Jason Craighead Donates "Red Crane" to VAE Auction

Raleigh, NC, February 05, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Jason Craighead, the artist whose painting broke the record for the highest single bid during the November “Works of Heart” charitable auction for the Carolina AIDS Alliance, has donated another large painting to the Visual Art Exchange for its 25th Art Auction & Gala.

The silver anniversary of the VAE’s gala fundraiser, entitled “For the Love of Art,” will take place Saturday, February 7, 2009, from 6 p.m. until midnight in the new Marriot Hotel in downtown Raleigh.

Jason Craighead is one of the Southeast’s most prominent abstract artists. His work has inspired some critics to compare it to that of Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline and Cy Twombly.

The painting Craighead donated to the VAE auction, entitled “Red Crane #8 (40w x 50h, mixed media on canvas), comes from of a period of his work that focused on ideas on construction, deconstruction, revitalization, and the energy of an urban environment.

“I wasn’t trying to depict reality,” he explained. “I was responding to the visual treat that is everyday city life within the structure and chaos that surrounds us. There is beauty to be found in the grit if we choose to be observant.”

A dozen of his most recent works, including an 8 ft. x 12 ft. painting on panel, are currently on exhibit at the Fayetteville Museum of Art in Fayetteville, NC, along with new works by sculptor Seth Hicks and painter Gerry Lynch.

Jason Craighead is represented in the Triangle area by Somerhill Gallery in Durham. He is also represented by Broadhurst Gallery in Pinehurst (www.broadhurstgallery.com), Anne Irwin Fine Art in Atlanta, GA (www.anneirwinfineart.com), and Bucks Gallery of Fine Art in Newtown, PA (www.bucksgalleryoffineart.com). For more information on the artist, visit any of these websites.

Along with the live and silent auctions representing some of the finest artists in the region, the VAE’s gala event will include live music, a buffet dinner and dessert, a special raffle and dancing. For tickets and more information on the event, visit www.visualartexchange.org.

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