Press Release- June 4th, 2003 Sowing Seeds of Love Everywhere Education Fundraiser at CoCA   July 24th 2003 at 7:00pm. You are invited to attend an evening at CoCA (Center on Contemporary Art) hosted by SSOLE (Sowing Seeds of Love Everywhere), a non-profit organization located in Bellevue, WA. The Sowing Seeds of Love Everywhere Education Fundraiser, includes an eclectic group of artists with diverse style and appeal: Daniel Martin Diaz, Barry Rockwell, Rena Haveson, Ena Tiu, Brad Strain, Lauren Adams and Christine Cannon. In addition to this invitation only event, The Sowing Seeds of Love Everywhere Education Fundraiser will run as a public event July 23 through August 3rd.during regular gallery hours; Monday through Thursday 2:00pm to 8:00pm and Friday through Sunday 12:00pm to 5:00pm. CoCA is located at 1420 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122. Admission is $10 per adult, $5 seniors and teens, children under 12 are free   Admissions/donations and a portion of the sale of each piece will help to sponsor The Sowing Seeds of Love Everywhere Educational Foundation, funding children in crisis throughout the Northwest. We have placed37 children in alternative schools for the 2003/2004 school year, and are currently raising funds for 24 additional students. Promoting events like our Sowing Seeds of Love Everywhere Education Fundraiser at CoCA, allows us to support the community, and local artists while increasing awareness of our organization.   This diverse group of local artists, Ena Tiu, Brad Strain, and Lauren Adams, represent a unique cross section of up and coming artists. For many of them, it will be their first major show, and a true representation of Seattle’s young artistic culture. Daniel Martin Diaz, Barry Rockwell and Rena Haveson, while all well established artists represent three distinct styles of technique, composition and vision.   Daniel Martin Diaz – Daniel’s pieces evoke an immediate reaction from their audience. Self taught, and located in Arizona, his pieces use minimalism to take the viewer to another time and place. Amazed and inspired by artists both past and present, Daniel’s pieces strive to capture the human experience with all the beauty and tragedy that is life, while showing the infinite paths of the worlds between imagination and completion.   Recent and Upcoming Exhibitions: 2004 – La Luz De Jesus, Solo Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA., May 2003 – Tin Man Alley, two man exhibition, Philadelphia, PA Nov – Dec Homage to Father Kino, International Touring Exhibition ,Italy, Mexico, and the USA Visionary and Fantastic Art, Orange Regional Gallery, New S. Wales, Australia   “One of my earliest memories as a child was the way death and religion played an important role in my family’s life. My parents were born in Mexico with traditional beliefs, and their beliefs made their way into my subconscious. The fact that many of those beliefs seemed to render no logical explanation has also influenced me. These unanswered questions find a home in my work. Still evoking the mystery, fear and irony of those vivid memories of my past. I do not claim to understand these questions. I just paint and let them reveal themselves to me.” Daniel M. Diaz   Barry Rockwell – Predominately known for his humorous American portraits, Barry received his formal training in Fine Arts from the Boston Museum School and in Illustration from New York’s School of Visual Arts. His primary work over the past two decades has been in creating art for such major advertisers as Mobil Oil, Quaker Oats, Uniroyal and the Long Island Rail Road. His illustrations have appeared in many publications and he has won awards for his fine art, advertising and animation pieces.   Barry’s commercial success has given him a great range of opportunity. His interest in, and acquisition of American Folk Art has greatly influenced his present work. The people and products of his paintings – joined and juxtaposed – are friendly illuminations of a culture whose historic past is oddly attached to the current marketplace.   Barry currently resides on Long Island. His studio, a reconstructed barn is located in Brookhaven Hamlet.   “Barry Rockwell’s particular gift is an ability to translate visual reality into a language of wry, witty and wiry lines… The world comes through this process smiling at itself – and would be a far better place were it to exchange itself for Rockwell’s vision of it, and throw the original away.” - Arthur C. Duncan - Art Critic, The Nation   Rena Haveson -- Rena Haveson has been painting for 25 years. She began her educaton at Boston University studying Art and Art History. From 1988 to 1996 she owned and operated an art gallery in Pittsburgh, PA., displaying works by contemporary American painters, including her own.   Strong color and passion for life are evident in her work. Subject matter is often expressionistic, using landscape and dreamscapes. She often uses a palette knife or collage techniques to enrich the canvas. This is to allow the viewer to constantly wander in and out of reality while perceiving the painting. There may be copper wire or found objects imbedded into the canvas to surprise or humor the viewer. The paint is built up with layers of acrylic and oil and then it is painted over again so that there is a sense of mystery of what was before, beneath the layers of paint.   …”When I paint, I am reaching for a part of me that is behind my eyes and beyond the spoken word. I explore human emotions and fantasy in order to reach a very pure space where naivete still survives.” Rena Haveson   Ena Tiu - A versatile technical artist, Ena has experience in web design, Flash animation, and graphic design. She has been the lead animator on several shipped video games for GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance. She has also done freelance animation for many major companies. In addition, she has received awards for her merit as an artist and has had her paintings shown in several galleries.   She holds an Associates Degree in Computer Animation from the Art Institute of Seattle.   Brad Strain - With a strong background in still photography and filmmaking, Brad started painting as a way of solo self expression. His pieces spring from a fascination with animation and cartoons, giving his viewers a glimpse into a world touched by the stark landscapes of his homeland, the rich imaginings of his mind, and his eye for detail and minutia cultivated by the film industry.   Brad moved to Seattle from Melbourne, Australia in the winter of 2002, throwing himself into painting while working on a number of short films. His first exhibit in March of 2003 at the Joe Bar in Seattle, showcased the work of a man finding himself anew.   "....without his vision, i don't know where i would be" Brad Strain   Lauren Adams – Using her paintings as a tool for exploring the duality and paradox inherent in nature, Lauren strives to find the beauty and grace in each situation. Her work evokes an immediate visceral reaction from the viewer, a strength which is particularly evident in her series of pieces on the human body.   Located in Seattle, Lauren’s traditional training was completed at The Evergreen State College, where she participated in both solo and group exhibitions. Her later certification as a massage therapist has given her the ability to display the intricacies of the human body with beauty and courage.   For more information about this event, please contact Lia Adams at 425 456 0334 or via email at ladams@ssole.org.   SSOLE is a charitable organization created to support the needs of people and communities in crisis, through medical, financial and educational assistance. We came together through a strong desire to make a contribution to our global community, by contributing locally. It is our aim to provide the best quality care and support for any person, regardless of socio-economic status, race, religion or creed.   SSOLE assists individuals and the community through the following foundations:   SSOLE Educational Foundations SSOLE Free Medical Clinic Hospital and Hospice Foundation Retreat Center Chennai Soup Kitchen Project   SSOLE is located in Bellevue Washington. For more information, please contact Lia Adams c/o SSOLE, PO Box 355, Medina, WA 98039, (425) 456 0334, or visit our website at www.ssole.org   Gallery Preview   copyright 2002 Dynamic Design Studios