Up Front

Art Business News, May, 2001

Wild Apple Signs Wildlife Artist Vanessa Jayne

WOODSTOCK. Vt.--Art publisher and licensing company Wild Apple recently signed British wildlife artist Vanessa Jayne. Her series of four African animal families appears in Wild Apple's Spring 2001 edition of re: Source, a supplement of art, trends and innovations. The four prints measure 14 by 11 inches and retail for $10 each.

"Vanessa Jayne's wildlife images are a beautiful interpretation of safari, one of the market's hottest trends. They are an example of a unique blend of realistic imagery and subtle African patterning," said Wild Apple Art Director Cecelia Covington.

Rinehart Fine Arts to Publish Kaiser, Powell Posters

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--Rinehart Fine Arts has begun publishing posters for Colville Publishing artists S. Burkett Kaiser and John Powell. The posters will feature five new floral images from Kaiser and three floral still lifes and landscapes from Powell. All will be available in full-size and mini posters. The artists' limited-edition prints are published by Colville. "We've carefully chosen Rinehart Fine Arts as the poster publisher for these artists due to the strength of their portfolio," said Peter Iwasaki, president of Colville. "Posters are an effective tool for building name recognition of our artists and compliment the sale of our oil paintings and limited-edition prints."

Collectors Editions Signs Impressionist Samir Sammoun

CANOGA PARK, Calif.--Collectors Editions has signed artist Samir Sammoun to a long-term agreement. The company debuted his original oils at Artexpo New York in March and plans to start a print program in the near future. According to Elliot Blinder, vice president of sales and marketing, the company sold 11 of Sammoun's paintings and had three orders for commissions at the show.

"Samir has been exhibiting on his own for the past four years at Artexpo," explained Burns. "Now we've brought him into the Collectors Editions family, and we're very excited about his work."

Sammoun is an Impressionist landscape artist from Beirut, Lebanon, who now makes his home in Canada. His work has captured the attention of collectors in Canada and the United States.

"Samir is a fresh and exciting talent depicting the landscapes he sees in rich color with his own wonderfully unique Impressionist style," said Robert L. Mon, director of the J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art in San Antonio, Texas.