Recollected By The Artist Ron Suchiu
When it came to the launch of Pure Blues, the big question was: “Where would the very best place be to unveil such a Hollywood painting?” The answer, coincidentally, was obvious – Hollywood!
With that decided, my team and I loaded up the truck and moved the Pure Blues original painting to Beverly Hills – home of the stars.
Fun fact: Pure Blues is the only painting I’ve ever created to earn a Frequent Flyer Air Miles card. That’s right – inanimate objects can have a license to fly frequently and earn perks from the airport’s Air Miles program. The original Pure Blues painting has travelled from Windsor, Ontario, to Los Angeles, California, and back three times over and continues to travel at the time of writing.
Back to the story, the unveiling would occur at a special event dedicated to Canadian Environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki and hosted by Dan Aykroyd at the iconic blues music landmark Sunset Boulevard’s House of Blues.
What a night it was! The painting had made it safely to LA, and the formal unveiling was on the third-floor private party venue, the “Foundation Room”.
Pure Blues drew in a crowd – Aykroyd sent out invitations to a long list of his celebrity friends and colleagues and, in his words, had the biggest VIP turnout he had ever experienced. Every icon in attendance stayed and witnessed the grand unveiling, marking a night that was fundamental in the painting’s providence and my origin story as a careered artist.
The Guest List
Ashley McIsaac • David Foster • Martin Short • Chevy Chase • Jeff Healey • Gordon Lightfoot • Sam Moore • Jeff “Skunk” Baxter • Tom “Bones” Malone • Duck Dunn • Dan Aykroyd • Jim Belushi • Mike Myers • Michael Keaton • Patty “Tawnia” Hearst • Michelle Wright • Ed Begley Jr. • John Goodman • David Suzuki • Judy Belushi • Bob Thick • Pat Morita • Catherine O’Hara • Stephanie Powers • Howie Mandel • Donna Dickson • Ivan Reitman • Jean Paul DiJoria • Ed McMahon • Michael Budman • Keely Shaye Smith • Edgar Bronfman • Amanda Marshall • Joe Flaherty