Events & Shows

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- On the occasion of the Florida Boat Show in Fort Lauderdale, artist Cedric Loth (www.lothart.com) will exhibit his latest work at Las Olas Fine Arts Gallery, located at 701 East Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, from October 23 until November 7, 2004. The bronze collection, entitled "Fighting Back," pays homage to the sea and brings the world of deep-sea fishing to sculpture in a way never seen before. And for the first time, the whole collection will be exhibited; it is comprised of 13 bronze sculptures and pastel drawing studies.

Cedric Loth has worked in graphic arts for over 30 years. An avid seaman, he has always been fascinated by boats and the big blue. What makes his approach so unique is the way he combines technical mastery with a solid dose of humour.

He explains: "Everybody has heard fisherman stories; there is always a lot of fun, drama, exaggeration and a bit of mystery attached to them. To really get the truth, you just had to be on board! So I made up a story as well to create great characters. Had I stuck to real-life situations, I couldn't have developed as many compositions. Humour allows me to go further in the creative process, to exploit fishing stories to their fullest while keeping their realistic side."

"I fell in love twice with Loth's work. First, with Metal Hurlant, I've wondered who could come up with these unbelievable drawings. Many years later, it all came together when I discovered his work again. This time, in Bronze. Loth's work: timeless," says Las Olas Fine Arts owner, Stephane Rioux.

The sculptor's work is evocative of both the Florentine School and Rodin in method and technique. Yet it is strongly inspired by literature, notably Hemingway, Conrad and Melville. Each piece is the product of a complex casting technique called "cire perdue," or lost wax, and anywhere from 10 to 20 molds are used in the process. The molding, soldering and application of patina chemicals require the work of many highly trained artisans. The sculptures are mounted on pivoting bases and only a limited number are cast.

With names like Fish and Chick, Where is the tuna?, Pointing Boy, Hollywood Producer or Revenge the bronzes are evocative of the freedom so cherished by boat lovers worldwide. The Fighting Back exhibit offers amateurs a rare glimpse of the primordial battle of man against his own nature. A dual fascination with the sea, somewhat familiar to the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show aficionados: the need to confront it and the desire to return.

More information about Cedric Loth's work can be found at www.lothart.com.


Cedric Loth - Biography.

Born in Canada in 1955, Cedric Loth has worked in the graphic arts for over 30 years. He is highly respected by his peers and the public for his incomparable graphic eye, his technical mastery and his undeniable sense of humour.

He started his career at 17 as an editorial cartoonist for major dailies Le Soleil and Le Devoir in the province of Quebec. Later on, his caricatures have appeared in such notable publications as Time Magazine.

His album Atlantic City (in collaboration with author Pierre Montour) has been nominated by the 2004 Montreal Book Show as "one of the 25 most influential work" done in graphic novels in the last 25 years.

Loth award-winning graphic novels for the renowned comic book Metal Hurlant (Heavy Metal) have been published in 7 languages for various European markets including France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Holland.

Prior to the Fighting Back collection, Loth created in 1999 the American Riders series, described as follows: "The bikers portrayed in the exhibition share similarities with the Wild West sculptures of Frederic Remington. Both portray a stylized and distilled image of the last free men of the time. Remington captured romantic visions of cowboys and Native Americans; Cedric Loth focuses instead on the most beloved and reviled segment of fringe society." - Keith Marchand, Montreal Mirror, Montreal

In August 2004, the Fighting Back exhibition in Nantucket won high praise:
"Loth's work brings images of deep-sea fishermen to life. Loth casts his unique figures through the painstaking lost wax procedure, and the end results are technical and physical marvels that are highly sought-after by collectors." - William Ferrall, N Magazine, Nantucket

The artist presently resides in Quebec with his family and enjoys summering in Nantucket and on the Atlantic seaboard.