The work of Kyle Jordre

This Saturday is the Downtown Phoenix Festival of the Arts in Heritage Square. Below is some brief, essential info, but I really want to focus on just one of the many events of the festival: an epic paint-off between supreme local talents Kyle Jordre, Gabe Sandoval, Ken Peloke and Taylor Swick. A duel this weighty only comes around these parts when the Spurs play the Suns twice a year at US Airways Center.

Jordre paints wall-sized, splattered, colorific paintings using any number of methods. The results are visually stunning. Then you have Sandoval, who uses aerosol like nobody’s business. Swick’s work is the most diverse, using oil and acrylics on various mediums of all shapes and sizes. Lastly, Peloke, a self-described “hermit” in the art world, has just started showing his work publicly. Will he rise to the challenge or will his nerves get to him? You have to show up to find out.

In the Know: Downtown Phoenix Festival of the Arts

March 20, 2010, 4-11 p.m. at Heritage and Science Park

Benefitting Artlink, the Volunteer Legal Assistance for Artists, First Fridays in Heritage Square and the Rosson House Museum

Admission is $10 presale and $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased through downtownartfest.blogspot.com.