Modern Day Vagabonds Now booking accommodations for June 20th-July 20th in Salt Lake City and Park City. ARTISTS AARON MEMMOTT AND PENELOPE MOORE have been traveling the country on a painting adventure for nearly a year, while paying next-to-nothing for their accommodations. They gave up their permanent residence and jobs in Savannah, GA--where Memmott had a full time faculty position as a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design--to set sail on what has become an unpredictable and rewarding undertaking. They aren't homeless, and they don't live in hovels. They have been trading their artwork to stay in vacation rentals and second homes. With perseverance, planning, hard work and talent they have successfully pitched a win-win art swap proposal to friends, collectors and total strangers. Thus far, they have had a tremendous response. The couple started their journey in Utah and made their first trade in June 2008, when they swapped their paintings for a chic, downtown Salt Lake City apartment. Next, they lived in an upscale condo at the Canyons Ski Resort in Park City during the remainder of summer and fall. They spent two weeks in Albuquerque in a rustic hillside retreat, while they exhibited their work at the Downtown Arts Festival. Then moved to a luxurious mountain hideaway in Heber City where they spent three months developing a brand new body of work. They are currently traveling through Northern California and Wine Country working on new pieces for their exhibition in San Francisco. After their stint in Northern California they will head back to Utah to participate in the Utah Arts Festival and the Park City Food and Wine Classic this summer. Then couple will spend five weeks in the South of France. They are a busy pair; traveling to paint and painting to travel. "In a world of uncertainty, it was a gamble," says Moore, "but we wanted to devote our time exclusively to nurturing and building our fine art careers." While they travel they keep their galleries, friends, family, fans and collectors up to date with their whereabouts, stories, pictures and even recipes via their various websites and blogs. The couple decided to begin in Utah because Moore grew up in Salt Lake City and Memmott attended the University of Utah where he received his BFA in Fine Art. Before moving to Savannah, Memmott received his MFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he also taught for three years. Moore also received her BFA from the Academy of Art University. Memmott's canvases are essentially urban. He uses a rich palette to paint scenes of glowing streetlights, nightlife, neighborhood intersections, wet reflective streets in signature parts of town, with an emphasis on perspective and light. He frequently paints dynamic diptych and triptych panoramas of the towns and cities he visits. Moore also paints her surroundings, but instead of cityscapes, she focuses on still-life and interiors. Her inspiration often begins in social settings such as candle lit restaurants, wine bars and trendy lounges. She often depicts the way a wineglass or table fork reflects the surrounding atmosphere and light. By painting her subjects larger-than-life, emphasizing abstracted shapes (usually found in distortions and reflections of glass and metal), skewing the perspective, and by pushing color Moore offers her viewers new and interesting ways to perceive commonly encountered places and objects. Memmott is currently writing an online course for the Savannah College of Art and Design and teaches evening art classes sponsored by the Park City School District to adults. Moore also teaches an advanced painting online course for the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. When they're not painting and teaching, they spend time tracking their gallery representation, assessing upcoming art festivals, shows and competitions, and working on their next equal-value trade of high quality original oil paintings for a place to prop their easels. For more info please visit their websites: Penelope Moore -- Contemporary Still Life Paintings www.moorepenelope.com Aaron T. Memmott - Urban and Landscape Paintings www.aaronmemmott.com Galleries: Gallery MAR, Park City, UT--www.gallerymar.com Chroma Art Gallery, Savannah, GA--www.chromaartgallery.com Park Place Gallery, Leawood, KS--www.theparkplacegallery.com Alpine Art, Salt Lake City, UT--www.alpineartinc.com SUMMER 2009 EXHIBITIONS: Utah Art Festival June 25-28th, 2009 12:00-11:00 pm Downtown, Library Square 200 East 400 South Salt Lake City, UT www.uaf.org Local Fireworks Friday, July 3rd, 2009 5-8pm Gallery MAR 580 Main Street Park City, UT www.gallerymar.com It's a Lush Life A stop on the Stroll of Park CIty Park City Food and Wine Classic Friday, July 10th, 2009 4:00-7:00 pm Gallery MAR 580 Main Street Park City, UT www.gallerymar.com Park City Food and Wine Classic Grand Tasting Event - Toast of Park City Saturday, July 11th, 2009 3:00-6:00 pm The Canyons Resort Park City, UT www.parkcityfoodandwineclassic.com dogs are OK - wooof Location: SLC or Park City, UT it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests utah