BALTIMORE, 04-20-08--Equine & Sports Artist Susan Sommer-Luarca will unveil her Official Poster for the 2008 Preakness® Stakes at the Post-Position Draw for the middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown on Wednesday, May 14 at 5 p.m. at the ESPN Zone in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Sommer-Luarca has also been invited by the Maryland Jockey Club to paint live at the 2008 Preakness at Pimlico Race Course scheduled for Saturday, May 17.
Sommer-Luarca's commemorative painting will be auctioned to benefit the "NTRA Charities - Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, a special division of the NTRA's nonprofit 501 (c) (3) subsidiary NTRA Charities, that has been established to receive contributions to aid the nation's 60 permanently disabled jockeys with their health care and daily living expenses.
“We are excited that Susan Sommer-Luarca will paint live at the 2008 Preakness Stakes,” said EJ Luarca, President of SSL Worldwide LLC -- Susan Sommer-Luarca's exclusive fine art publisher. "And, of equal importance is that we can auction her commemorative painting to raise funds for such an important charity as the 'NTRA Charities - Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.'"
Sommer-Luarca stated, from her studio in Springfield, MO, “I am very honored to be have been invited by the Maryland Jockey Club to create the Official Poster and also paint live at the 2008 Preakness Stakes. It is my desire to capture the magic and energy of such a classic race. In addition, I feel very fortunate that I am in a position to support the 'NTRA Charities - Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.'"
According to Bob Nettles, Vice-President, All Pro Championships, Inc. -- exclusive on-site merchandiser for the 2008 Preakness Stakes -- "All Pro Championships along with the Maryland Jockey Club are very excited to have commissioned Susan Sommer-Luarca to create the Official Poster for the Preakness. We are confident that art enthusiasts, as well as horse racing fans, alike, will collect Susan Sommer-Luarca's Official Poster.
Sommer-Luarca will be present at Pimlico Race Course for several Official Poster signings for the public on the following dates, times and locations:
Friday, May 16
12:00-2:00 p.m. – Pimlico first-floor grandstand near Hayward Avenue entrance
3:00-4:00 p.m. – Turfside Terrace Premium Seating
Saturday, May 17
9:30-11:30 a.m. – Pimlico first-floor grandstand near Hayward Avenue entrance
12:00-1:00 p.m. – Turfside Terrace Premium Seating
2:00-3:00 p.m. – PNC Preakness Village
About the 'NTRA Charities - Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund'
The NTRA Charities - Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, a special division of the NTRA's nonprofit 501 (c) (3) subsidiary NTRA Charities, has been established to receive contributions to aid the nation's 60 permanently disabled jockeys with their health care and daily living expenses. Contributions can be made immediately via mail to: NTRA Charities -- Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, c/o NTRA 2525 Harrodsburg Road, Suite 500. Lexington, KY 40504. All contributions are tax deductible. Questions regarding the fund can be directed to the NTRA's Lexington office, (800) 792-NTRA (6872). For additional information, please visit: www.ntra.com.
ABOUT SUSAN SOMMER-LUARCA
Susan Sommer-Luarca painted live at all three legs of the 2007 Triple Crown, and was invited to paint live at the NFL Experience at Super Bowl XLII. She has recently been selected to be the Official Artist of the 2008 Preakness® Stakes. Susan Sommer-Luarca is also an Official Artist of the 2008 USA Olympic Team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Summer Games.
Susan Sommer-Luarca was born and raised in southwest Missouri on her family's farm. Susan grew up with respect, love and compassion for all animals. At the early age of eight and with no formal art training, Susan was drawing and painting the many horses on the farm with great attention to detail. As Susan grew, so did the scope and scale of her art. Susan has been painting larger than life murals and fine works of art for more than twenty years, detailing wildlife and its habitat for all to enjoy. From her huge eighty-foot life-size blue whales to stampeding wild horses, Susan has painted her murals across the USA.
Over twelve years ago Bass Pro Shops, a worldwide and known supporter of conservation and wildlife recognized Susan's artistic talent and her love for all that is wildlife. Bass Pro Shops commissioned Susan to paint her larger than life murals in many of their Outdoor World stores across America. In 1995, Susan painted what at the time was the largest continuous indoor mural in the United States. At over 14,000 square feet the mural depicted an underwater scene with an array of oceanic life including coral reefs, whales, sharks, stingrays and a variety of other sea life. Susan's work has been seen and aired by many of the major national media outlets including, NBC, CBS, ABC, ESPN, NY Times, LA Times, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune and People magazine, just to name a few. In 2006 Susan started her own wildlife conservation and preservation foundation, the "SSL for Habitat." Formed as a not-for-profit organization. Susan is committed to her vision of garnering awareness to the necessary preservation of wildlife and its supporting natural habitat. Susan intends to help educate the world through her larger than life murals which will be painted from coast to coast and around the world.
For additional information, please visit: www.sslworldwide.com.
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