Chris De Rubeis, Fine Art of Metal, 716 Duval St., Key West, FL 33040 by Kevin Dayhoff, February 10, 2011
Well-known as a haven for artists, writers, tourists and snowbirds, Key West’s constant temperature in the 70s and warm Caribbean breezes makes navigating the 2-mile by 4-mile island-in-the-sun a joy for a refugee from the frozen north.
Key West, Florida has a long history that is intertwined with speculators, plundering sea wrecks, U.S. presidents, the railroad, fishing, boats, artists and writers, sun and fun.
The southernmost city in the United States is actually closer to Havana, Cuba, than Miami, Florida; and at times, the place is so weird, you may also conclude that it is just within sight of the edge of sanity and good taste – of which the locals are quite proud.
If you weave your way up Duval Street from Mallory Square, past the tourist-oriented shops and free spirits at Sloppy Joe’s at the corner of Greene and Duval Streets, keep a sharp eye out for a number of high-end clothing stores, jewelers, and art galleries.
Indeed, there are quite a number of art galleries in town which cater to everyone from the casual tourist-oriented sun-sand-and-beach crowd, to the hardy-partier booze and broads, to the serious collector.
Out for an evening walk, last Thursday evening, I found that I could easily walk by the ubiquitous ice cream parlors, bars, t-shirt shops, and eateries. However I found myself quite distracted by an amazingly beautiful motorcycle in the window one small gallery at 716 Duval St. that had a pleasant, inviting, and exciting array of meticulously vibrant colors in the immediate background - the art of Chris De Rubeis …
I wondered why I had not noticed this art gallery before. I have rather fine-tuned radar for professionally managed galleries and cutting edge art. Poking around the web I came across an article by a Keys magazine, Conch Color, that indicates that it opened last March, 2010, just after my last annual pilgrimage to Key West, in search of sunshine and warmth: Grand Opening of “DeRubeis Fine Art of Metal” Gallery, By: Conch Color, March 26, 2101: http://conchcolor.com/index.php/site/stories-all/grand-opening-of-derubeis-fine-art-of-metal-gallery/
According to a website bio, http://www.derubeisfineart.com/biography.html, the art of Chris De Rubeis… Born in 1978… is referred to as “Abstract Sensualism.”
For folks who are reading this from Baltimore, apparently the work of De Rubeis may also be found at the Light Street Gallery, http://www.lightstreetgallery.com/ArtistBio/2389/12, 1448 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21230, (p) 301-762-4908, info@LightStreetGallery.com.
The Light Street Gallery says, “Chris De Rubeis was given an airbrush by his grandfather. What followed was unrestrained creativity that spans the breadth of dynamic abstracts featuring weightless, diaphanous and seamless forms of color and light to hyper-photo realism. Further distinguished by holographic imagery and haunting sensuality, his unique work creates and in fact, exaggerates depth through the masterful manipulation of light.
“Chris is of the opinion that, ‘...all art should inspire and evoke emotion... art should be something you can actually feel.’ Though capable of capturing light on any surface, his preferred medium is aluminum. ‘...I favor metal because I can combine a form of sculpture as the foundation for my expression and have found a way to enhance my ability to communicate emotions more intently.’”
“Chris De Rubeis has studied at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design, as well as the Associates in Art College in Sherman Oaks. He was inducted into the National Art Honors Society and was a key contributor to the California Institute of the Arts Community Art Showcase. His work was featured during the telecast of the 2000 American Music Awards. Also, as the exclusive airbrush artist for MGS custom motorcycles, Chris' airbrush played the key role for their flagship chopper, "Dragon Slayer," which continues to earn many awards, including "Best Paint" at the 2005 Grand National Roadster Show.
“He has appeared with his work on the Playboy Channel and has been featured on the DIY network (fall '06). In July 2005, Chris was honored with two nominations in the ‘mixed media’ and ‘new movement’ categories and was the proud recipient of the first annual ARTV Award in New Movement.
“Whether he paints metal, waterfalls, canvas, custom choppers or cars, his distinctive body of work continues to be respected and appreciated at galleries, custom bike and car shows, commercial buildings and private collections.” http://www.lightstreetgallery.com/ArtistBio/2389/12
20100900 Art Business News Chris de Rubeis
September 2010 Click Here To View Art Business News Article http://www.derubeisfineart.com/9-10-art-business-news.pdf
Art Business News, September 2010 Chris de Rubeis
Art Business News, September 2010, Chris de Rubeis, art, Abstract Sensualism, Key West, Florida (20100900 9-10-art-business-news)
[20110210 Key West Chris De Rubeis]
Grand Opening of “DeRubeis Fine Art of Metal” Gallery, By: Conch Color, March 26, 2101: http://conchcolor.com/index.php/site/stories-all/grand-opening-of-derubeis-fine-art-of-metal-gallery/
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Fine Art of Metal
716 Duval St
Key West, FL 33040
(786) 430-9805
Andrew Gonzales, Craig Tracy, “Kat,” Dale Mathis, Patrick Guyton
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/) http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/
