Three New Artists Signed by Fingerhut Group Publishers

Art Business News, May, 2001

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--Fingerhut Group Publishers Inc. has agreed to distribute the work of Sergey Smirnov, Gwen Peine Toomalatai and the updated works of Colleen Ross.

"We expect to publish prints on canvas for Smirnov and Ross by the end of the year," stated Allan Fingerhut, c.e.o. of Fingerhut Group Publishers.

Fingerhut said he believes the tax relief from the current administration will leave collectors with more disposable income which could very well bring back sales similar to the 1980s.

According to company officials, Russian artist Smirnov's work combines his fondness for ornamentation, decoration, colors, smooth and intricate lines of silhouette art and his admiration of Art Nouveau and Modernism.

The architecture and nature represented in Toomalatai's paintings are intricately connected to her personal search for meaning and discovery. Toomalatai's paints are applied in mostly rich, pure colors allowing the light to reach the white ground surface and reflect back to the viewer giving a luminous feeling to her work, according to company officials.

Ross has been painting and showing her work for more than 20 years. Her new art, "Glam-Pop," celebrates the nostalgic and reflects her love for the glamorous, classic movies of the '40s and '50s. Her work has captured the attention of many notable collectors, including Teri Hatcher, Nicholas Cage, George Lucas, Jane Seymour, Brooke Shields, Priscilla Presley and others.

In other news, Chinese painter Jiang is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his first release. In celebration, Fingerhut has released "Sweet Lady Suite" a 20th-anniversary-edition honoring "Emerald Lady," his first graphic release in the United States. This tribute is available in a collection of four 142- by 142-inch serigraphs available in a standard edition limited to 250.

To celebrate this event, three shows have been planned are at the Fingerhut Galleries in Sausalito, Carmel (May 5) and La Jolla, Calif. (May 19). The artist will be on hand to dedicate his new suite and show his latest paintings, sculpture and prints.