“not sure what it is about you and your artists…”

Oct1

We painted yesterday at the Summit Medical Group Live Well Sports & Health Festival, and received this note and foto afterwards:

“Just a short note of thanks. Got a chance to see you and your crew at work today at the Wellness Fair. I am sure that most of the communication you have is with parents… but all I was looking at was the faces of the kids as they walked away. Every single one of them had a shine, a glimmer… not sure what it is about you and your artists… but it highlights a moment in those children’s lives. A short moment maybe, but more importantly… a couple of grownups saw it… and for a few seconds were reminded of better times and childhood.”

Such a thoughtful, encouraging note. As we have worked through the years to find a way to make real art when we paint faces we have come to realize that more important than what we paint on a child’s face is the interaction we have with them as artists. One of the winners at the Unique Art Awards event the previous night, Larry Moss, who makes art out of balloons, spoke about the value of creating art in such an accessible medium, bringing it off the museum wall and into a kid’s life.

Or, in our case, onto a kid’s face. This face, for a girl who said the activity she likes to do is “swinging”, was painted by Britt, and I’m so fortunate to have such talented artists to work alongside. I plan on posting more fotos from the event tomorrow.

Learn more about all we do at: http://agostinoarts.com/

New Faces — Faces At Play: Face Painting images of Sports, Dance and Physical Activities (video from the same event last year)
Facepainting Event: Modern Art Faces in Philly – Pt.1: Britt
Before Cave Walls… at the National Storytelling Network Conference 2012 (thestorybehindthefaces.com)

The 2012 Unique Art Awards

Sep21

I am honored to say I have been nominated for an award by the Society of Unique Artists. I’m one of 5 finalists in the category of Unique Painting, and the winner will be announced at the Unique Art Awards event on September 29 in New York. Upon my nomination I was asked to submit a portfolio for the judges’ consideration, which I am posting here, including this short video artist statement:

Christopher Agostino’s Transformations

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I approach the art of transformation as a performance art, whether on stage or at an event. Continue reading →

Face Painting at the U.S. Open

Sep3

We had ten facepainters at the US Open Arthur Ashe Kids Day on August 25, 2012 — and we’ll be back there with another team of transformation artists on September 9 for the finals. Here are a few photos from Arthur Ashe Day — and we only have a few, the day was too busy for taking photographs — including a couple of my silhouette images and several of the portrait type figures that Jennifer has been painting.

Come see us and be painted on September 9 at the Tennis Center.

UPDATE: **Unfortunately, they canceled our part of the September 9 event, because bad weather and rain during the previous week pushed the men’s finals from Sunday the 9th to Monday.