different from every angle. The first time I noticed the late afternoon light creating wonderful reflections on the glasses, and making curious blue shadows on the wall, I was hooked. My wine paintings are primarily form and colors that make me happy. In these paintings, I am able to experience the pure joy of painting physically, and emotionally. My somewhat abstracted realism allows me to play with the exquisite curved surfaces, the rich colors of the wine, and the endless variety of light passing through and reflecting off the glass and bottles".

Thank you, Joanne, for continuing to be among our family of special artists.

For further information, please visit Joanne's website, licsko.com/joanne.html.

Joanne Ruggles
San Luis Obispo, California

As indicated, this special artist has long been one of the Wine Classic's Family, and we are extremely grateful to her for bring her lovely energy and extraordinary art works to our proceedings. She has graciously accepted our invitation to become a Sustaining Commemorative Artist, and we are thrilled that she would honor us with her desire to do so. It is a very special relationship that we hope will continue into the distant future.

The landscape paintings of Joanne Beaule Ruggles have garnered awards and notice from museum curators, art critics and wine luminaries. Archie McLaren, Founder and Chairman of the Central Coast Wine Classic has written, "Ruggles has truly portrayed the essence of our terroir".

In response, the artist claims it is her mid-western background and her life-long figure drawing practice that allows her to respond to this particular landscape with a fresh artistic vision. That original vision has repeatedly brought Ruggles a Central Coast Wine Classic Featured Artist designation. Interestingly, this artist never intended to turn her painting gaze to the landscape. A patron attended one of Ruggles' figure exhibitions and indicated a desire to own one of her works. She loved Ruggles' style — just didn't want a nude figure. Ruggles, a finalist in the 1996 KCBX Central Coast Wine Classic Label Art Competition, had painted a couple of miniature canvases for the event. When the patron saw those works, a deal was set — but on a grander (4 x 4 foot) scale.

Over the last dozen years plus, the attention and prizes have rolled in. In 1997 her oversized canvas Sonoma September won first prize in The Fine Art of Fine Wine National Competition at Loudon House Gallery in Lexington, Kentucky. Ruggles' landscapes were exhibited that year at The World Trade Center (New Orleans); Lever House Gallery (New York City); and San Bernardino Art Museum (Redlands). Stephen Doherty, Editor of American Artist chose Ruggles' landscape Coastal Farmland Study for the Magazine's award in the National Acrylic Painters Second Annual International Exhibition held at Art Concepts Gallery (Tacoma). L.A Weekly art critic, Peter Frank, selected one of Joanne Beaule Ruggles vineyard paintings, Harvest Celebration for the 2nd Annual National Exhibition held at ARTernatives Gallery in San Luis Obispo.

In 1998, her work was included in Hilton Head Art League's National Juried Exhibition at Walter Greer Gallery and curators from the Smithsonian and Atlanta's High Museum, selected Ruggles painting for an Honorable Mention Award. The Roswell Museum of New Mexico included two of Ruggles paintings in their exhibition Special Moments, where Ruggles received a Juror's Award. The Museum of Art Downtown LA included three of Ruggles paintings in their Contemporary Landscapes exhibition and another was exhibited at the American Society of Contemporary Artists' 80th National Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club in New York City. Ruggles also received an Honorable Mention Award at the California State Fair's Golden Discoveries Exhibition and had landscapes shown at the Laguna Art Museum, and the Irvine Fine Arts Center where juror Tody Kamps, curator San Diego's Museum of Contemporary Art selected her work.

Curators from the Art in Embassies Program (AIEP) of the U. S. Department of State selected the artist's landscape paintings in 1999 for inclusion into their collection. Ruggles joined an elite group of less than 1000 American artists whose works are available for loan to U.S. Embassies worldwide to provide a visual experience of our cultural and artistic heritage. Her landscapes have been placed on a three-year loan at the American Embassy in Luanda, Angola (1999-2002) and subsequently in the residence of Ambassador Thomas Hull in Freetown, Sierra Leone (2005 - 2009). That year Ruggles' landscapes were also shown in several international venues including Westminster Gallery in London, and the Black Sheep Gallery in Hawarden, Wales. Nationally her painting appeared at the Wayne Art Center, the Long Beach Museum of Art and the Laguna Art Museum. Additionally, noted LA Times Art Critic William Wilson selected a Ruggles landscape for the 30th Annual National Exhibition at the Palm Springs Art Museum.

Starting in 2000 Ruggles' landscapes have been regularly represented at both the Long Beach and Laguna Art Museums' Annual Auctions as well as the Venice Art Walk. The works have been juried into International exhibitions at The Durham Open in Durham, England; and in the AIM FOR ARTS International sponsored by the Federation of Canadian Artists in Vancouver, BC. National exhibitions of her landscapes have included: Art 2000 at The Nathan D. Rosen Museum in Boca Raton, Florida; ASCA's 82nd Annual at The Broome Street Gallery, Soho, NY; The San Bernardino Art Museum, San Bernardino, CA; Sarah Lawrence College, Northwood University in West Palm Beach, FL; The Cornell Gallery, Delray Beach, Florida; the Jemison-Carnegie Heritage Hall Museum in Talladega, Alabama; The Bristol Art Museum's National Exhibition of Painting, RI; The Wayne Art Center's 2002 Annual; and The Coplan Gallery in Boca Raton, Florida.

Selected to be a featured artist of the Central Coast Wine Classic in 2005, Ruggles also has shown her landscapes in recent years at the Monroe Center for the Arts in Hoboken, Finegold Gallery in LA, the Berkeley College Art Gallery in White Plains, the Armory Art Center in W. Palm Beach, Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, Louisiana, the Brea Civic and Cultural Center's Made in California exhibition, and in 2009 at the Robeson Gallery of Penn State University when it hosted the 120th Anniversary Exhibition of the National Association of Women Artists.

Praise and awards continue to flow in. "A luscious, summery essay in abstract impressionism." Is how Minot State University's Americas 2000 juror Gordon McConnell is quoted as describing Ruggles painting in the exhibit's catalog. NY critic Wilson Wong wrote in Gallery & Studio "Postmodern approaches to painterly abstraction can be seen in a darkly sumptuous acrylic painting by Joanne Beaule Ruggles." She won the American Society of Contemporary Artists' Donald Pierce Memorial Award and The Art Institute of San Diego's 45th International McKee Memorial Painting Award (juried by arts writer, critic and collector Bram Dykstra) in 2001 & 2002. In 2005, Ruggles received the National Association of Women Artists' Miriam Russo Enders Award for Painting and the ASCA's Irwin Zlowe Memorial Award. Women Painters West awarded the artist its Evylynn Nunn Miller Award in 2008.

Professor Ruggles was named one of two faulty members to receive the California Polytechnic State University's prestigious annual Outstanding Research, Creative Activity, and Professional Development Award) — a career capstone granted in 2004 that recognized the importance of her creative skill and academic scholarship. Subsequently, this artist has received grants from The James P. Irvine Foundation ("2005 Art Inspires!"), The Capelli d'Angeli Foundation (2006), and The Pufin Foundation (2008) to support and facilitate her creative projects. What is next? Ruggles says she is just coming into her stride ...

For more information, please visit Joanne's website: www.beaulerugglesgraphics.com

Edward Walton Wilcox
Los Angeles, California

We are exceedingly grateful to Vale Fine Art, a wonderfully eclectic gallery in Paso Robles that recently opened in the summer of 2011, for reaching out to us with the work of Edward Walton Wilcox, one of the world’s most profound aesthetic channelers of the painful dichotomy of the human condition, whose end goal is to foster the saving grace of romance to ameliorate the painful aspects. This is Edward’s initial presentation for the Central Coast Wine Classic, and he becomes a very visible aspect of the amazing creativity manifested by our Commemorative Artists.

Thank you so very much Vale Fine Art and Edward Walton Wilcox for sharing your profoundly moving art with us.

Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, Wilcox earned a BFA in Painting with high honors from the University of Florida, where he also received the Presidential Award for Excellence in the Arts.

The work of Edward Walton Wilcox exposes his darkest dreaming; hand-carved Gothic altarpieces soar twelve feet high while young maidens in nightgowns are captured in landscapes of blazing windmills.  Hauntingly beautiful, the work is overt in its reference to Gothic convention, in both content and physical facture.

Wilcox's use of primitive materials, such as wood, glass, rabbit skin glues, Italian pitch and gesso lend an old world authenticity to the crockets, tracery and other conventions of gothic carpentry that caricaturize the multi-disciplined art of Edward Walton Wilcox. Wilcox's work has been described by the LA Times as "Southern California Noir," while Art and Living states, "Edward Walton Wilcox's work exhibits an eerie quality that is hard to keep your eyes off of… the suggestions he makes are often unsettling. His images are dark, yes, but it's a darkness that Wilcox suggests should be more closely examined.”

Wilcox explains, "I am fascinated with the fine line between beauty and repulsion as I continue to navigate the 'dangerous reaches of the unconscious' whereby a romance troubled by nightmares' may be further explored."

“At this point in time I see around me the evolution of culture dictated by media as it washes the hands of commerce and sets the stage for a new morality. Once long held conventions, paradigms of thought, tradition, and cultural value now give way to a new world obsessed with personal ambition and material gain.”

“With the romance of being now draining away from daily life I draw on memories past in order to cope with the present. Caught in a cycle of hope against despair I struggle to make peace with what is happening around me. Changes in life’s stage once so drawn and gradual as to not be witnessed in a single lifetime now pass in a decade. We are now racing away from what once was, bringing with it a blending of nostalgia and decline. The speed of progress now draws a vacuum and pulls me in unwillingly....”

“Romanticism is where my work finds its voice in both paintings and sculpture. The genre’s inherent qualities and conventions are a suitable vehicle of expression for the cultural criticisms and social climate in which our generation finds itself; a paradigm match, which includes such concepts as excess, transgression, diffusion and ambivalence concerning both rationality and morality.”

To give you an idea of the extremely positive response to his haunting works, you simply need to read the following quotes from pertinent artistic publications and critics.

“Wilcox's work is a brilliant and romantic star hurtling through the same galaxy as fellow travelers Odd Nerdrum and Hieronymous Bosch...” David Cotner, LA WEEKLY

The results of Wilcox’s caring, informed mind become the strangely and hauntingly bizarre visions his canvases convey – invitations to opening dreams and ‘unlocking the unseen world.’ Grady Harp, O&S Magazine, Poets and Artists

Painter and sculptural-installation artist Edward Walton Wilcox manifests an unforgettable hybrid vision. His work is torn between the edgy urban modernism of his real-time generation and the chestnut-toned embrace of Medieval and Renaissance glazes, depicting a pastoral, God-fearing world. Whether allowing a cheeky wit and dark humor to infiltrate cozy representations of farms and valleys, or constructing elaborate altarpieces dedicated to the worship of mystery and omen, Wilcox merges styles and mythologies to moving effect. Shana Nys Dambrot

"Intelligent, intense, obsessive and very talented, Wilcox can draw, paint or construct anything from his fertile imagination. His gothic sensiblility covers everything from Medieval-style altarpieces to dark parodies of Renaissance portraits, to landscapes that summon-up 19th century horror novels or unidentified flying objects from 21st century Science Fiction and beyond. Beneath all the pyrotechnics is the work of a serious artist, gently jolting the viewer out of conventional thinking and predictable ways of seeing." Carl Van Brunt, Beacon, NY

"Wilcox uses glazes, paint removers and a sepia palette to construct glossy memento moris such as substance-abusing young blonds and Neutras flambés. Playing off the lurid Gothic Romantic style, Wilcox says his works, like the movement he references, rebuke and seduce..." Mindy Farrabee, Los Angeles Times

"When I first encountered this painting in LA artist Edward Wilcox's studio I was stunned by his capture of the essence of wonder. "Self-portrait, 2004" was leaning close to a companion piece that has Edward looking in the other direction, toward distant windmills instead of crosses. Seeing these penetrating pieces in the context of Edward's working studio was truly a thrill, and while the party(sic) went on, I found myself continually wandering out back to the studio, to stare at this man's apprehension of the rich, terrifying, magnificent wonder of things." Jeff Berryman, The Daily Hopper

"Edward Wilcox's visionary paintings conjure a return to the roots of Northern European art caricaturing a deliberately primitive world which, in all ways, is allegory, a grouping of emblems, an assemblage of symbols bearing witness to the truth beyond." Lucy J. Kim, FLAUNT Magazine

Merging classical technique with modern perception, Wilcox's work is a commentary on a society clasping to garish distractions as a means of escaping the inevitable downfall. His art stands as a moral critique of a world attempting to shroud itself in beauty and diversion in the midst of its own collapse.

His intention is for the work to have a preternatural effect on the viewer; evoking at times a sense of awe, terror, insignificance, romantic sensuality, allusions to our self destructive nature, the temporal nature of beauty and life, and the decay of the material world as a constant of which we are always aware. JUXTAPOZ

Edward’s work has shown in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Seattle, and Berlin and has appeared in publications such as The LA Times, LA WEEKLY, Juxtapoz, Coagula Art Journal and FLAUNT Magazine. His work can be found in private and public collections across the United States and abroad.

More information can be found at www.EdwardWaltonWilcox.com

Yuroz
Camarillo, California

On March 30, 1853 the art world would change forever with the birth of Vincent Van Gogh.

On March 30, 1956 the art world would change again with the birth of Yuri (YUROZ) Gevorgian.

"Being an artist is as important as being a lawyer or an engineer, because it fills your soul; it fills your spirit. You can have a healthy body, but if your soul is not fed, you will never be complete. If you appreciate what is around you; if you see beauty and love art, then you have a strong connection to life. You are never going to kill someone; you are going to let other people appreciate their lives as well. Art is very important; it breeds appreciation. Art is an extension of life." - Yuroz

The story of Yuroz is as compelling as his art. Yuroz is literally and figuratively the artist of the people. Lovers, musicians, poets, athletes, the homeless and refugees fill his canvases, drawing forth the spectrum of emotions and moods that reside deep in the human soul. Yuroz's amazing ability to bring this soulful human quality to fruition through his art stems from his own life experiences.

A child prodigy born in Soviet Armenia in 1956, Yuroz was only ten years old when he entered the renowned Akop Kodjoyan School of Art in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. After graduating with honors, Yuroz gathered up his incredible talents and entered the Yerevan University of Art and Architecture, where, at the age of twenty, he was considered one of the worst art students in the history of the school. After departing the school and becoming a successful architect, for seven years he attempted to escape communist held Eastern Europe to come to the freedom of the United States. Those seven years imbued him with a compassion and understanding for all refugees seeking new homes and fresh beginnings.

Finally, upon arriving in America and after struggling for years to achieve and enjoy the freedom America offered, at the age of thirty, he found himself homeless in the land of opportunity. Even though he had no home, hope was his constant companion, and Yuroz continued to create art with the supplies of the streets. Napkins and cardboard were conjured into canvas, and discarded pens were transformed into paintbrushes. He became the focus of a feature story in the Los Angeles Times whose purpose was to assist the homeless.

Yuroz's Los Angeles street friends were portraits filling the gallery of his mind with the beauty and simplicity of life. Like the refugees who would later populate his United Nations mural, Yuroz was able to capture the survivor mentality of his homeless brethren when they made their way onto canvas, a reflection of his own burning desire to create art in his new home. With the success of this early "Hollywood Boulevard" series, Yuroz was walking his dream path.

At the age of 40 he was recognized as a Living Master with several museum shows under his belt. The Coral Springs Art Museum in Florida, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Hot Springs Arkansas, The Fuller Arts Museum in Brockton, Mass, The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, The Anchorage Art Museum, The Fine Arts Museum of Long Island, and others.

Since that time, Yuroz' art has reached new heights and continues to climb. But even with all of his growth and success as an artist, Yuroz has never lost sight of his own humble beginnings, and he has donated the proceeds from a variety of originals and limited editions to numerous causes and foundations. Charities around the globe have thanked him for his countless donations that have raised money and awareness for their causes. In 1995 he created "The Harlequin's Gift" for Comic Relief, an organization that alerts audiences to the growing American homeless population. Also, 2001 marked the fourth consecutive year that Yuroz will be the official artist for the Suzuki Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in San Diego, and he has on several occasions created an original oil for sale at auction to benefit the Leukemia Society of America, for whom he has personally raised over a million dollars with his artistic contributions.

At the age of fifty, in January 2000 Yuroz was chosen by the United Nations to be the official artist for their 50th anniversary stamp honoring refugees worldwide. The stamp has been released in over 150 countries. In November his stunning five-panel mural was unveiled at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Through this mural we can see the grand panorama of Yuroz' vision, where individual and racial differences slide away, and the courage of refugees and humanity as a whole is brought to the surface. His magnificent testament to human courage will ultimately be sent to the General Assembly Building in Geneva, Switzerland, to be installed permanently as a part of their collection.

In 2001, Yuroz met with the Pope about a ceiling painting project for an Armenian Church in Glendale, California, a concept which was given the Pope's blessing.

The National Ad Council chose him out of millions of people in the United States for their Freedom campaign which ran from September 11, 2005 until September 11, 2006.

In the summer of 2008, Yuroz met with Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino of the Vatican regarding the world tour of the Human Rights Mural and his vision for raising awareness around the world with this project, and as a result, This past year, the Vatican commissioned Yuroz to create a painting to commemorate the life and work of Saint Arcangelo Tadini.

At the Botticcino Sera Church on November 8, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI met with Yuroz and blessed the painting, entitled "Compassion of Light." It will permanently hang in the Vatican among the Renaissance masters. Congratulations to our dear friend for such a remarkable honor.

Even with such momentous events in his life, Yuroz never forgets the small joys of sounding our feelings and moods through his art. A producer who was once in the studio to interview Yuroz for a national commercial experienced his signature "art massage," which involves drawing on the clothing people are wearing. When Yuroz finished his "massage," the producer was left speechless by the finished product on the back of her T-shirt. Loss of speech is a common reaction to Yuroz' art. We are stunned by the human quality captured in such a simple way, and words cannot express the emotions Yuroz stirs in our souls.

Yuroz projects a wondrous energy, and those who are so fortunate as to be in his presence, always leave with at least a brush stroke or more of that good energy.

How exceedingly fortunate we are to have such a special and wonderful human being and artist as a substantive part of our Wine Classic aesthetic presentations, including the art on the cover of the Wine Classic Auction Catalog, as well as that for the full-page Wine Spectator ad. This is Yuri's thirteenth year presenting his extraordinary art at the Central Coast Wine Classic. He has become a Sustaining Artist in every sense of the term. We hope that the relationship will always continue! We know that you will enjoy the amazing energy of our artist friend, as well as his spontaneous creativity.

For more information, please visit Yuroz's website: yurozart.com

Candice Norcross
Candice Norcross Design Studio
Nipomo, California

The Central Coast Wine Classic's array of extraordinary artist bottles is a manifestation of Candice Norcross's importance to our event! Candice Norcross of Northern Cross Design Studios in Nipomo has adorned a myriad of Wine Classic Commemorative bottles and the former Classic Cuvées bottles, as well as the donations of a substantial number of Central Coast wineries, with her amazing etching and hand-painting.

As a designer and artist Candice has combined over twenty-five years of graphic, commercial and textile art into a glass concept unlike any artist that you may have encountered. With a philosophy that anything can be reproduced on glass, she strives to recreate wine labels, or any art bottle concept, with meticulous attention to every detail. Candice's specialty has become hand-painted reproductions of original and master artwork. Each one of her works is individually handmade, hand-painted, signed and numbered, further adding to the special nature of her creations.

Her winery clients have included: Adelaida, Arcadian, Artiste, Atlas Peak, Au Bon Climat, Baileyana, Beckmen, Brophy-Clark, Byron, Calzada Ridge, Cambria, Clos Mimi, Cold Heaven, Costa de Oro, Curtis, Domaine Alfred, Eberle, Edna Valley Vineyard, Ella, Daniel Roland Gehrs, Dark Star, Champagne Deutz, Diamond Creek, Dover Canyon, Duckhorn, Eberle, Fiddlehead, Firestone, Grey wolf, Hartley-Ostini, IO, Kynsi, Laetitia, Lane Tanner, Laverne, Lindemann's, Martin-Weyrich, Meridian, Midnight Cellars, Mumm Napa Valley, Pacific Ridge, Peachy Canyon, Presidio, Qupé, Ross di Paso, Rusack, Saucelito Canyon, Schramsberg, Seven Peaks, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Stephen Ross, Sunstone, Tablas Creek, Talley, The Vineyards at Royal Oaks, Tobin James, Tolosa, Villicana, Wedell, White Hawk, Wild Horse, Windemere, Windward, Wolff Vineyards, Zaca Mesa and many others.

Her commissioned works are created from an equally impressive list of clients, including the American Institute of Wine & Food, the San Luis Obispo Vintners & Growers Association, The San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, The High Museum of Atlanta, the Napa Valley Wine Auction, the Morro Bay Harbor Festival and the Central Coast Wine Classic, to name but a few, as well as countless private collectors and individuals seeking art work for special occasions. Celebrity patrons of her work include Lance Armstrong, Madonna, Billy Joel, Joe Cocker, Pope John Paul II and Steve Wynn.

Some of those special occasions have come forth from the movie industry, where Candice has created bottle art work representing Sideways, the Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.

Candice's etched design work on art glass has been exhibited in the Boston Museum of Fine Art and on the Christmas tree in the Blue Room of the White House.

Candice is a comprehensively lovely individual, a special artist who we are proud to enjoy continually as a member of the Central Coast Wine Classic family. She was honored by the Central Coast Wine Classic for her continuing support and tireless efforts to assure the aesthetic and financial success of the event. For our 2011 Auction, Candice will be creating the Bottle Art for the Commemorative Cuvees, both Salmanazars and Commemorative Magnums, and will be presenting an auction lot that includes an original art work created by her that will also be etched and hand-painted on a Salmanazar containing a unique Commemorative blend. Thank you so much, Candice, for all that you do for us!

For more information, please visit Candice's website: candicenorcross.com.

Tim Lloyd
Timothy Lloyd Sculpture
Arroyo Grande, California

For virtually the entire history of the central Coast Wine Classic, many of our Wine Classic Honoree awards have been created by a very special local artist, Tim Lloyd of Arroyo Grande.

Tim is certainly no stranger to the Central Coast wine industry, as he is the former winery manager at Edna Valley Vineyard. Tim has, for twenty-two years, created extraordinary sculptural art works that have been awarded to our Wine Classic Honorees. They now rest in the hands of such luminaries as Maynard Amarine, Jacques Pepin, Jack Niven, Narsai David, Remington Norman, Michel Richard, Barbara Fairchild and the late Richard Graff, as well as in the private collections of a select group of collectors.

Tim earned his Bachelors Degree in Art from California Polytechnic University in 1981, and he went to work for Edna Valley Vineyard the following year. His twenty years in wine production and his artistic abilities landed him the wondrous commission of Chalone Wine Group, during that time partners with Edna Valley Vineyard, of a stunning, nine-foot high "Cellarman" which graces the front of the company's corporate headquarters in Napa. The original Cellarman sculpted piece was created for the Wine Classic and presented to Paragon Vineyard owner and Edna Valley Vineyard partner Jack Niven at the Inaugural Wine Classic in 1985, the same year that Tim created and presented his wonderful Bacchanalian fawn to Dick Graff. Jim Clendenen, David Breitstein, Dan Gulbronsen and Archie McLaren are now proud possessors of Tim's fauns.

These works embody the fact that, as an artist, Tim has an individual style and an ability to capture just the right mood, serious or whimsical, thoughtful or playful. Whether the piece is realistic or stylized, Tim's works are a blend of fine lines, bold textures and exquisite craftsmanship, reflective of the inspiration for his creations, his appreciation for fine wine and food. We, in turn, appreciate the many offerings of Tim Lloyd's creative artistry for our special honorees over the years, including this year's honorees. Tim Lloyd artistic offerings are particularly appropriate to our wine and culinary honorees, as his sculptures embody much of the wine and culinary aura surrounding them.

Tim, thank you for so substantively sustaining the Central Coast Wine Classic's aesthetic presentation. We are deeply appreciative.

For more information, please visit Tim's website: timlloydsculpture.com.