PYSK Mars Lasar

by Stephen Ferry

May 29, 2014
in Monthly

Born in Germany, raised in Australia and building on a successful 30-year music career in Hollywood, Renaissance man Mars Lasar has relocated to Napa Valley to pursue his current passion: fine art photography.

Lasar’s photography can be found in many places around Napa Valley. His art products and wall pieces hang in prestigious wineries like Peju Province Winery in Rutherford, Andretti Winery in Napa and Hestan Vineyards tasting room in Yountville. In the seven years since he came to Napa Valley to focus on his newest endeavor, Lasar’s Wine Country landscapes and portraits have found homes in restaurants, homes, hair salons and dental, medical, real estate and corporate offices all over the North Bay.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s probably because Lasar has already enjoyed a long and successful career as a composer/producer. He’s released 30 solo record albums and has written and produced two platinum albums including Seal’s “Crazy” and Herbie Hancock’s “Dis Is Da Drum.” His scores have also been featured on TV shows like “Law And Order,” “CSI,” “24,” “American Idol,” “Hard Copy” and “Baywatch,” and networks including ESPN and MTV.

Lasar explains, “I first started hanging my large oil paintings in high school in the 1980s when I was 14 years old. Later, I continued to paint canvases and use the images for my CD covers and many of those pieces sold to clients. Today, my fascination with natural light is as strong as ever, and I’m grateful to be able to create and exhibit my work in Northern California.”

In addition to his traditionally sized, framed art pieces, Lasar is now working with local designers on large, custom pieces for wineries and new businesses. He’s produced a number of remarkable large-format pieces that dramatically transform the space where they’re displayed.

Pacific Blues Café in Yountville installed one of his large triptychs a few years ago. Subsequently, Lasar had the opportunity to do some oversized pieces at his recent Peju exhibit. Lasar recalls, “One piece is a close-up of a vine bearing fruit, larger-than-life scale, 13 feet wide. It really jumps out at you.”

He recently installed a large-format Hestan Vineyard sunrise scene in the Hestan tasting room for Stanley Cheng. And his popular iconic piece, “Classic Yountville” was printed billboard-size and hung in the Performing Arts Center in Yountville. “The local firemen had to hang it for me,” Lasar recalls.

Lasar’s artwork also includes scenes from Schramsberg Vineyards, Castello Di Amorosa and Chateau Montelena in Calistoga; Gamble Family Vineyards, Groth Vineyards and Screaming Eagle Winery in Oakville; Inglenook Winery Estate in Rutherford and the CIA Culinary School in St. Helena.

“When I first came to Napa Valley, I was struck by the colors of the landscape,” says Lasar. “The light that comes from Napa Valley is unique. I use a photography method called HDR (high-dynamic range), where I take multiple images of the same shot. I vary camera parameters between shots to build a composite image that recreates the illumination and depth that made the scene remarkable in real time.”

“I love Napa Valley because of its established seasons and the way they recur dependably every year. The consistency of the seasons lets me experiment from year to year and get it exactly right.

“We now have our art products in retail stores all around the Valley, like Napa Soap Company and La Boheme in St. Helena, Ranch Market and Domain Home and Garden in Yountville, the Napa General Store at the Napa Mill and Copperfield’s in Napa.”

Lasar also works with local realtors and business owners to “add a view” to any room. He offers custom sizes and print options of any selection in his extensive online catalog on a variety of media including canvas, metal, glass or framed art. You can even send him a photo of your wall and he’ll work with you to make it look great.