Ian Russell - Water Color Art

Artist's Statement & Philosophy

I love the beauty of the Southwest and the breathtaking intensity of the landscape. As difficult as it is to explore these places by foot it is even more challenging and rewarding to bring what I experience to life through the images that I paint. I have painted places and people that have touched my life since I was a teenager. I strive to capture the element of a place, or a human life, that makes the ordinary exceptional. To show true beauty I often find it best to depict things as they really are, not as we imagine them to be.

I love to paint and communicate my passions through my work. To gain national and worldwide recognition as a painter is a goal I work on daily. I have always used my art as a way to support myself financially as well as find peace with my world. I believe that my paintings showcase the wondrous beauty of Arizona and the spectacular sights that await the adventurous spirit.

Biography

Born and raised in the San Francisco region of California, Ian was inspired as a child by the Old Masters works that filled many museums and galleries in the area. Ian's appreciation for the fantasy art of Frank Frazetta and modern master Norman Rockwell infused him with his passion to learn to paint. With oil paints out of his price range, watercolors were the natural choice for Ian to develop his talents. In 1985 Ian was transplanted to Prescott Arizona to finish his high school career. During this transition, art became the major focus in his life. By graduation in 1988, Ian was enjoying success as an artist by showing in galleries in Prescott and statewide.

The early 90's found Ian developing his skills not just as a painter but also as a master bronze foundry man. Over time it became apparent that Ian's true passion was not only to create art, but to help market and sell his works and the creations of others. In 1995 he opened A'Loft Gallery of Fine Art in Prescott. He enjoyed running his successful gallery for seven years until he decided to concentrate on his own art. For several years he built a collection of new pieces and in 2007 he opened the Ian Russell Gallery of Fine Art to showcase his latest works along side his vast catalogue of past creations.

Achievements:

• 1986-1989 - 1st Place Prescott Fine Arts Scholastic Scholarship competition.
• 1991- 1st Place & Best of Show. Elizabeth Prince Gallery. National Juried Competition.
• 1996 - One Man Solo Exhibition. Eclectic Junction for Art. Chicago, IL.
• 2001 - Peoples Choice Award. Phippen Western Museum, Memorial Show.
• 2002 - One Man Solo Exhibition. Talaqupaque, Sedona, AZ.
• 2004, 2005 & 2007 - One Man Solo Exhibition. Wil McNabb Jewelry Studio and Gallery. Flagstaff, AZ.

Education:

• 1985-1988 Prescott High School. Prescott, AZ.
• 1988-1989: Yavapai Community College. Prescott, AZ.
• 1989: San Francisco Art Institute. San Francisco, CA.

 

Rich Charpentier - Photography

Artist Statement:

Interested in sharing my new found home with family and friends, I began the task of learning new photographic techniques to truly relay the vivid colors and textures of the Southwest. I’ve spent countless hours studying digital photography techniques trying to find the right blend of tools that allow me to capture and share photos that are beyond unique. I discovered Prescott March 13th, 2007. Since pulling into town I’ve hiked, cycled and climbed all over the Prescott, and expanded my explorations whenever time permits. During all my activities my camera comes along,
and I keep working on sharing the majesty of Northern Arizona.

Biography:

Raised outside of Worcester, MA., Rich grew up enjoying hikes along old fire trails, spending time exploring stone foundations of colonial homes, and swimming away his summers on Manchaug Pond. While not a photo buff during his youth, he did enjoy everything about the outdoors, which
continues to this day.

Transplanted to Florida in 1984 Rich took up new outdoor activities. Surfing, windsurfing, and skateboarding took the place of long hikes. After relocating to Orlando for college the next adventures took place on bicycle. That’s when he began dreaming of long distance cycling, long distance hiking, and other adventures.

After relocating to New Hampshire for Graduate School in Economics Rich discovered a new passion. Digital Technology. For nearly a decade he worked in the Wireless Engineering field for such companies as Sprint PCS, AT&T Wireless, and US Cellular. Interestingly enough, he carried his tech passion along with his passion for the outdoors and found ways to combine them. In 2001 he hiked the Appalachian Trail, and fellow hikers gave him the Trail Name of Gadget due to the technology carried in his pack. A Canon Digital Elph documented the hike along the trail, and was his first real exposure to Digital Photography.

After a severe illness in 2005 Rich hit the road with a 25 foot Airstream. The goals were simple. Heal, see the country, and find a new place to call home. Along his travels he continued combining his love for travel and digital tech, authoring the book “The Digital RV” and writing mobile tech columns for travel magazines. During this time he also expanded on his knowledge of digital photography.

In 2007 Rich discovered Prescott and decided to remain as a resident of the town. Here he continues to work on perfecting photographic techniques in order to relay the true scope of the Western sights he sees for family and friends back on the East Coast. The number of subjects to shoot is almost overwhelming, and he doesn't’t see an end to photographic opportunities for quite some time.......

Geoffry Brown - Custom Jeweler

Born to a family of wit and artistry, Geoffrey Brown found early expression for his talents as a commercial artist in San Francisco. In 1970 he began turning his designs into brass and silver jewelry, selling as a street artist at festivals and to upscale stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue. He loved to explore San Francisco to sketch the beautiful wrought iron and stained glass artwork of the city's ornate homes. Most of these designs were classic Victorian and Nuevo period creations, and you can still see their influence in the flowing lines and asymmetric balance of Geoffrey's current offerings.

Geoffrey Brown is now a prominent jewelry designer and manufacturer in Northern Arizona. He has done work for the Phippen Museum, Arizona Highways and movie stars. He has even had his ensembles worn to White House events. Geoffrey has been a goldsmith and owned jewelry stores in the Prescott area since 1978, and currently designs for the Ian Russell Gallery, and a few stores in the Western United States.

 

Don Rantz - Pastel Artist

Don Rantz has devoted his career to capturing the subtleties of light found in the skies and land of the West. He was raised in Williams, Arizona, and spent his boyhood exploring the forests and mountains behind his home. From an early age, he grew to appreciate the land, water and sky of his native Arizona.

He studied oil painting and figure drawing at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff in the Eighties, preferring realism at a time when the prevailing winds blew in the direction of anything but representational accuracy. After college, he worked a great number of different jobs, traveling and living throughout the West, studying its many faces and adding to his vocabulary of shape and light.

In 1994, he married the artist, Beth Neely, and together they returned to Prescott, Arizona, her home town. They started a design firm and in 1998 they illustrated together two award winning children’s books, Don’t Call me Pig–A Javelina’s Story, and Lizards for Lunch–A Roadrunner’s Tale.

He first started working with pastels in 2003, and quickly developed the ability to capture light in the style he had always dreamed of, a style he could never quite capture in oil. He found that pastels’ extensive range of dark and light colors enabled him to convey the realistic feeling of the land in an exciting new way.

In 2006, he won the Ruth Richeson Award for Excellence in the Pastel Journal 100 competition, sponsored by Pastel Journal magazine, for his piece Desert Vista. The following year he received Honorable Mention in the same competition for his painting Desert Backlight, which was featured on the cover of the Pastel Journal Magazine. Desert Backlight also won second place overall in the 2007 New Mexico Pastel Society National Show.

Marcia Molnar - Painter

Marcia Molnar lives in Prescott, Arizona, a beautiful place where the surroundings, sky and people are responsible for her paintings and the stories they begin. Her life “is a simple but grand adventure spent with George, my husband, who is also an artist, and Rocky our dog.” Although Marcia has no formal art training, her dad was an artist and a gallery owner who gave her plenty of instruction when she was young.

Molnar’s paintings have changed with events in her life; she excelled as a portrait artist but when her children Ben and Shasta left home she said she began painting “whatever happened to be in my path.”

Molnar believes that the best times in her life have been waiting for the unexpected. She does not define the “unexpected” but states, “It hits like a meteor, it happens with a change of light or an interesting shape. Sometimes the sunset is so intense in Arizona I swear the color blue has a sound.”

Although she paints for herself, others share her experiences. “If anyone has lingered for a sunset on Vulture Mine Road just past Wickenburg in the long shadows of the saguaros, they will recognize me as a kindred spirit,” says Molnar. The fifty seven year old artist in predicting her future believes, “As long as I have life I will tell my stories with a paint brush and I will be the luckiest of the lucky.”

Gary Persello - Bronze Artist

Eager to draw from life and his vivid imagination, Gary has been rendering and modeling on the drawing pad and in sculpture since early childhood. By age twelve, he was designing silk screen logos for local businesses and his own comic characters were printed on a line of T-shirts by the age of sixteen. With several oil paintings already commissioned to him, Gary graduated with an Associate degree in Commercial Art at seventeen.

His formal fine arts education continued at Kent State University in Ohio. He later graduated with honors from the Pittsburgh Art Institute, majoring in Visual Communications with strong emphasis on Sculptural Special Effects.

Gary spent a total of fifteen years working at a local bronze foundry which helped him evolve into the competent and creative Bronze Sculptor that he is today. It allowed him to master all aspects of the casting process including mold-making, pulling and working waxes, welding and assembly, rough and finish chasing, and his specialty, multi-color patinas. To this day, Gary still executes all of these steps himself on every bronze he produces, an uncommon practice among bronze artists of today. His work thus represents a caliber of excellence in artistry and craftsmanship rarely found in contemporary bronze sculpture.

In recent years, Gary has been recognized for his efforts with several honorable awards including Best of Show Peer Choice at the Sedona National Sculpture Walk, First and Best of Show in the Science Fiction Westercon in Phoenix, Arizona, and First for Best 3-Dimensional work at the World Fantasy Art Show in Atlanta, Georgia. This experience led to a 1993 "Chesley Award" from the American Science Fiction Artists Association for Best 3-D. His work has also been featured in several books, including Spectrum 1, The Frank Collection, and The Chesley Awards Retrospective.

CS Fritz - Mixed Media

“Fanciful, humorous, grotesque…”, “fresh, new, exciting, one to watch…” are a few of the words used to express the works brought forth by artist Casey Fritz, or better known as C.S. Fritz. Currently living in Prescott Valley with his wife and two kids, Casey originally yields from San Clemente, CA. He grew up being cultured in “classic” horror films and attributes this to the way he does art today. He started drawing as soon as he could hold a pencil, but never went farther than doodles until 2008 after reading Watchmen, sparking a new desire to reignite his passion for art.

After one online art class, he said enough. He decided that he wanted to do it his own way, and began to pull ideas out of his own mind. Thus began the first series “Robots Encountering Earth” depicting what would happen if huge, yet gentle robots came to earth to explore. Equipped with spray paint, black ink, and canvas, the ideas came to life, and Casey got his first art show at the Raven in May of 2008 with a sold out show. The first ever in Raven’s history! After the huge success with his first show, Casey got the attention of a few independent newspapers in town namely Pop Rocket, and The Noise based in Flagstaff which led him to his second showing in Flagstaff at Mountain Oasis, another sale out. His pieces seemed to be attracting a lot of attention, but it wasn't’t just the eccentric art that was drawing people in. “I hate seeing an awesome piece of art, wanting it, reading the price tag and then vomiting at the cost of it. Art shouldn't’t be that way!” Fritz exclaims in an interview with The Noise. Keeping the cost of his art down keeps it affordable for the masses, and that is a principle he bases his artist career on.

Besides canvas work, Casey also has does a monthly comic strip in Pop Rocket called Pocket Full of Bees telling real life stories of what it was like growing up with his mom, brother, and sister. Now he has started his new creation in the Noise: Hell’s Interview. His artist career is moving quickly, and he is so excited to be partnered up with the Ian Russell Gallery and is ecstatic for what the future holds for him.

C.S Fritz has been nominated as visual artist of the year in Prescott Arizona for 2011

Casey lives in Prescott Valley with his wife and two kids and works full time at Calvary Chapel of Prescott.

Rick Geib - Bronze Artist

Rick Geib, bronze artist, started working in ceramics in 1995. In 2000 he became employed at a bronze foundry learning all aspects of the lost wax process.

"Surrounded by art and artists at the foundry, I began to learn about composition and refinement as well as all aspects of the lost wax casting process (ceramic shell and vacuum investment). I tr to put myself in technical and artistic situations which are beyond my ability, I find immersion education invaluable. All stages of my sculpts, start to finish, including all post sculpt production are performed by myself. I make my own clay, tools and methods of armature which fit my style. I am almost completely self-taught, both artistically and technically. The friendship with fantasy artist Gary Persello has been the closest thing to formal instruction I have had. I did not even take art classes in high school, so I feel the work is really coming from an honest place, intuitive and free of academic authority. With the medium of bronze there is a large skill set to acquire (if you do all the work yourself) and it takes a very long time to master all the steps. I see every stage of creating as an adventure. It is as much a joy to create and experience the process as it is to create the sculpture itself.

To me, creating is about personal growth, the challenge of being honest with myself. My intention is to create sculpture that draws the view in and elicits feelings of harmony, peace and wonder, to create strong spatial presence with minimal material."

Rick currently lives in Prescott, Arizona. There he works freelance at his home studio performing various aspects of post sculpting production for local artists and foundries and tries to maintain a sense of humor.

David Riley - Acrylic Painter

David Riley grew up in Kalamazoo, MI and attended college in Savannah, GA. David received his Bachelors and Master's degree in Fine Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award. After graduating David moved to Prescott, AZ. where he currently works as a freelance illustrator, gallery artist, art instructor and is a Professional Ballroom Dance instructor. He has shown his artwork in many galleries across the United States, and in Lacoste, France. He currently shows his artwork in Prescott at the Ian Russell Gallery of Fine Art.

David enjoys painting a wide variety of subjects, and is often driven to paint by the desire to capture the human emotion. Many of his works describe the subjects in a narrative way, depicting a human response to a subtly implied situation or event. David recently began incorporating his surrounding landscapes into his art, trying to capture the moods and sensations provided by the breath-taking views of the West. He primarily uses acrylics, combining washes, dry-brushing, and heavy paint application on textured surfaces.

 

Megan Dean - Jeweler & Print Artist

Megan Dean is a native of Arizona and a resident of Prescott, AZ. Megan received her Bachelor's of Fine Art from the University of Arizona in 2003 and thereafter returned to Prescott.

Megan is a printmaker as well as a beaded jewelry artist. In printmaking she works predominantly with the techniques of monoprint and relief. Megan continues to take classes and work in the Printmaking department at Yavapai College. Megan is an avid reader and is also interested in gardening, cooking and spending time with her friends and family.

In her jewelry Megan uses lots of copper, reflecting on her Arizona upbringing as well as a nod to many of her family members that worked in the copper mines of Morenci, AZ. Megan uses semi-precious stones, glass, and natural elements such as bone, horn and freshwater pearls in her work as well as high quality metals like niobium for her ear wires. Niobium is perfect for anyone with sensitive ears. Adornment and the history of beads is of unending interest to Megan and everything she creates is one-of-a-kind.

Megan's visual art can be seen at the Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery in Jerome, AZ. Megan's goal is to be a working artist, a continually kinder and smarter person and to be "the change you wish to see in the world."

 

 

 

Gail Schimberg - Iconist

Gail has been an artist since childhood and graduated with a Bachelors in Fine Art from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She was exposed to the influence of the Russian settlement of Alaska, their orthodox churches, unique burial yards and artwork while living there.

Her major interest in Art is the portrait and she was in the portrait business in Prescott since the 80's and 90's. Another focus of Gails art interest has been calligraphy and illumination.

Gail's love of the portrait and calligraphy has led her to join her faith and artistic interest into painting / writing the Icon (Image). Why do they say you "write" an Icon? Because a picture is worth a thousand words and the Icon is "theology in color."

Iconographers model their work on ancient sources so the choice of the image is made from centuries of Icons and even to this day Iconographers do not sign their work in deference to the prominence of the person they are portraying.

Karen Boomer - Glass Art

Artist Statement

My art is about self-discovery. I create it to excite the intellect and stir the imagination of its viewer. When viewers move around my pieces, they'll notice hidden patterns, light changes, and unexpected details they didn't see at first. As they discover the hidden possibilities in art, I hope they discover unrealized potential in themselves. This is my art's purpose: to inspire others to be who they're meant to be.

By examining our inner selves, we recognize the transformative moments that lead to enrichment, enlightenment, and balance. When I fire glass in the kiln or flame, I explore abstract concepts about the changing nature of life and how we discover true purpose and fulfillment in the midst of change.

Glass is uniquely appropriate for this vision. It is both solid and liquid, transparent and opaque, reflective and refractive. My approach to glass is analytical and intuitive, abstract and natural. Pieces have a feeling of both stability and fluidity. The intellectual challenge of solving a puzzle is mixed with fun.

I've grown as an artist in the last few years and my art reflects this in scale and complexity. Subjects are drawn from new concepts I discover every day. Always with me glass continues to show me the way to balance change with the inner peace, a quality I hope transforms others' lives as it has my own.

Dolores Chiappone - Oil

Born in Rochester NY., 1931, Dolores has lived in a wide array of locales allowing for a rich backdrop of experience to filter into her art. From New York to Mexico she has professionally painted for over 50 years and her works are valued in collections around the globe.

With Pre-Columbian art being her primary influence, Dolores Chiappone's work sings of a place where spirit converges with body - an inner world where tactile circumstance merges with subjective mythologies of the soul. In this middle ground her art somehow transcends representation and grows closer to life. In this way her work is pure Realism, and whether rapture or rancor her paintings reflect life in its purest, most cognitive form.

Ms. Chiappone has settled in Arizona after living in Carmel for many years and is still painting the mindscapes of her imagination.

 

Rob Drexel - Raku Pottery

Way back in that innocent time 'bout 1955, Rob was born to the quintessential middle-class post-WWII American family in Phila, PA. Rob grew up in the emotional devastation of a normal, nice family where the only really decent thing for him to have done with his life was be a doctor, lawyer, corporate magnate (political incorrectness deferred).

Despite this severe handicap in pursuing a "real" artist's life, and without the necessary years of psychotherapy, drugs, and anti-social behavior, his artistic urges survived. In college Rob "delighted" his parents by switching majors from doctor-bound premed to unemployment-bound theater arts. After 15 years as an entrepreneur, he scraped his face off the pavement yet again, sat down at a potter's wheel for the first time in 1991 and frustrated the hell out of his fellow students in his only formal ceramic instruction - 8 beginning throwing classes.

Well, now it's 2009 and after almost 19 years of pottery some interesting years living in Europe and a short stint in Costa Rica, Rob and his Swiss partner Nikola are back in the states finishing their own mostly-green home in central New Mexico and enjoying the new Kiara! Rob's work is again finding it's way into fine upscale galleries from sea to shining sea (CA, NJ, CO, KY, AZ, NM, and....)

John Skurja - Bronze Artist

John Skurja was born in Prescott, Arizona. He loved and excelled in art throughout his early school years. He received his Bachelors Degree in Art Education from Arizona State University in 1972 and he obtained his Masters Degree in Art Education in 1978 from Northern Arizona University.

John has produced numerous drawings, paintings, etchings, serigraphs, jewelry and sculpture. His passion for sculpture was sparked when he started working for a fine art bronze foundry, Noggle Bronze Works, in Prescott during 1972. After teaching Art at the Prescott Public Schools for six years he purchased and co-owned a foundry for five years. In 1986, he started his own foundry, Skurja Art Castings. Today, with over thirty-seven years of foundry experience, his foundry business produces exquisite bronzes for well-established sculptors throughout Arizona and the United States.

John juggles between running a successful business and seriously pursing his artistic career in sculpting. He continues his passion for art by vigorously studying, observing and learning where ever possible. “For me, creating sculpture is personal. It is a time for my heart and soul to come forth, to guide my hands through the creative processes, manipulating and interpret ting thought and materials into design and form. My intent is to evoke a response from the viewer. In the case of my frog sculptures, hopefully that response is one of pleasure and joy! I feel so very fortunate to love my work and to work at what I love.

John is currently and exclusively showing his bronzes at the Ian Russell Fine Art Gallery.

“Skurja frog sculptures” can be found in a growing number of private collections worldwide.

Outdoor public placements of John’s work include: Cypress Gardens, Florida; Yavapai Community College Sculpture Garden, Prescott, Arizona; Na Aina Kai Botanical Gardens, Kilauea, Kuai, Hawaii; Detroit Zoo, Michigan; Desert Samaritan Hospital Children’s Garden, Phoenix, Arizona; Public Garden, Texas.

Mike grew up in Aurora, Illinois, attended the University of Illinois and received a BS in Chemical Engineering. He moved with his wife after graduation to Bartlesville, OK and worked for Phillips Petroleum Company. Evenings were spent getting an MBA from Oklahoma State University. He moved with his family to Phoenix and worked for Honeywell, Inc.

Mike was inspired by his grandfather to create things out of wood. Starting early in life he honed his woodworking skills building furniture for himself and others. For several years he worked professionally for a company focused on high end cabinets and furniture. During this time he learned new techniques with veneer. His latest furniture designs focus on the most beautiful woods of the world.

He creates custom pieces to meet the size and designs for customers and designers. Especially popular are elegant pedestal tables made with exotic woods such as purple heart, bubinga and padauk, and classic woods like cherry and oak. From small boxes to large rocking chairs, Mike has the skills and artistic eye to create exquisite custom pieces.

Steve Failows - Kaleidoscope Artist

Stained glass artist Steve Failows has taken a popular toy often found in gift shops and transformed it into a collectable art form sold in exclusive galleries around the country.

Ranging in size from small tabletop styles to grand floor models. Steve combines an assortment of low-fire glazes to match the variety of bases that support his one of a kind kaleidoscopes.

The fun and nostalgic nature of the kaleidoscope has fueled Steve's passion to create since he made his first piece in 1984.

Fitch Pottery - Functional Pottery

A native of Arizona, Rick Fitch received his Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from the College of Education at Arizona State University. He has continued to take graduate classes toward a Masters degree in Fine Arts at ASU, and has participated in workshops from several potters who are nationally recognized. Following graduation, Rick was an instructor of ceramics and jewelry at the high school level for several years. Rick and his family still reside in Arizona where he is now fully committed to his career as a studio potter. Rick's pottery captures the style, beauty and colors of the southwest. He is intrigued with shaping, designing and decorating the functional pottery he produces.

The ceramic artwork Rick produces is both wheel-thrown and hand built, ranging from intimate dinnerware sets and serving pieces to commissioned decorative creations. He pays -particular attention to the form and function of his ceramic artwork so as to present his clients with a product that is aesthetically pleasing. Rick travels the southwestern states participating in juried art exhibitions.

E.C. Wynne - Bronze Artists

Currently residing in the beautiful red rock country of Arizona, E.C. Wynne has diverged from a successful career in the commercial art field, where she won international recognition, into fine arts. The wide acceptance of her work and several national awards was the stimulus in this change of artistic direction. One of Ms. Wynne's dreams continues to be realized specializing in fine arts, where her sensitive and loving attention to detail of subject is apparent in her much loved paintings and sculptures.

 

Tanya Garvis - Copper and fused glass

Tanya has always appreciated fine art. After years in the restaurant business and in marketing, she became worn out at the very prospect of continuing in those fields. One day, she happened upon some art at a gallery, and was smitten by it. She left her name and number with the owner, hoping to apprentice with the artist. She knew the likelihood of this was slim. Almost two YEARS LATER, she got the call.

After apprenticing with Dennis Berry and learning the fine process of enameling, she became convinced that she had finally found her calling. She also learned that glass and copper fused together create extraordinary visual effects. No two designs are the same.

She has a studio in Deephaven, Minnesota. In addition to creating art, she loves traveling, reading, gardening and ‘hanging out’ with her family. She is married to a really cool guy, and has 2 amazing children (seriously). Her husband spends countless hours helping her build frames and glue pieces together.

Tanya was born and raised in the Twin City area. She also spent several of her formative years living in Germany. She attended the University of Minnesota and graduated with degrees in Marketing and Psychology.

Sarah K Harms - Jewelry

Since 1979, I have been using time honored, traditional metalsmithing techniques to create my contemporary, yet earthy wearable art. In our high tech, fast paced world, hammering some hot steel or sawing out tiny pieces of silver can be quite therapeutic. With two young boys (born in 1997 and 2000), my studio time is limited, so my production ability is limited as well. Every piece I make comes from an absolute love of creating, and pride in craftsmanship. I’ll take quality over quantity any day.

Rock hunting, a passion of mine, is part of my creative process. I love that! Many of the light colored rocks were collected from the shores of Lake Michigan in Evanston , IL , where I was raised. When my boys were babies, I wasn’t making jewelry, but I could still grab up some rocks off the beach. In the early 90’s, my sister was living in Kodiak , AK , another spectacular rock spot. Most of the black rocks were collected in Kodiak. Sedona is my new collecting spot, and I love exploring dry creek beds, where the nice rounded red rocks can be found. My husband and sons are very tolerant of my rock obsession, and will often come exploring with me.

Many of my designs incorporate ancient symbolism including goddesses, spirals, suns, and moons. I believe that symbols can be inspiring and empowering for people, whatever the meaning is for them. Symbols can also have powerful energy, so I only use what I believe to be positive images. My intent as a jeweler is to create a well crafted, cool looking, affordable piece of wearable art with positive energy for the wearer.

 

Don Francis - Wood Craft

I make stuff.

It seems lately I have been making a lot of boxes and pendants.

Pendants are straightforward items that need only to be beautiful, pretty, or interesting.

Boxes, though, are different. Boxes also need to be beautiful, pretty, or interesting; they also provide a function and, sometimes, a utility. I use boxes to keep things in. I use boxes to keep things out. Sometimes I make a box just to have an easy way to display an equisite piece of wood.

Not working from diagrams, plans or patterns, the outcome of my work is always a surprise.

I have been making stuff for about as long as I can remember. I grew up in Prescott, got married in the Court House in Prescott, and we moved to Phoenix to make a living. After retiring we ended up back in Prescott.

I sign most of my stuff with F22. "F" is for my initial and 22 is an anniversary date.

 

 

Robert Brubaker - Sculptor

Robert Brubaker, living American Artist. Born 1952, Chicago, Illinois. Bachelor Of Fine Art degree, Illinois Wesleyan University, 1974. Graduate Studies in ceramic arts, Illinois State University, 1976. June 1976, On The Road…
In 1977 I was fortunate to become a member of a fine cooperative sculpture studio in San Rafael California; working artists, the real deal, it all starts there.

Kicked around Northern California for several years, showing in local galleries and juried shows. I landed in Davis Ca. and began showing with a gallery in Sacramento. That work would become my life, it was 1980. Anthropomorphism had taken over my sculpture by then and all human figures had animal heads, or animal skull heads. It was just how I saw things.

My Bob Dog character came along in 1985, the result of a friend saying he was going to start calling me “Bob Dog”, from the movie “Rancho Deluxe”. The dog head has been my default personality ever since. Shows how far a suggestion from an old film can go.

In the “early days”, I was very fortunate to be part of the “New Western Art” movement. Being represented by the two premier fine art galleries in Arizona at the time. First, starting in 1983 with the Elaine Horwitch Galleries and after Elaine’s passing in 1991, with the Susanne Brown Gallery.

As an artist I have also been involved with some very fine public art programs. One of note is the Phoenix Airport Museum, Sky Harbor, my affiliation dates 1991 to present.

In the past few years I have been conducting ceramic sculpture workshops at art centers through out the western United States. Open form teaching makes for wonderful artistic interaction.

I have been a professional studio artist my entire adult life, always sculptural. Can’t even think flat.
My wife Bonnie and I have lived in Cornville Arizona since 1987. We came to see the elephant…

Tim Hull - Clay Artist

The beauty of porcelain and stoneware clay, along
with alternative firing and finishing proccesses, has
kept Tim Hull working as a clay artist since 1992.
By utilizing a variety of surface design techniques,
Tim’s claywork takes on a sculptural appeal. Current
bodies of work include, Salt-Flash Wall Art and
Porcelain Shadow Box Designs.

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Kenny Wayne

Christine Debrosky - Impressionist

My work celebrates the rhythm of life, in everyday moments and ordinary corners transformed
by the dance of sunlight and shadow.

Christine has exhibited her award winning paintings extensively across the US and Europe, in
Invitational and juried venues , with such prestigious groups as Oil Painters of America, American
Women Artists, and the American Impressionist Society, as well as in many solo gallery exhibitions.
She has been featured in several national magazine articles; ( American Artist & The Pastel Journal
for example ) as well as four books on painting. She has been named to Marquis’ Who’s Who in
American Art and Who’s Who of American Women for the past several editions, and Winn Devon has
published a suite of her colorful garden images as posters, available world- wide.

Public collections that feature her work are those of Standard & Poor’s, McGraw- Hill, and Pfizer Inc., as
well as numerous hospitals, universities, and nursing facilities. One of her oils was selected for the set
of Nights in Rodanthe , a recent Hollywood film.
As a plein air painter, she has travelled and painted extensively across America, including Alaska, as well
as the Caribbean, Ireland, Italy, France and Brazil. An experienced teacher, she has led painting
workshops to Tuscany and Venice in Italy, and Burgundy, France, as well as many domestic locations.

Long inspired by the environs of the Hudson River painters, she has recently relocated to Northern
Arizona. There, the dazzling sunshine and richly hued shadows are leading to a deeper understanding
of her life long study of our beautifully illuminated world.

Spoon Fed - Handcrafted Utensils

Handcrafted Hardwood Utensils made in Arizona. Click here to see their gallery.

Bryan Tubbs- Unique Sculpture