LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Authentic Pop Collectibles (http://www.authenticpopcollectibles.com) announced today a partnership with artist, director and producer Rob Prior and Dragon Con to host a special celebrity memorabilia event during Dragon Con on September 4-7, 2015 to raise awareness and money for the Lymphoma Research Foundation and its fight against cancer.
Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that develops in the lymphatic system. The two main types are Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The decision to support the Lymphoma Research Foundation was a very personal choice as two long-time members of the Dragon Con family – Eugie Foster, Director of the Daily Dragon, and Mark Brown, Co-Director of Convention Operations – recently died from lymphoma, while a third member is currently battling it.
Artist Rob Prior will live paint a 4’ x 8’ picture of the Arrow and The Flash cast attending the convention during his live panel at 11:30 am on Saturday, September 5, 2015. The painting will include all attending members of the Arrow and The Flash cast, including Stephen Amell, Robbie Amell, Danielle Panabaker, Candice Patton, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, and John Barrowman, among others.
The Arrow is based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. In the series, billionaire Oliver Queen (Amell) has been stranded on a hostile island and returns home after five years to fight crime and corruption with his bow and arrow in disguise as Green Arrow.
The Flash is a spinoff of the Arrow and is based on the DC Comics character Barry Allen. Allen is crime scene technician with the police department and has the ability to move at superhuman speeds. He uses this speed to fight crime, specifically against others that also have superhuman abilities.
Prior is the official HBO Game of Thrones artist, and over the course of his career, he has worked as a comic book artist for both Marvel and DC Comics. He’s best known for his work with Spawn, Terminator, Deep Space 9 and Heavy Metal. He is a fan favorite for his ability to draw and paint with both hands simultaneously, and upside down and for his photo-realistic paintings.
After he’s completed the painting, Prior will take it home, add color, digitally scan it and reprint 250 16”X 32” limited edition copies on canvas with a matte finish. These copies will be available for a set price, with profits going to the Lymphoma Research Foundation. The original will be displayed at an art gallery and sold off, and a portion of the proceeds will also go to the charity. Prior’s original art of this size typically sells for as much as $60,000.
“We’re grateful to Dragon Con for allowing us to take this time during their show to promote such a worthy cause and for the opportunity to partner with Rob Prior to raise money and increase awareness in the fight against this horrible disease,” said Kevan Schwartz with Authentic Pop Collectibles. “Our hope is that we can do everything in our power to eradicate this horrible disease and help those suffering from cancer and their loved ones receive the help they need so they can focus all their energy on getting better.”
Prior’s live painting will be filmed and documented to later be shared on social media for any fans who were unable to attend in person. Each print will be certified for authenticity, numbered, and signed by Prior.
“Lymphoma has claimed the life of two members of our Dragon Con family, so it’s a very personal charity we’re sponsoring this year,” said Rachel Reeves at Dragon Con. “Last year we raised more than $115,000 for our official charity, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and our goal is to exceed that this year for the Lymphoma Research Foundation.”
For more information about the auction or to bid on one of the paintings, visit the Authentic Pop Collectibles website, www.authenticpopcollectibles.com.
ABOUT AUTHENTIC POP COLLECTIBLES
Authentic Pop Collectibles specializes in high quality custom art signed by the most popular celebrities. APC is a sister company of Heroes for Hire, an agency representing some of the top pop culture celebrities. APC products are certified for authenticity.
ABOUT DRAGON CON
Dragon Con is one of the largest multi-media, popular culture conventions focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe!
