In 1992, Palden Gyatso finally escaped his environment after being starved and tortured for nearly his entire adult life. When he escaped, he fled across the Himalayas to India to seek refuge. Fire Under The Snow is his story. The World Premiere film was released at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2008. It will soon be released to audiences world wide. Fire Under The Snow is also a book.

Fire Under The Snow, was first published in Great Britan in 1997 by the Harvill Press. The book has been translated into several languages.

Fire Under The Snow is neither a historical story nor a mystical one. It is simply a story of one man, faced with the inhumanity of a system perpetrated in the name of progress and ideology. It is his testimony to the suffering of the Tibetan nation during the Cultural Revolution.

The forward of Fire Under The Snow, was written by the Dalai Lama.  It reads in part:  “Palden Gyatso evokes the horrific years of the Cultural Revolution with deep compassion for others who suffered with him. It was not the threat of execution that most terrified him, but the inhumanity and cruelty he was forced to witness.”

I had the distinct honor and privledge of meeting Palden Gyatso in September 2008, during his visit to Hallmark Gallery in La Jolla, California.  Hallmark Gallery, located in the center of the Village of La Jolla, on Prospect Street, has for sale the captivating photography of Phil Borges, a world renowned photographer.

Palden Gyatso, a Buddhist monk since childhood, was arrested by the Chinese Communist Army in 1959. He spent the next 33 years in prison for the "crimes" of peaceful demonstration and refusal to denounce his apolitical teacher as an Indian spy. He was tortured, starved and sentenced to hard labor. He watched his nation and culture destroyed, his teachers, friends and family displaced, jailed or killed under Chinese occupation.

Mr. Borges worked with the Dalai Lama on a collection of photographs for his book Tibetan Portrait.  Palden Gyatso is one of the portraits found in Tibetan Portrait .  Hallmark Gallery in La Jolla, also has the photograph of Palden Gyatso for sale, it hangs on our Phil Borges wall.

Palden, black and white fine art photography by photographer Phil Borges

One day, a client of Hallmark Gallery, La Jolla, happened to recognize the black and white photograph taken by Phil Borges, hanging on the wall of the gallery.  He told me, ”hey, that’s Palden Gyatso, he’s a friend of mine”.

That’s how I found out about Fire Under The Snow, the book, and Fire Under The Sun, the film released by the Tribeca Film Festival.  That’s also how I came to meet Palden Gyatso.  Hallmark Gallery’s client told me that next time Palden Gyatso comes to La Jolla, he’ll bring him by Hallmark Gallery for a visit.  And so he did.  Although Palden Gyatso did not have his translator with him during his visit, this simple Tibetan Monk whose smile lights up a room, was able to communicate simply by his presence. There was a lot of sign language and gestures, but little verbal interaction since we did not speak the other’s language.

Wow. What a terrific experience. Thanks to Rob Mitchell, Hallmark Gallery’s owner, for his generosity and being the awesome person he is, and also for being present for Palden Gyatso’s gallery visit.

As I watched the guests arrive, I couldn’t help thinking how lucky I am to live and work in one of the most beautiful cities in the United States.  La Jolla is a “Jewel” in San Diego county.

But this post is not about San Diego, nor is it about La Jolla, California.  It’s about a quiet unassuming gentleman, the artist, William Debilzan. The June show was my first opportunity to meet Mr. DeBilzan, or rather “Bill” (he prefers Bill to Mr. DeBilzan).  I was thrilled. It was sort of like meeting a Rock Star for me. From the day I began as a consultant for Hallmark Gallery, William DeBilzan’s paintings just captivated me.  Perhaps it is for this reason so many people have approached me to learn more about Bill’s paintings and to purchase it.

Reason Why - original mixed media by William DeBilzan

I was immediately taken by his bold colors and the anonymous figures he paints which seem to speak through their posture as clearly as if through an audible voice. William DeBilzan uses a variety of recycled material which he incorporates onto his multimedia canvas. The simplicity of his composition is made complex by texture and the color palette he uses so perfectly.  His work is bold and challenging but with a playful nature.  The wood frames he custom makes for each individual piece are typically as interesting as his paintings.

Inclined To Do So - original mixed media by William DeBilzan

William DeBilzan’s paintings have been featured in Film and Television.  “Frasier”; “Just Shoot Me”; “Spin City”; “L.A. Doctors”; and, “Housewives of Orange County” are some shows where one can find his paintings. His paintings also liven the walls of quite a few of La Jolla’s most prized designer homes.

William DeBilzan was also commissioned by the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra to create a huge visual interpretation of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Concertos to accompany the symphony’s performance of this classic.

I invite everybody to visit us in La Jolla and stop by Hallmark Gallery to check out William’s DeBilzan’s newest paintings.  If you are not in the area, then stop by the website to experience Bill’s work on your own, of give us a call to find a piece that is perfect for you.  Art continues to be an excellent investment in these tumultuous financial times.

Christine Molina is Hallmark Gallery’s #1 art consultant.

This contemporary custom oval cabinet by Edgar Lamas combines beauty and function, is designed for the art collector or homeowner with the most discriminating tastes.

Whether looking at his wall art paintings or his amazing modern home furnishings, Edgar Lamas is one of those craftsmen who takes a simple idea from functionality and transforms it into a stunning artistic statement.

Another beautiful custom cabinet by artist/designer Edgar Lamas.

Edgar’s works can span the range from brilliant sparkling Kandinsky style graphical multimedia paintings to colorful abstract pieces embellished with his unique hand metal work.  In the area of design, it may be a decorative pedestal or a bar;  a cabinet or a bookshelf.  Either way, the work will always be a culmination of art, design and exceptional craftsmanship. Edgar Lamas has an extraordinary gift in bringing all these elements together into a bold artistic statement.

Edgar Lamas combines exotic woods with metal work (typically stainless steel), automotive grade paints, hand etching, and  sometimes adds Swarovski crystals to his creations.  I say creations because it’s almost insulting to call his work just art, furniture or cabinetry because it’s so much more.

Each of Edgar Lamas’ creations combine functionality with elegance. Engineering with design.  It is art.  It is furniture. It is creativity.  It is a piece of beauty.

Edgar’s work is very limited in availability due to the high demand and extensive labor intensive nature of his work. Edgar’s works can therefore can be found exclusively at Hallmark Gallery in La Jolla, California.

You don’t need a lot of knowledge about art to collect art.  You don’t need a Masters Degree in Fine Art to know what you like. If you see a piece of art that you keep coming back to or a piece of art that stirs some kind of emotion inside of you, that’s all you need. (Of course you will need a means to purchase when you begin your collection or are augmenting your existing art collection).

Although art collecting is as varied as the art collected, the reasons for collecting art vary just as much.  If you are buying art to fill a blank wall, then you are not collecting, you are just decorating. If you buy art for this purpose, you will no doubt fall into a trap.  The trap being that after probably several months of looking at that piece of art hanging on the wall which used to be a blank wall, you’ll get tired of it and probably decide the blank wall wasn’t so bad after all.

If you buy art because you love it, because it moves you, because it reminds you of something or someone…whatever the emotion is that is stirred inside of you, you will find yourself loving it more and more as time passes. When you collect a piece of art and hang it on the wall, you will never think to yourself that the wall is better off bare.

The best advice that I can provide the beginning art collector is this:  go to your local library and pick up some art magazines and begin looking through them (you don’t need to go out and buy new art magazines…save your money for that first piece of art).  You’ll start developing an eye for what you like and what you don’t like.  Then start going to art shows, sign up for gallery receptions and attend one or two a month.  You’ll begin to know which gallery’s carry what you are more drawn to and which gallery’s really don’t cater to your taste.  These techniques are teaching you to develop your eye for art. You’ll begin to notice what you are drawn into and what you really just don’t care for.

For the experienced art collector, I think it is important to subscribe to art magazines, keeping abreast on the latest trends in the art market. Also signing up for gallery receptions.  Gallery receptions are a great way to blend into the background. Typically there are a lot of people walking around so you can see what the different gallery’s are offering in terms of the artists they carry. You can decide to purchase something at the reception, otherwise go back the next day and ask your specific questions of that particular artist and the piece of art that caught your eye.  This also doesn’t waste your time with a consultant following you around the gallery talking to you about every single artist you happen to be glancing at; and, the consultant’s time is not wasted on you when they can instead be assisting somebody who really does have a question on a specific piece of art.

Keep checking back frequently to our Hallmark Gallery website for featured articles and our unique collective work which changes from time to time.

Drake, by Frogman, Tim Cotterill

I first learned about Tim Cotterill (or Frogman as he’s commonly known) and his bronze frogs, geckos and koi, at Hallmark Gallery in La Jolla, California.

Frogman creates very vibrant, whimsical bronze pieces that catch the eye immediately and captivate the heart without skipping a beat.

Frogman uses a lost wax technique created thousand of years ago by the Egyptians.  Each of Frogman’s bronze sculptures vary in size from miniatures to monumental pieces. Each sculpture has a uniquely hand applied patina, it’s own name, it’s own character and distinct facial expressions.

I should know. I’ve got a gecko, a miniture frog, and a medium size frog sculpture appropriately named “Out on a Limb”.

Out on a Limb by Frogman, Tim Cotterill

Frogman was recently highlighted in Western Art & Architecture publication, Summer/Fall 2008, edition. Although this publication is North American, Frogman and his bronze sculptures are known world wide.

Frogman, Tim Cotterill, is not only a talented artist, but is also a humanitarian. His love of frogs inspires him to sculpt, but his love of mankind inspires him to make a difference in the world. In 2005, Frogman started a non-profit organization for humanitarian efforts globally. Most recently, Frogman paid for the construction of an essential surgical unit at Bwindi Community Health Care in Southwest Uganda.

Here in La Jolla, and specifically at Hallmark Gallery, we are proud to feature Frogman as one of our permanent artist’s along with the fine art of many talented and well respected artists in the world wide art community.

Come visit us or give me a call if you would like to add these whimsical beautiful creatures to your collection.

Christine Molina is the Art Consultant at Hallmark Galleries La Jolla.