Michael Ives at La Encantada Apple Store, Tucson, AZ

Fingerpainter Michael Ives has been invited to speak and showcase his work at 3 Apple locations throughout the Tucson and Phoenix areas this week. He’s also been invited to present his work to a regional MacIntosh users group.

“Michael iVes, iPhone Artist” is a discussion about the artist’s personal journey with the medium, the value and validity of using technology in art and how fingerpainting on the iPhone can enrich the lives of both professional and novice artists.

Ives has already completed three successful sessions including one at the La Encantada Store Mall in Tucson Arizona on February 18th and the other just last night at the Apple Store at San Tan Village in Gilbert. So far, the audiences have been pretty diverse, ranging from professional visual artists, mac enthusiasts and staff to the curious customer and/or passerby.

During the sessions Ives shares his experiences with the iphone as an art tool and walks the group through his own unique journey–his discovery of the medium, how it has enriched his life both personally and as a professional artist and marketing his works. He also discusses the ease in which he can print and display his art.

Ives shares his experiences and perspective on fingerpainting.

The talk also features video replays of two pieces, “Movie Night” and “A Summer Day” and a large framed print. He shares the group’s general reaction, “I had the impression by their reaction as they viewed my videos…that it was like walking an alien into the room; it’s something no one has seen before, something magic.” Well, I must say, your work is pretty stunning too, Michael!

Ives even awards two lucky "Door Prize" winners with framed prints of his work.

When asked about his message, the response is a reflection of an artistic and fun-loving spirit, “you don’t have to be a professional artist to really enjoy this technology.” Ives only offers fingerpainting to the community as a meaningful and fulfilling outlet that enriches lives in a way that extends well beyond a beautifully executed painting. He illustrates with a story, “I think my favorite story about the iPhone/Brushes is how a couple weeks ago, I casually showed a friend how I created a painting on my iPhone using Brushes. The next time I saw her she mentioned how she had bought the brushes app and how she and her daughter spent the afternoon laughing and having the best time creating paintings on their iPhone. She said that she had not been that close or experienced that joy with her daughter in a long time. After deciding which painting they liked the best, they printed it out, framed it up and by that evening it was on the daughter’s bedroom wall for all to see…For my money, that is a powerful story of the human spirit and what art should be all about. The availability and friendliness of the iPhone and Brushes makes this possible.”

Michael Ives’ final speaking engagement is at the Biltmore Apple Store in Phoenix today at 12pm MST. If you can make it, you most definitely should stop by! For those who can’t make it, no worries! You can learn more about the artist by viewing his website, www.ivesart.com, or checking out his fantastic stream of work on Flickr.

Ives poses with "Movie Night" display.

Are you sharing your iPhone art or fingerpaintings with your community?  Let us know how!