“Speed-painting artist Michael Israel supports Promises2Kids”
PAST | Promises2Kids #michaelisrael #speedpainting #speedpainter
ARTNET NEWS “We’ve seen the future of Art”
ARTNET NEWS
May 6, 2008
MICHAEL ISRAEL, THE FUTURE OF ART
We have seen the future of art, and his name is Michael Israel. Equal parts Jackson Pollock, Peter Max and Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance, the Florida artist was in the news recently when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of super-investor Warren Buffet at his Omaha, Neb., home base last Saturday. The completed likeness is to be sold on eBay this fall as a fundraiser for Girls, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to building self-esteem in young women.
The long-haired, model-handsome Israel works on stage live in front of large, spinning canvases, either painting with his hands or with paintbrushes in both hands, often shirtless, usually accompanied by rock music. His paintings are most often celebrity portraits. An impressive film clip on his website shows him performing in front of screaming crowds, accompanied by exploding confetti bombs and a chorus line of cheerleaders.
So, who is this guy? A long manifesto on his website places him in the lineage of Edouard Manet, Mark Rothko and other artists who redefined the paradigm of what art is. “Is it a performance? Is he a painter in the artistic sense? Is it a concert? A social commentary? An experience? The answers are all emphatically yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.” The website does, however, add sternly that “while our First Amendment guarantees us the right to make any statement we wish, Michael believes that such freedom comes with the moral obligation to use it for good purpose and not sensationalism and vulgarity for the sake of profit and greed.”
For the Buffet event, several dozen shareholders watched Israel perform at a stage outside Omaha’s Qwest Center. According to the Omaha World-Herald, which also has some great pics of the “live painting” event, Israel started his portrait with the images of a dollar sign and a heart, then conjured Buffet’s face as strobe lights flashed and music by U2 blared. This guy is going to be huge.
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Michael Israel’s Speedpainting at Armory Art Center
A Brief History of the Armory
When the Norton Museum closed its art school in 1986, a dedicated group of artists, art teachers, and community activists formed the Armory Art Center to ensure the continuation of practical art instruction in Palm Beach County. In seeking a new home for the art school, they looked to the neglected Armory building constructed in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in an Art Deco style and designed by William Manley King. The building was a National Guard Armory from 1939 to 1982. By the late 1980s, after a period of multiple community uses, including high school dances, the building was scheduled for demolition when the art activists and the Palm Beach County Cultural Council came together to convince the City of West Palm Beach to spare the building from demolition and allow it to be transformed into an art center.
The Armory Art Center was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization on November 21, 1986, after the art group renovated the abandoned Art Deco structure into a vibrant space for art classes and art exhibitions. The center opened its doors to the public in July 1987 as a result of generous contributions from its many supporters, most notably Robert and Mary Montgomery and the Historic Preservation and Cultural Facilities Grants of the State of Florida. In 1992 the Armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Over the past three decades, the Armory has taught art classes to thousands of emerging artists of all ages and cultures, exhibited art in hundreds of shows, given workshops taught by national and international visiting master artists, provided summer art camp for thousands of young people, and since the year 2000 has yearly given new artists-in-residence from around the United States and abroad the opportunity to hone their craft while teaching classes. The Armory looks to a long future of enhancing artistic life in the Palm Beaches.
Learn more about the history of the Armory
PAST | Armory Art Center #michaelisrael #speedpainting #speedpainter
Speed Painter Michael Israel Supports St. Vincent’s Healthcare Foundation
$105,000 ART AUCTION!
Michael WOWED and AMAZED a crowd of 1000 healthcare professionals and supporters during his performance at the beautiful Omni Hotel for St. Vincent’s Healthcare Foundation.
Ascension St. Vincent’s Foundation is a not-for-profit, philanthropic organization established in 1982 that is committed to enhancing the current and future healthcare needs of Jacksonville and the surrounding area.
Since its inception, the Foundation has provided more than $1 million in annual financial assistance to support the Mission of Ascension St. Vincent’s. Serving as a liaison between Ascension St. Vincent’s and our family of generous donors, the Foundation is rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as a healer and devoted to putting our commitment to philanthropy into action. The Foundation supports Ascension St. Vincent’s: Community Outreach Ministries, capital building, and equipment needs.
The St. Vincent’s HealthCare Foundation is the entity that financially supports the mission of Jacksonville’s province of Daughters of Charity. The foundation and network, established in 1982, is dedicated to improving the present and future healthcare needs of the Jacksonville area, and has provided more than $1 million in support every year since its creation.[3]
The foundation stages fund-raising events throughout the year, including the Red Rose Ball, begun in 1982 and Jacksonville’s oldest charity ball. The 2008 event was attended by John Travolta and Kelly Preston, who helped collect over $1 million in donations.[4]
John Ash was the celebrity chef at the 10th annual Delicious Destinations event in 2011. The three-day event attracts over a dozen executive chefs from notable restaurants and resorts around the country to prepare their favorite dishes for donors at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club.[5][6]
St. Vincent’s HealthCare Foundation is also a charity recipient of proceeds from The Players Championship, and conducts a two-day charity golf tournament early in the week known as The Tradition.[7]