NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: September 15, 2009

ARTURO CHÁVEZ WINS BEST OF SHOW AT INDIANAPOLIS WESTERN ART EXHIBIT

(Placitas, NM)—On Saturday, September 12, 2009 the Quest for the West annual sale and exhibition opened at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, in Indianapolis, IN. The juried exhibition included 170 works of art by 50 of the most talented Western Artists selected from across the United States. New Mexico artist, Arturo Chavez,; was awarded the Victor Higgins Award of Distinction “ Best of Show ” for a 48” by 96” painting entitled “New Mexico Warmth.”

One of the judges, Thomas Smith, Director of the Petrie Institute of Western American Art at the Denver Art Museum, said, “ Arturo Chavez's painting, New Mexico Warmth , was an obvious selection for best of show at the recent Eiteljorg Museum's annual Quest for the West exhibition and sale.  Avoiding the monumental, Chavez chose to depict an intimate moment when the sunlight illuminated orange cliffs during a New Mexico winter.  Not only was the work ambitious and superior in technical proficiency but his incorporation of snow in the paintings foreground created a large white mass of negative space which was clever as well as a great abstract design

Arturo Chavez said, “Winning this award is the highlight of my career so far. The Quest for the West exhibition includes artists whose work I have admired for decades and to be singled out in this crowd was definitely a huge honor. I was especially proud that the prize-winning painting showcased how spectacular the ordinary scenery is here in our beautiful state.”

Arturo Chavez, local artist, lives and paints in Placitas. Mr. Chavez is represented in Santa Fe by Gerald Peters Gallery. For more information about Arturo Chavez, visit www.arturochavez.com or contact Jennifer Chavez, at 238-5333. For more information about the Quest for the West Show contact James Nottage at the Eiteljorg Museum (317) 275- 1341 or visit www.quest.eiteljorg.org .