The Amazing Art Expo wants to connect Dallas pop culture fans with fine art
A look at the Amazing Art Expo, a convention designed to showcase fine art based on popular film and TV franchises.
From rich forests and bright sunrises over the horizon to detailed desert dunes and star-speckled night skies, Christopher Clark’s paintings feature beautiful landscapes. They also happen to include renowned renditions of Star Wars characters, Marvel superheroes and many other pop culture icons.
Clark, an officially licensed artist for LucasFilm, Disney and Marvel, will be one of the artists selling original works and meeting audiences at the Amazing Art Expo. The free-to-attend touring convention brings accomplished pop culture artists to different cities around the country, with an upcoming stop in Dallas at the Crowne Plaza Dallas Downtown on December 15-17.
“The whole idea is its fan art on a fine art level,” Amazing Art Expo President Nick Meagher said.
Meagher explained that the expo, started in Colorado by Meagher’s business partner John McIntire, aims to spotlight the best artwork someone might find at a comic convention.
“It’s a focus on the pop culture artwork that you would see at a comic con, and the artists themselves, as opposed to all the extra merchandise outside of that,” Meagher said.
That means the expo encourages attendees to come dressed in cosplay as they peruse the show, adding a bit of a convention flair to the experience.
Meagher said the expo’s overall goal is to introduce attendees to fine art through “subtly geeky, beautiful” pieces that they would want to hang in their homes.
Clark’s work is a prime example of the Expo’s mission, as the artist’s accolades include becoming a featured artist for Marvel and LucasFilm at San Diego Comic-Con and counting George Lucas himself as a collector of his work.
The Dallas edition of the Amazing Art Expo also includes Adam Michaels, a watercolor painter whose works appear in prominent galleries in Chicago and Los Angeles. Meagher highlighted Michaels for his “fun 90s nostalgia” and horror-themed pieces.
In addition, Sumi-e artist Shane Sauer will be making his first appearance at the expo in Dallas. Sumi-e is a Japanese ink painting style that Sauer utilizes to create popular pieces based on different anime and gaming characters.
Meagher said each featured artist will be free to meet with attendees who can watch them add live embellishments to their pieces.
Attendees will also be able to buy both prints and original works from each featured artist as well as from other pop culture-focused artists not in attendance, like Bucket, an anonymous artist known for parody pieces that put famous characters in comedic situations. Meagher said it makes the event an introduction to purchasing fine art for some attendees.
“One of the number one comments we hear at our shows is people tell us, ‘You know, I didn’t really buy art until now,’ and we’re the tipping point for them buying art,” Meagher said.
The Amazing Art Expo runs from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on December 15 and noon to 6:00 p.m. on December 16 and 17 at the Crowne Plaza Dallas Downtown. Admission is free, with cosplayers encouraged to submit their costumes for review via email to earn a $45 gift certificate to use at the expo. For more information about the expo, including cosplay details, visit the Amazing Art Expo Eventbrite page or head to https://amazingartexpo.com/.
