Friday, May 27, 2005 | 8:35 a.m.
With nearly 80 one-man art shows across the nation, Peter Max has traveled extensively in the last few years.
But the famed painter said he particularly enjoys his annual trips to Las Vegas, even though they are often only for a day.
"Las Vegas is a very exciting town," Max said in a recent phone interview from his studio in New York. "When I'm there, I may go visit Elton John.
"I'm only there for a short time -- I come in Saturday morning and I'm out of there Sunday -- but I wish I could stay longer."
Max is making the trip to Las Vegas for a two-day appearance at The Art of Peter Max Gallery at the Forum Shops at Caesars.
The artist will be available for a meet-and-greet with fans from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The event is free and open to the public.
Max said he enjoys interacting with collectors of his paintings and anyone who appreciates his work.
"It's really nice to meet my fans who collect my work," he said. "It's a very unique experience."
He also relishes the opportunity to leave his studio.
"The world of art is a lot of solitude. You're by yourself with a couple of assistants making paintings," he said. "But occasionally you get to do these amazing things, to come to galleries with Peter Max paintings and the fans come out and say hello.
Best known for his cosmic artwork in the '60s, Max has worked on a variety of canvases, including a piece of the Berlin Wall and a Boeing 777 jumbo jet, still in use by Continental Airlines. He has also been the designated artist of numerous events, including six Grammy Award broadcasts, three World Fairs and six Super Bowls.
Even at age 67, the American pop artist has no intention of slowing down his creative work. A typical day has him painting by 3 p.m. and, with the help of his assistants, finished by midnight, with six paintings complete.
While his work may fetch in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, such as the 8-foot-tall "Liberty" at The Art of Peter Max Gallery, which is priced at $150,000, Max said he paints not for the money or recognition, but to satisfy a creative urge.
"When I paint, I just paint for the idea of painting," he said. "Like the dancer who would just love to run into a room and dance, it doesn't have to be for anyone. I just love the art of creation."
Some of Max's work is available at his Web site, www.petermax.com, including a signed copy of a book detailing his work, "The Art of Peter Max" (Harry N Abrams).
While the artist has explored almost every medium -- oils, acrylics, watercolors, finger paints, dyes, pastels, charcoal, pen, multicolored pencils, etchings, engravings, animation cells, lithographs, serigraphs, silk screens, ceramics, sculpture, collage, video and computer graphics -- one of Max's upcoming projects is new to him: an animated feature based on his cosmic art.
"I haven't done any feature films (because) animated films would take a couple years of my life," he said. "Now the tools for animation are so amazing and the films are much simpler to be animated.
"The iconography (in the film), these are all from an outpost on the edge of the galaxy. It's timeless and it's spiritual and it's very, very compelling."
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