You could say that Fairfield will experience a a gentle form of Vegas touch Friday evening.
Through Full-Bodied Experience, a live art/networking event, two former Las Vegas residents who now call Fairfield home will join forces with local live model artist Kesryth. While Fairfield residents and business personalities network and converse, Kesryth will complete a full oil painting portrait, “alla prima.”
The term means “at once” in Italian and involves an artist applying layers of paint upon other layers not yet dried. It’s a technique used by Claude Monet, Michelangelo Caravaggio, and John Singer Sargent, among many others. “It is a very spontaneous way to work,” writes Suzanne Morris in her blog, The Painter’s Blog. “It is exciting for the painter to watch the work develop.”
Friday night’s “happening,” as Krista Mathes likes to call it, takes place at her new Fairfield business, SOMM Wines, a wide open storefront that is most characterized by the smell and look of raw pine wine racks. The live model whose image will be captured with oil and canvas is Nicole Baron-Kruse, manager of the Maharishi Ayurvedic store a few doors down from SOMM in downtown Fairfield.
Baron-Kruse, who grew up in Fairfield and then moved to Vegas for a few years, returned about six years ago. She is excited about how the event brings a new kind of entertainment to Fairfield. “I like how we are all working together to bring a different kind of fun to Fairfield,” she said. “And I like that this is bringing a spotlight to Fairfield.”
Mathes, a University of Iowa graduate, moved back to southeastern Iowa about six months ago with her husband and young daughter. She met her Midwestern husband while living in Las Vegas, and they lived in Nebraska briefly before relocating to Fairfield. She is excited about being part of a cultural “renaissance” in Fairfield, a burst of new businesses and an increasing focus on showcasing the city’s artistic side.
Her Full-Bodied Experience concept is a way to further connections among Fairfield’s residents and business owners, and tap into what she describes as its “beatnik vibe.” It’s also a unique way to expand on the enjoyment of wine as more than just a sensation of the palate.
“I feel you should have all of your senses involved in the enjoyment of wine,” she said. “It’s about looking at the glass, looking at the wine, touching the glass …. We thought this was a perfect way to continue the visual side of the experience.”
The gathering is 5 to 8 p.m. at SOMM, 58 S. Main St., and features complimentary wine, cheese, and soft music, in addition to Kesryth’s live painting.
Enjoy a look at Kesryth’s live painting experience during an afternoon gathering at SOMM wines in May.
