The King of Spolia conquers Paintallica... Or Vice Versa!?!

Zach admiring the art!

If you ever get a chance to meet Zachary Delbex, the leader behind Repurpose America, you will be automatically electrified by his passion. The man knows his business and that business is simple; reuse what others consider trash and repurpose it. Whether its taking huge banners and making them into badge holders for conventions, toiletries for the poor, or handing over a ton of cardboard, canvas and let artists create, Zach is the man with a vision.

Just a couple of days ago we were standing at the windows of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Zach looked up at a building next door that is supposed to be imploded and said, "I want all that glass"; referring to all it's windows. And I said what would you do with it? He just simply smiled. Goodness knows you could see the wheels spinning in his head as he looked up at the possibilities. This is the type of visionary Zach is. No challenge is too big for a man who literally sees treasure in other peoples trash.

This past week Zach and I went over to P3 gallery at The Cosmopolitan to see their latest artistic exploration and to visit one of the resident artists. Zach provided all the recyclable materials so the artists could create their vision. P3 is basically being transformed into a veritable fun house of regionally inspired art. Jay Schmidt who is one of the core artists of the arts collective Paintallica was on hand for the tour. You can tell this amazingly talented artist loves his work and what he and the Paintallica crew can create. As their website states:

Paintallica is a collaborative group of artists who make work that is intentionally confrontational and impulsive. Our installations emerge from a short series of rapid-fire all-night work sessions that incorporate drawing, painting, sculpture, and performance. The raw and uncensored nature of Paintallica is integral to the mission of addressing sensitive, immediate, and often taboo issues. 

We can easily deduce from that last statement Paintallica is perfectly at home in Las Vegas; the most amazingly taboo city in the world! And sticking with Las Vegas' motto What Happens in Vegas... Yada Yada Yada, Jay even got himself a tattoo right on his ______ (fill in the blank). I decided not to post that pic because I would be breaking the code. In any case Paintallica has taken Las Vegas by storm so make sure to hit up P3 Gallery at the The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Trust me you will not regret it!

For more information about Paintallica - http://paintallica.com/paintalica/Home.html

For more information about Repurpose America - http://www.repurposeamerica.org/

P3 Gallery at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Do not touch Zach!

Brian Paco Alvarez enculturating Las Vegas into the millennium...