STAMFORD PLUS.COM
MAY 20, 2010
Renowned landscape artist and national TV host to exhibit at the Lockwood-Matthews Mansion Museum

ARTnews ARTTALK
Issue: December, 2009

NEW YORK, NY.- An innovative new format of arts programming that takes viewers to the actual locations where Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and eleven other great artists created some of their best known works and explores their lives, techniques and inspiration received a national Daytime Emmy Award in the Special Class category for Outstanding Writing by David Dunlop. The PBS series, Landscapes Through Time with David Dunlop, was produced by SimmonsArt Inc. in association with Connecticut Public Television (CPTV). The award was presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Creative Arts Award ceremony in Los Angeles, California on August 29, 2009. Landscapes Through Time with David Dunlop was also nominated for Outstanding Direction by Connie Simmons in the Special Class category. Landscapes Through Time’s host and writer, David Dunlop, was humbled by the national honor. “A lump of awe, thrill, and humility gathered in my throat as I learned of our series winning the Emmy. That Larry Rifkin at CPTV, Connie Simmons and I could see our collective efforts bloom into such recognition startles, stuns, and humbles me. Our show tested the limits of convention, synthesizing a spectrum of history, art, emotion and science in a novel form. This success recognizes that painting and the arts are still an important part of our culture and society.” Series creator and producer Connie Simmons was thrilled and grateful to see Landscapes Through Time and the inspired and entertaining writing of David Dunlop recognized with such an honor. “This has been an amazing adventure - David’s many gifts include a unique and fascinating way of integrating art, history, philosophy and how the mind works. He has made one of civilization’s greatest inspiring achievements accessible to the many people who find art an intimidating subject and he has made art, and a broad appreciation of it, come alive. I am so happy to be able to give my heartfelt congratulations to David and to all of the amazing people involved in making our series, including Larry Rifkin and our friends at CPTV and PBS.” CPTV’s Senior Programming Executive Larry Rifkin, who helped shepherd Landscapes Through Time from concept to national distribution, commented on its groundbreaking success. “From the very start we saw the real intersection of entertainment and enlightenment that Connie Simmons and David Dunlop brought to this outstanding series,” said Rifkin. “We couldn’t be more pleased to see the project honored on a national stage.” In each of the thirteen episodes of Landscape s Through Time, historian and artist David Dunlop takes viewers on a sweeping historical tour of European and American locations that served as sources of inspiration to some of the world’s most influential artists. He journeys to Monet’s waterlily garden in Giverny, van Gogh’s asylum in St. Remy in Provence, Cezanne’s Mont Sainte-Victoire, Cole’s Kaaterskill Falls in the Hudson River Valley, and Inness’ panoramic views overlooking New York, among others. Setting up his easel where the artists had set theirs, Dunlop illustrates their techniques – from choices of primer, brush, and palette – by loosely replicating their efforts. Inspired by Dunlop’s infectious enthusiasm and encyclopedic knowledge, Landscape s Through Time combines art, history, travel, philosophy, science and technique to explore the power and magic of the act of artistic creation. The series was produced by SimmonsArt Inc. in association with Connecticut Public Television and is still broadcast on PBS stations nationwide. SimmonsArt is currently in preproduction for the next 13 episodes of Landscape s Through Time. Wilton, Connecticut resident David Dunlop is a classically trained artist, who received his Masters of Fine Arts at Pratt Institute in New York City. Dunlop is represented in many galleries and museums nationally and internationally. He is also a popular lecturer, giving talks and workshops around the country and in many museums and galleries, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Connie Simmons, president of SimmonsArt, is an independent producer and director in New York City who began her career as an entertainment lawyer in private practice. She was part of the management team that launched the Food Network in 1993.