New art creations on old fire house items

I wrote last week about The Miami Fire Fighters Charitable Fund Organization. The Inaugural City of Miami Paramedic & Firefighter Gala is tonight, May 11, 2013 at the Miami Hilton downtown. Six artists were given old fire helmets and vintage fire extinguishers and this is what they came up with. The pieces of art will be auctioned off tonight.

Above, how can you not love this Superman image, which really does tie in with the firefighters as so many of us look at firefighters as super men. Rick Abrams painted this hat. Rick is a graphic designer/artist whose work encompasses a wide range of disciplines including engineering and architectural design. Born and educated in Miami, he currently works out of his studio in DeLand, Florida.

Federico Carosio III, created this helmet that is very abstract with layers of different acrylic colors. Federico is a self-taught artist whose work captures the intense light and rich colors of South Florida like no photograph can. Carosio’s eye for detail can be seen in the photo-realism of his early pop-art paintings, while his abstracts and sculptures reflect the bold colors of his native Colombia. 

Ed King, created the black helmet with the bright orange flames and hearts. Many of you know Ed from his many showings in the Grove from small galleries to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Since 2003, the award winning neo-pop artist has been living his dream of creating fun and inspiring artwork for clients all over the world. His use of vibrant colors, black outlines, and his signature stitching has won over the hearts and minds of people everywhere.

Nick Varsalona painted the patriotic fire extinguisher at left and Marcy created the fire extinguisher with the dalmatian, at right.Nature inspires Nick. "The diversity of flora and fauna on this planet have always fascinated me. Whether my work is commissioned-based or personal, I always incorporate the element of nature. I've always tried to capture the subtle/bold differences of objects within the composition in an effort to understand and appreciate each entity's uniqueness. "

Nick was born and raised in Miami and continues to reside here. He began to paint and draw when he was about 3 years old, and attended various prestigious magnet schools. After graduating from New World School of the Arts, he went on to earn his BFA degree at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD.
Marcy is a visual artist, from passionate dancers caught in mid-swing to a pulsing salsa beat, Marcy's work is quite eclectic. Her life and art embody the bridging of traditional Cuban culture and modern American dynamism: Literate in the romantic Spanish sentiments of the past, yet comfortably situated in the unaccented English currents of contemporary Miami.

Jacqueline Roch created the blue helmet with Koi fish. I always remember Jacqueline as being one of my favorite Coconut Grove Arts Festival poster painters. She did the mango poster for the 2009 festival.

Born in Los Angeles, California to Argentinean parents, she was raised in Miami Beach and attended Dade County Public Schools and was one of the first talent magnet program graduates. As a child she was formally trained in traditional oil painting by local Miami Beach artist Angela Sanchez. After graduating from Beach High, she went on to study at Parsons in New York and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Miami in Coral Gables.