Monday, October 29, 2018

Highlight on Fabio Napoleoni - the Artist of the Heart!















Whether you are brand new to the works of Fabio Napoleoni, or are a long time fan, there’s a lot of history to the seemingly simple imagery presented in his artwork. Even people just passing by the Fabio sections of our walls here at the gallery most often ask “What does all of this mean? Who are these characters?!” and it’s hard to explain everything to them in the succinct manner they are seeking from me. The simple answer is it’s the whole spectrum of human emotion, and the characters are based on people in his life. The longer answer is why you’re most likely here reading this post!

Fabio Napoleoni was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico to a family of Italian/Spanish artists. Being born with chronic asthma meant that young Fabio was limited on what he could do outside of the house, so his mother encouraged him to utilize his free time to draw and create. Despite some turbulent family change, Fabio kept up his doodling through a move from Puerto Rico to New York, and then from New York to Maine.

Fabio got a real taste of working in this industry he loves when he answered an ad for stained glass work. For five years Fabio worked under Blaise Botti, a name well known in the stained glass world, and was able to help in getting the company on the cover of the Smithsonian Gift Catalog, TWICE! As impressive as that accomplishment is, Fabio would go on to achieve more great things with his artistic talents.

After marriage and a child, the prayers for a second child were answered for Fabio and his wife, but not in the way they had expected. Before birth, his second child had been diagnosed with a major heart abnormality. Going through all the surgeries she had to endure, by her bedside, Fabio found himself coping with his emotions through his work. This was really the base from which his signature, emotion-filled style launched from. He says that his work is “saturated with emotions from myself and those around me,” and that the characters he creates are inspired by the people in his life such as doctors, pediatricians, nurses, family, friends, and community that helped carry him through one of the hardest times in his life.

Fabio’s stance on artwork is that no one should by artwork simply to match decor in their house, but to buy art out of emotional attachment - “it pulls at your heartstrings”. This attachment is what fuels Fabio’s work and his passions for this industry, and is most likely why he sticks to his “artist of the Heart” moniker, which he wears with pride. It’s no wonder that this self-made artist is becoming as popular and noticed as he is.

Per usual, thank you for stopping by our blogspot! If you haven’t gathered already, Fabio Napoleoni will be joining us here at the gallery in THREE DAYS (Thursday, November 1st!) for one night only, so don’t miss your chance to connect with the artist both in person and through his work! For more information on this event, Fabio Napoleoni, or anything related to the gallery, please follow us on any of the platforms below or reach out - we love to hear from you!

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Instagram: @fascinationstfineartgallery
Email: info@fascinationst.com | Phone: 303-333-1566
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Monday, October 22, 2018

Upcoming Events at Fascination St. Fine Art!















Frogman has come and gone, and boy what a show that was! Thanks to everyone who came by and made another show a great success for us here at Fascination St. Fine Art. Even though the holiday season (not to mention, the COLD season) is upon us, we still have fun events planned through February - read on to find out how to plan out your wintery months with us at the gallery for some art-filled fun! 


Fall Foundry Tour with Nano Lopez - October 26th-27th
Every collector wants to know - HOW was this beautiful artwork created? Nano Lopez is one of those few artists who loves to showcase his methods, and the best way is to get the tour of his foundry in Walla Walla, Washington! Unfortunately we are all booked for this particular tour, but if you love the work of Nano Lopez as much as we do please reach out to the gallery for information on upcoming tour possibilities or show dates for Nano Lopez’s work. 


Fabio Napoleoni - The Artist of the Heart for ONE NIGHT in Denver - November 1st
The can’t-miss event of the show season! The artist who is near and dear to our hearts, and soon your own, Fabio Napoleoni will be gracing our gallery with a one-night-only appearance. Fabio captures perfectly the emotions we all feel in whimsical and poignant pieces through original characters we can all relate to. From heartbreak to pure bliss, come experience the entire emotional spectrum with us on November 1st from 4pm-8pm. Fabio will be talking with collectors and dedicating purchased artworks, so call your sales rep Alice, Brinley, or Dom for information on how to get on the waiting list for one-on-one time with Fabio! We can’t wait to see you all there.


Fascination St. Fine Art Holiday Party - December 5th
We appreciate all of you, our dear clients and collectors, and want to celebrate the upcoming holiday season here at the gallery with all of you! On Wednesday, December 5th, put on your fun party clothes and come meet us here at Fascination St. Fine Art from 5pm-8pm for wine, beer, and a great time surrounded by beautiful art. For more information on this jamboree, please contact us here at the gallery. Hope you can make it!


Bernie Taupin - Exclusive Experience With VIP Options! - Feb 5th, 2019
We have always been a place for providing once-in-a-lifetime moments, and why should we stop now? Bernie Taupin will be joining us at the gallery for a one-night event on Wednesday, February 5th, 2019! If you aren’t familiar with him by name, I’m sure you know him for his other creative works as the legendary songwriter for Sir Elton John! The event will be preceding the Elton John concert here in Denver, and there’s an opportunity for a VIP Experience with us! You can purchase tickets to the Elton John concert through us, and get exclusive time with Bernie Taupin as well as other concert swag. For more information on this VIP Package, please contact your sales rep Alice, Brinley, or Dom here at the gallery. The Bernie Taupin gallery show for VIP’s will be from 5pm-6pm, and the open show will be from 6pm-8pm, from which everyone in the VIP group will be heading to the concert! We are very excited for this opportunity, and we hope you are as well. 

As always, thanks for swinging by and reading about all the fun things we have planned for you all. You can stay up-to-date on all things Fascination St. Fine Art related by following us on social media or checking out our website below. We are open seven days a week, so don’t be shy if you want to swing by and see what’s happening for yourself! 

Instagram: @fascinationstfineartgallery 
Phone: 303-333-1566 

Friday, October 5, 2018

New Works at Fascination St. Fine Art!

Long time no see, blog followers! We have a real treat for you today though - we wanted to showcase some of the newest releases from an array of our amazing artists! Come check them out (and remember, you can get ALL the details on each of these artists and their works at our website, www.fascinationstart.com, but there are links to each piece within this blog post - explore to your heart’s content!) 

Tim Cotterill, aka Frogman is first in our lineup, since you can come see all these little guys at our show with him on October 12th and 13th! As part of the show, Frogman has made us a custom show frog, and we finally have a name for this beautiful guy - “You Are My Sunshine!



Here we have his newest release, “Ferguson”! Ferguson is special because he can be indoors or outdoors, and you can choose from different patinas!


Next up on Frogman’s side are these paperweights (Triangle, Horizontal, and Vertical) - never before have office supplies been so cute.



Then there’s little “Chase” - being small doesn’t mean you can’t leave a big impact.



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Fabio Napoleoni is now on deck, as we have a show coming up with him on November 1st! The artist of the Heart did not disappoint with these new pieces. One of two new releases, here is “True Optimist” - it comes with a free print of “Mr. Pickles!”



Next is “The Tipping Point” - a strong and solid piece.


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Gabe Leonard is one talented guy, and though we won’t see him again this year, we had to show off this new piece entitled, “Yes I Do”. A beautiful addition to his already large repertoire of gun-slinging women.


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Nano Lopez we just saw this August, and his next Foundry Tour is coming up at the end of this month! What kind of people would we be if we didn’t show off his newest release, the long-awaited and gorgeous “Katrina”.


Although he came out this summer, “Leonardo” here was more than worthy of another share.


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Thomas Arvid is well known for his mastery of realism with his wine-themed pieces, and this newest work “Making History” is no exception.


Hope you enjoyed our little e-tour of some of the newest and best works to travel through the gallery lately - you can stay up-to-date on all the goings-on here at Fascination St. Fine Art at the following social media sites and our website. We love to hear from you, our customers and fans, so please reach out if you like what you see!

Instagram: @fascinationstfineartgallery

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Upcoming Events September 2018



Time doesn’t slow down for anyone, and despite us not being able to believe it Charles Fazzino has come and gone. But never fear...this is another one of those Upcoming Event Summary posts so you can still plan out the next few months with us here at Fascination St. Fine Art.

Art Feast - October 6th 3PM - 6:30 PM
Join us here at the gallery for a very special book signing event for gallery owner Aaron LaPedis’ childrens’ book series sequel, A Boy Named Penguin 2: The Mystery of the Albino Calf. Alongside other businesses having fun sales and events, come see us here to help support the Autism Society of Colorado, meet the author, illustrator, and star of the book, Logan. We hope to see you there.

Tim Cotterill, aka FROGMAN - Live in Denver - Oct 12th (5-8pm) and Oct 13th (1-4pm)
Tim Cotterill, also known as Frogman, creates brilliant bronze frog sculptures that capture every characteristic on the frog-like spectrum. Whether the sculptures be ornery, loving, playful, pensive - these little frogs pack a wallop in emotional scale. Even the details in the patina of each piece add to the slick allure of these amphibious sculptures. We carry some of his gorgeous owl pieces, and some particularly friendly-looking fish - come survey the sleek elegance of Frogman’s creations for yourself, and meet the man behind these delightful sculptures. Please contact the gallery for more information!

Fabio Napoleoni - ONE NIGHT ONLY - November 1st (4-8pm)
Emotional artwork meets its master in Fabio Napoleoni’s expressive and beautiful work. His art centers around the themes of love, hurt, and everything to do with the Heart. Through all of the symbolic characters in each of his pieces Napoleoni takes us on a journey through our own souls. If you’ve already purchased artwork from Fabio or plan on purchasing some before, or the night of, Fabio will dedicate and sign any artwork brought. Please contact the gallery for more information on a dedication/signing list or on anything else to do with Fabio Napoleoni himself.

As always, we appreciate you stopping by. You can keep up with daily goings-on, new pieces, upcoming shows, and all that jazz by following us on social media, or checking our website. Check out where and how to do that below.

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Instagram: @fascinationstfineartgallery
Email: info@fascinationst.comWebsite

Monday, September 10, 2018

Charles Fazzino: Master of 3D Pop Art



What comes to mind when you think of “pop art”? If the works of Fazzino aren’t included in your musings of soup cans or Marilyn Monroe’s multi-colored faces, they should be. Charles Fazzino isn’t called the “Master of 3D Pop Art” for no reason, and as one of the most iconic and widely-collected pop artists of all time he has a 30+ year long track record to back up that title.

On December 26th, 1955, Charles Fazzino was born to a Finnish sculptor named Irene, and an Italian shoe designer named Salvatore. Art became a passion for Fazzino through his first formal art class in 1967 while in middle school, with his first solo art exhibition following soon after in 1968. The passion for his craft only blossomed through to college - Fazzino graduated from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan in 1977 with a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts, majoring in both Illustration and Printmaking.

The three-dimensional silkscreen serigraphs that Fazzino has come to be so known and loved for had a clear start in his life. While Fazzino was young on a trip to Florida, Fazzino stumbled upon a store holding a free class about paper tole techniques. Paper tole is the craft of cutting, shaping, and glueing many identical prints of paper together to create layered, 3D effects. This reminded Fazzino of the pop-up books of his youth, and left him creatively inspired to venture down a whole new artistic path. Upon returning to New York, Fazzino cut out many city street scene prints and layered them together to create the 3D effect, giving new life to the once flat prints. Fazzino soon noticed that people were buying these new, three-dimensional pieces of his over his traditional, two-dimensional work.

“The process really comes from doodles as a child, and then I love pop-out books and did a little bit of printmaking in school...Everything came together.” - Charles Fazzino

Such fascinating works often leave people asking if machines created the beautiful 3D scenes, as they’re of such superior quality and there are just SO many pieces! Well, believe it or not, ALL of Fazzino’s works are hand-drawn, hand-printed, hand-cut, and hand-glued. From beginning to end, the process Charles Fazzino has for making his incredible art is awe-inspiring. The process starts in a research phase, which could take several months depending on the subject matter being drawn. Then Fazzino takes this research and creates a flat, detailed, and colored drawing to be sent off to be printed into silkscreen. One layer of this is used as a base, while thinner “flats” in the silkscreen are used as cutouts for the layering process. Layering is typically done in three layers, (“Layered like a lasagna” as Fazzino famously self-describes the process), and then finished by hand with glitter glue and Swarovski crystals for the iconic flair we all know and love in his works. For a more detailed look into this process, please visit this page on his website: (https://www.fazzino.com/art-blog/making-the-fazzino-singapore/)

Charles Fazzino’s works can be seen in hundreds of museums and galleries spanning over 20 countries. He has breached the barriers of artist, and has been called a “pop culture historian” due to the wide spectrum of his work, and the manner in which he touches his audience by capturing the best in each of their lives, regardless of where they’re from. Aside from his gallery representation, Fazzino keeps busy with being the official, licensed artist of the NFL for the Super Bowls since 2001, as well as the artist for at least thirteen Major League Baseball All-Star Games. Fazzino is no stranger to being an official artist for major events outside of sports as well - you can see his works for events like the Olympics, Grammy Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, and he even boasts a theatrical nomination in 2013 for his live art experience, “The Fazzino Ride”.

Come see the works of - and meet - this accomplished artist here at Fascination St. Fine Art and Frame on Friday, September 14th from 5pm-8pm, and Saturday, September 15th from 1pm-4pm. Charles Fazzino will be dedicating any purchased artwork as well as chatting with collectors. Thanks for stopping by and we all hope to see you at the show!

For more information on this event, please don’t hesitate call us at 303-333-1566 or reach out to the gallery with any of the following: 

Instagram: @fascinationstfineartgallery

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Upcoming Events 8/28/18



Another one of these posts? Well...YES! Events seem to pop up out of the ground like flowers here at Fascination St. Fine Art - gotta make sure everyone can come smell the roses with us no matter what time of year it is.

Charles Fazzino - Master of 3D Pop Art LIVE September 14th-15th
Come meet the man behind the mesmerizing 3D serigraphs that adorn our walls here at Fascination St. Fine Art and Frame, Charles Fazzino! This artist is internationally acclaimed, and he’s the official, licensed artist of the Super Bowl for the NFL for over 20 years now. Football isn’t his only passion though - Fazzino often makes scenes based off baseball, city life, and international travel hot spots...including Denver! “Colorado on My Mind” is one of his best selling serigraphs here at our gallery, and we hope you’ll be able to squeeze in meeting a very famous, VERY talented artist’s beautiful vision of Colorado, as well as the artist himself. For more information on this event, please contact us here at the gallery via the various contact methods at the bottom of this post. Hope to see you there! 

Tim Cotterill “Frogman” - Hopping On Over to Denver October 12th-13th
Fascination St. Fine Art and Frame is excited to be hosting an exclusive FROGMAN event in October! Tim Cotterill, also known as Frogman, creates brilliant bronze frog sculptures that capture every characteristic on the frog-like spectrum. Whether the sculptures be ornery, loving, playful, pensive - these little frogs pack a wallop in emotional scale. Even the details in the patina of each piece add to the slick allure of these amphibious sculptures. But “Frogman” isn’t as accurate of a name as it may have once been, since Mr. Cotterill dabbles in some other creatures for sculpture as well. We carry some of his gorgeous owl pieces, and some particularly friendly-looking fish - come survey the sleek elegance of Frogman’s creations for yourself, and meet the man behind these delightful sculptures. Please contact the gallery for more information! 

Fabio Napoleoni - LIVE in Denver, for ONE NIGHT ONLY November 1st 
Come meet one of our best-selling artists, Fabio Napoleoni! His art centers around the themes of love, hurt, and everything to do with the Heart. Through all of the symbolic characters in each of his pieces Napoleoni takes us on a journey through our own souls, unboxing any feelings we may have put away in the process. From the humorous to the more morose, Fabio doesn’t disappoint. If you’ve already purchased artwork from Fabio or plan on purchasing some before or the night of, Fabio will dedicate and sign any artwork brought. Please contact the gallery for more information on a dedication/signing list or on anything else to do with Fabio Napoleoni himself. 

As always, thank you for stopping by and checking out what’s going on here at Fascination St. Fine Art - we can’t wait to see you again or meet you at any of these fabulous events! Stay tuned to any of our sites and channels for more information. 


Instagram: @fascinationstfineartgallery

Monday, August 13, 2018

Art With a Purpose




In the wake of some of the more conservation-based holidays we’ve been celebrating recently, we wanted to take a moment to not only highlight some incredible artists of ours, but to highlight their sincere efforts to make this world we all inhabit a better place. Our artists aren’t the only ones who work hard to be charitable with their profits, though - we here at Fascination St. Fine Art and Frame have a history of helping out charitable causes as well! Art truly does make the world go ‘round, so stick around to find out more. All of the charities listed here have been linked within this blog post, so don’t be shy clicking around if you want to donate to any of the great charities we are mentioning today. 

To start our artist highlight reel, we have the self-proclaimed “Rockstar of the Art World” - Michael Godard. Although his work tends to be a more satirical view of life, his inspiration is sourced in a more melancholy place. In 2006, his daughter lost her hard-fought battle with brain cancer, thus leaving Godard inspired to raise funds for a cure. To quote Michael Godard’s own website, “The funds I help raise save lives, and at the end of the day, it’s the most important thing I do. All the money in the world can not bring her back, but the funds I help raise for a cure will help save another child.” To stay true to this declaration, you can see that Godard works closely with reputable foundations such as St. Jude’s, The Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Foundation, Make a Wish, and the Nevada Cancer Institute. In his newest piece (pictured in our blog banner to the right) aptly named “Angel Kiss” you can see a portrait of his late daughter. Godard stated that he wanted to “convey her innocence, sweetness, and beautiful spirit,” with this piece, and to continue to touch people for generations to come. 

Next on the artist list - our in-house wildlife conservation “nerd”, Daniel Ryan. He is widely known for his beautiful mixed media pieces on reclaimed wood. (You can see his original piece, “Oh Hello” on the bottom left of the blog banner.) The process is very labor intensive - it can take upwards of 60 hours for Ryan to complete a single piece. The level of detail in the shading and anatomy of the animals he features in his works splashed against patterns of bright colors and shades have gained him incredibly notoriety, but not just in the art world. In October of 2015, he donated his piece “Quiet Contemplation” to the Gorilla Doctors Foundation for a silent auction of theirs, and then in November of 2015 he donated another work “King Among Monarchs” to the African Wildlife Foundation. Not only is he donating pieces, he donates his profits - a percentage of what Ryan makes ends up being donated to the local wildlife conservation efforts. Conservation of the beauty that nature holds around us is obviously more than just a theme for Daniel Ryan’s artwork - it’s a credo he lives up to everyday through his incredible talents. 

For the final artist in our lineup today, we have the emotional and very creative Fabio Napoleoni. His array of adorable characters will tug at your heartstrings, whether you know their backstory or not. The deep well of feelings that reside within his paint strokes resonate with all who gaze upon his works. It’s no wonder he’s gotten as popular as he has in such a small amount of time, but he didn’t squander the blessing that life had given him. Napoleoni has a piece that he created specifically to benefit the Operation Motorsport organization, entitled “We Are One” (pictured in the blog banner, top left). Operation Motorsport has a goal of aiding disabled, injured, and wounded service members/veterans in finding retraining, recovery, and rehabilitation through a love of motorsports. 

To wrap this giant post up, we wanted to share with you all that not only do your purchases here allow fabulous artwork into your home...they’re doing some real work. Aaron LaPedis, owner of Fascination St. Fine Art and Frame, is a huge supporter of local charities. Whether it be donating straight out of our own profits, or providing items for charity gala silent auctions, we are constantly trying to find ways to give back to the community and world we live in. Places we have donated have been local schools, the Autism Society, Gateway Battered Women’s Services, Invisible Disabilities, and many others. Our latest venture has been donating the cash tips at the bar from the Michael Godard show to the Autism Society - so be sure to come to our events so as to not miss out on an easy way to give back! 

Thanks for reading about all of the good that can come from creating, selling, and purchasing artwork. Art truly can change lives, and we want to help foster that philosophy within our own business. We are glad to have you all, our loyal customers, to help make that ideal a reality.

As always, you can reach us via any of the following methods:
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
Instagram: @fascinationstfineartgallery
Email: info@fascinationst.com
Phone: 303-333-1566