(Bartlesville, OK) On October 5, 2012, Price Tower Arts Center will welcome Italian-born Canadian painter Marco Sassone for the opening of the fall exhibition entitled Marco Sassone: Architecture and Nature. The exhibition of large-scale oil and watercolor paintings illustrates the artist’s interests in the style of modern expressionism and themes of nature and the urban world. The display will be open to the public in the galleries of the Price Tower, 510 Dewey Avenue in downtown Bartlesville, Okla.
 
“Visitors will enjoy a great representative collection of his paintings on display in the galleries, in the media of oil on canvas and watercolor on paper, as well as meeting the brilliantly creative mind and gifted painter behind this work on opening night,” says Price Tower Arts Center curator Scott W. Perkins. “Sassone’s paintings are also wonderful studies in light and shadow, and have a rich texture and depth that was quite appealing to us.”
 
The artist will be in attendance on October 5 for patrons and the public to meet at the opening preview reception, held in the galleries of Price Tower Arts Center. The public is welcomed to visit from 6-7pm and members of Price Tower may begin previewing the artwork at 5pm, with admission for this event free to all.
 
“We are delighted that Mr. Sassone has decided to join us in opening this show, the first exhibition of his work in the state of Oklahoma,” says Timothy Boruff, executive director of Price Tower Arts Center, “We hope that our members and our community will help us welcome him and make him feel a part of our creative culture in Bartlesville by attending the opening preview.”
 
Marco Sassone is an artist who has focused on exploring the act of painting and its innate expressiveness. His work emphasizes both his training in Florence and his long stay in America, a period which lasted nearly forty years.
 
In his views of Venetian canals, the California coast, and urban landscape, Sassone is an artist intent on the presentation of architecture and nature that communicates a raw passion for form. Attracted always by space, Sassone paints cityscapes from high-rise vantage points and from a street perspective, characterized by converging lines that visually pull the viewer into the work.
 
Sassone studied with Silvio Loffredo, a professor at the Accademia in Florence, Italy who had been the pupil of the great expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka. After fleeing Florence in 1967 when a flood overtook his city, Sassone settled down in California. He was knighted into the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1982 and has published numerous catalogues.
 
Sassone’s technique of using thick paint applications and blurred edges, influenced by his mentors, to help express the emotions or ideas in his paintings energize and enliven the large-scale scenes of contemporary architectural settings and rural landscapes.
 
First recognized for his landscapes of Laguna Beach in the 1970s and more recently images from San Francisco and Italy, Sassone captures life in action through landscapes and empathetic portraits of people in the cities he has lived. Currently residing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Sassone has exhibited his work internationally and contributed to art festivals in Canada, the United States, and abroad.
 
The traveling exhibition entitled Marco Sassone: Architecture and Nature will be on view October 6 through December 2, 2012 during normal business hours, Tues. through Sat. 9am – 5pm and Sundays 12pm – 5pm.  Gallery Admission is $6 Adults (ages 19-64), $5 Seniors (ages 65+) and free for children 18 and under and Price Tower Arts Center members. This exhibition is organized and partially funded through Katharine T. Carter & Associates, Kinderhook, New York, and Marco Sassone Studio, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
 
To become a member, make a donation toward the historic preservation of Price Tower or toward this exhibition, or RSVP for the preview reception on October 5, please contact Price Tower at 918.336.4949.
 
 
 
SASSONE EXHIBITION EVENTS
 
October 5: Exhibition Opening & Visit the Artist
Member Preview 5-6pm
Public Preview 6-7pm
 
Every 3^rd Sunday: Family Free Sundays
Offered on the third Sunday of each month, Price Tower Arts Center hosts a day of free museum admission for all visitors. Families are encouraged to attend together, and learn while exploring the current exhibition. Experience art, architecture and design as you explore the many facets of the Price Tower. Time: 12-5pm. Cost: Free
 
October 13 – Family Arts Festival
Join us for Bartlesville’s premier fall arts festival and explore the Marco Sassone exhibition of architectural ?? Enjoy games, crafts, live performances, magic shows, a car show and other demonstrations for free.  There will also be regional artists showing and selling their works of art and food vendors. Cost: Free. Time: 10:00am to 4:00pm
 
 
ADDITIONAL EVENTS AT COPPER BAR
Copper Bar offers daily food and drink specials from 4:00 to 6:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday.
 
First and Third Thursdays – Picnic in the Sky
The First and Third Thursday events showcase live music performed by Bartlesville’s own Ayngel and Jarrod. The acoustic duo, with Ayngel on vocals and Jarrod on guitar, brings renditions from a variety of artists to life.  The two cover songs from groups like Coldplay, The Fray and Maroon 5.  Live music will begin at 7 p.m in Copper Bar.
 
First Fridays – Taste of Oklahoma
First Friday events showcase live music performed by artists’ from across the great state of Oklahoma. There will be a variety of music genres and a taste of what Oklahoma has to offer in musical talent. Live music will begin at 8 p.m in Copper Bar.
 
Second Saturdays – Jo Hemian Jazz Syndicate
This four-piece jazz group performs in the tradition of the bebop era musicians from Charlie Parker to Duke Ellington, taking the framework of standards and making them different each time. Solos are composed uniquely each night for each audience. Come enjoy live jazz, a glass of wine and a beautiful view. Music begins at 8 p.m in Copper Bar.