Creative Properties Builds Buzz
Licenses the Work of the Leader of Avant Pop Art Movement
11/12/08
New York—Branching out beyond its successful licensing business aimed at children, Creative Properties has signed an agreement with prolific pop artist Peter Mars to represent his work in new lines of product featuring his existing and future paintings, currently showcased in galleries across the US in markets including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego and Pittsburgh.
Peter Mars has been hailed as the leader of the Avant Pop movement, celebrating the melding of pop culture, consumerism and mass media, richly layered with an avant-garde sensibility of innovation. His work has been praised as "witty and excitingly of the moment" (New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper).
Mars' paintings incorporate the use of silkscreen on a variety of media including canvas, paper and wood. The art of silkscreen has been popularized by contemporary artists including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Alexander Calder. Mars is inspired by everyday objects such as old signs, billboards, candy wrappers, and matchbooks. In the tradition of pop art, Mars' paintings often feature familiar and repetitive images, each in a slightly different context.
In the first collaboration deal arranged by Creative Properties for the artist, Peter Mars has been named an official artist of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., (EPE). Through this collaboration, Mars will be granted access to over 60,000 images of Elvis from the Graceland Archives and will create a new series of Elvis-inspired paintings to be sold through galleries and to appear on select officially licensed Elvis merchandise.
Creative Properties is seeking new partnerships with major global brands to create exclusive new lines of fine art featuring Mars' interpretation of a company's trademarks, characters or brands, to be sold through galleries. They will also be his representative when companies or individuals commission his artwork for corporate collections or advertising and to commemorate special events and anniversaries. Product categories for high-end, worldwide distribution might include fashion and accessories and home décor.
"We're delighted to represent an artist of Peter's stature and talent," said Steven Scebelo, senior vice president, business development for Creative Properties. "His work embodies the pop culture of today's 21st century America and gives us a lot to work with creatively. Peter's sensibility enables us to present business partners with a creative approach to a wide range of product and exhibition ideas."
Mars is frequently asked to create original works of art for a wide range of high-profile corporations, events and exhibitions including Cows on Parade in Chicago and Cool Globes, a public exhibition presented in Chicago and San Francisco, created to raise awareness of global warming and Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. Mars also designed the cover and interior art for the fifth album of the rock band The Redwalls. His work was commissioned by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and is featured in the private collections of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Michael Jordan, and Sheryl Crow. Peter Mars artwork has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the Late Show with David Letterman.
Creative Properties was founded in 2005 by Liz Conyngham and Carolann Dunn, licensing industry veterans who had previously worked together at United Media. They are the exclusive worldwide agent for Corduroy™, the classic bear featured in a series of best-selling pre-school books by Don Freeman and published by Penguin Books. They are currently preparing to launch a licensing program for Monster-Proof™ based on friendly characters designed to help children overcome their fears of the dark.
Creative Properties has a long track record with a wide range of classic and contemporary properties and the principals have previously managed multi-million-dollar properties including Peanuts, Major League Baseball, Precious Moments, and Flower Fairies. The Creative Properties team has also initiated joint licensing and promotional programs with artists Peter Max and LeRoy Neiman. They have marketed their properties in all major product categories and have worked with some of the world's most highly regarded and successful companies, including Coach, The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Electronic Arts, General Electric, Haddad Apparel Group, Hallmark, Hasbro, M&M/Mars, Mattel, Microsoft, Nabisco, NASCAR, Nintendo, QVC, and Sony. Creative Properties is a member of the Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA).