This is the best marriage of art with venue that we've seen in a long time.
On Thursday, Hugo Medina is debuting the second installment of his "CigarRollers" exhibit. The venue? Cubano's Cigar Lounge, where puffers can take advantage of cigar specials all night while peeping Medina's cigar-centric paintings.
Brilliant.
On the exhibition tip, this will be the second installment of "CigarRollers," the first taking place at Barrio Café this past April and May. Many of the portrait paintings of cigar makers in this show were pulled off using the Grisaille technique, an entirely monochromatic/near-monochromatic medium that utilizes all sorts of shade of grey to fill the canvas.
About the exhibit, the La Paz, Bolivia-born, Phoenix-based Medina says, "A person's eyes lets you see their soul. The person's hand tells a story of where they have been, what they have experienced. The 'CigarRollers' series gives the viewer an experience of both."
Reception hours are from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at Cubano's Cigar Lounge, 3305 West Chandler Road in Chandler. There will be free grub courtesy of Babaloos Cuban Café as well as guitar jazz music by Jerry Rulon-Maxwell. Admission is free. Go to www.cubanoscigarlounge.com or see Medina's Facebook page.
