The Phoenix area is fortunate to have a number of shops offering unique, handcrafted items — some items quite affordable and some approaching art gallery prices. In many cases — icing on the cake — the items are locally made. I stopped by two shops in the last few weeks and within minutes of visiting … Continue reading Places to support your local artisans
It’s a sign, a very good sign, of the growing vibrancy of the downtown Phoenix art scene that my list of galleries to see during last week’s Third Friday artwalk numbered almost a dozen. Wish I could say I made it to all of those galleries, but the ones that I did pop into offered … Continue reading Third Friday Artwalk: A lot of ground to cover
As our Centennial year winds down (Arizona turns 101 on February 14, 2013), I thought it would be timely to indulge my fascination with George Elbert Burr, an early-20th century chronicler of the Southwest through his delicate etchings and drypoints. I say “delicate” because of the soft and deft way his landscapes are rendered but, … Continue reading In appreciation of George Elbert Burr
It’s always a pleasure to become newly familiar with an Arizona artist, so I am glad I came across an exhibition of Ellen Wagener works this week at Gebert Contemporary in Scottsdale. Technically, Wagener creates landscapes, using pastel on paper in amazingly detailed work and delivering reverent views of Arizona agricultural fields, deserts, rivers and … Continue reading Wagener’s cloudscapes capture beauty of Arizona
Editor’s note: This question-and-answer session was originally conducted for a spring 2012 article in Art + Culture North Texas magazine, out of Dallas. — DR When she paints, Forrest Solis likes to split the canvas: two seemingly divergent ideas play off each other on either side of the composition. In her new series of 12 … Continue reading Arizona artist profile: Forrest Solis
OK, I got the wordplay out of the way in the blog title. But seriously, “Art Quilts Year XVII: Integrating a Paradox,” a juried show of more than 60 textile art pieces, invites some rather deep contemplation. As the Chandler Center for the Arts explains, a paradox consists of two concepts, both true yet in … Continue reading A common thread is elusive in Chandler quilt show
The annual exhibition of contemporary Western paintings and bronzes at the Phoenix Art Museum is a longstanding fund-raiser from the museum’s Men’s Arts Council and as such, it must meet certain expectations among Western art aficionados. Whenever I stop in to see the show, I am basically predisposed not to like much of it — … Continue reading Selectively viewing PAM’s ‘The West Select’
Anything with the James Turrell stamp on it usually gets my attention. Turrell is famous for perhaps the most ongoing of ongoing projects: the Roden Crater near Flagstaff, which eventually will open to the public as an observatory reached by tunnels. The configuration of light and space through the tunnels will open up the night … Continue reading ASU lands a Turrell Skyspace
Here’s hoping that MicroDwell, a gathering of ideas on sustainable housing embracing a minimal footprint, continues to be an annual outdoor exhibit at Shemer Art Center in Arcadia. It’s good for the neighborhood and good for the integration of art, design, architecture and environmental concerns. Patrick McCue, one of the organizers, estimates that 1,500 people … Continue reading Highlights from MicroDwell at Shemer
In trying to come up with an analogy to artists who break form and create miniatures, I think of what it would mean to a writer: Condensing a major news story into a tweet of 140 characters? Completing a novel on an iPad mini? No doubt, it would be tough. The artists in the “Petite” … Continue reading Think small: ‘Petite’ at Calvin Charles
Explore Art: Phoenix 