LOS ANGELES - June 29, 2018 - The Television Academy nominates “Communicating on Canvas” featuring Nicholas Kontaxis for best light news story at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards.

On Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017 the NBC4 News published a segment on Kontaxis as a part on NBC’s Life Connected series, which chronicles the many ways in which people and communities across Southern California come together to inspire and support one another.

Kontaxis was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 15 months of age that causes daily seizures. The 22-year-old struggles to verbalize and articulate his thoughts, but despite his daily physical challenges, he does not let these obstacles hinder his calling as an artist.

His story is one of perseverance and hope. Intensive medical treatment and behavioral therapy have allowed him to lead a remarkably full life despite significant communication issues and suffering over 40,000 seizures in his lifetime. The mesmerizing, large-scale, boldly colored canvases of this young emerging modern artist bring an exclamation mark to this magnificent story.

The news story details Kontaxis’ daily aliments and growing up with his family in Palm Springs, CA, his initial difficulty at finding a vocation, and his families support in helping to find his passion as an artist. The canvas beautifully became a mode of communication for him. He has become a prolific painter, creating more than 200 complex pieces. He uses heavy body acrylic paints and a battalion of pallet knives, and specializes in large, abstract works of art, likened by some to Jasper Johns and Sam Francis. Since the story was filmed, Nicholas has completed numerous significant commissions, including those for the owners of the Los Angeles Chargers, the new El Paseo Hotel’s AC3 Restaurant, and for Kaiser Permanente, where he was selected over 75 established artists with submissions nationwide. The wild success of exhibitions over the past year at the De Re Gallery in Los Angeles, the Gilman Contemporary in Sun Valley, Idaho, resulted in near sell out shows, multiple commissions, and growing local attention. This past spring at the Heather James gallery in Palm Desert, he had over a thousand people attend his one-night exhibition with a near sold-out show. Thirty canvases were recently on display for an extremely successful exhibition at the LaQuinta museum.

Montana Beutler, partner at Heather James Fine Art in New York City shared the following when asked about Nicholas and his work...“Painting has served as a respite for the artist over the years, helping ease some of the pain associated with daily physical challenges. Van Gogh had temporal lobe epilepsy, which contributed to his expressionistic use of color; Matisse became wheelchair bound after surgery for cancer, and adapted to produce his now iconic cut-out series; Chuck Close is one of the most famous contemporary portrait painters despite being paralyzed and suffering from prosopagnosia, an inability to recognize faces due to brain damage. Nicholas’ story is similar to that of numerous other prominent figures throughout art history. We are honored and excited to share his work with his hometown in the desert area.”

"This is his voice, he has a connection to people and they have found their connection to him," said aunt, Jenni Pulos. “All these years we thought he could never connect. And he has been. Probably more than many of us do. This is his miraculous way of expressing it."

“We are thrilled that such a wonderfully talented and inspiring young man is being recognized for his achievements and continuing to inspire all of us,” said Sarah Robarts, President of Ballantines PR.

The 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards will be presented on Saturday evening, July 28, 2018 at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center.

About Nicholas Kontaxis
Rancho Mirage modern artist Nicholas Kontaxis creates large-scale abstract paintings, characterized by a riot of primary colors, despite overwhelming obstacles.

The 22-year-old’s story is one of perseverance and hope. Kontaxis was diagnosed with an extensive brain tumor at 15 months old which resulted in intractable seizures, and developmental delay. Intensive medical treatment and behavioral therapy allows him to lead a full life despite significant communication issues and suffering over 40,000 seizures to date.

His repetitive inclinations and love of texture and shape helped Kontaxis discover his life calling as an artist. In the last three years, he has become a prolific painter, creating more than 200 complex pieces, using heavy body acrylic paints and a battalion of pallet knives. Most recently, Kontaxis has completed numerous significant commissions, including those for Kaiser Permanente, a 31 ft stunner for the new El Paseo Hotel’s AC3 Restaurant, and the owners of the Los Angeles Chargers. His paintings are in the homes of a number private collectors including five significant pieces in the home of Roger and Mirka Federer.

For more information, please visit https://www.nicholaskontaxis.com