Lee and I went to Las Vegas last week for the West Coast Art and Frame Show.  We arrived on Saturday and had some leisure time before the seminar classes started.

I have to thank my local Stouts Shoes salesman for recommending Mon Ami Gabi for dinner at the Paris Hotel and Casino.  We enjoyed the most delicious mussels mariniere served with frites and a fabulous view of the Bellagio from their outdoor patio.

I had captured this scene years before in my sketchbook from a cafe on the street level.  When sketching a scene, the more senses you engage, the more you retain the memory.  When I look at that sketch, I can hear the sounds of the Bellagio's synchronized fountains and taste the french bread dipped in mariniere.  We highly recommend the outdoor patio at Mon Ami Gabi if you go to Vegas.

After dinner we headed to the Bellagio to see the current exhibit in their gallery. We encountered the art of Richard MacDonald on the way in a new gallery just outside of the O Theatre which is open to the public.  We were both overwhelmed by the expressiveness of the faces and movement of the sculptures.  Inspired by live dancers and acrobats from Cirque de Soleil, MacDonald literally moves with and dances around his models while sculpting their form.

I have always had an appreciation for ballet and Lee competed in college as a gymnast.  Perhaps it was that connection that captivated our attention,  never had we both been so moved by works of art.

The gallery rep referred to him as "the Degas,  Rodin, or Michelangelo of our time.  Having been fortunate enough to experience the works of all those artists, I would have to agree with him.  Each of these sculptors depict the human form exquisitely and MacDonald ranks among them.  The movements of his works seem to defy gravity and the facial expressions communicate the true expressions of a live performer.  Amazing!

If you find yourself in Vegas, don't miss an opportunity to see Richard MacDonald's work.