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
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
Unusual things can happen when you strike up conversations with artists at an art festival. I found this out while chatting with sculptor Merrill Orr at the recent Waterfront Fine Art & Wine Festival, a Thunderbird Artists event. “Have you ever worked with alabaster?” he asked. He knew the answer to that question as he … Continue reading Fine art, fine setting at Scottsdale Waterfront
Sometimes an artwork just sticks in your mind long after you have seen it. Such is the case for me with an installation by Roger Asay and Rebecca Davis that I saw at Mesa Contemporary Arts about a year ago. The artists collected dirt samples from several geographic regions of Arizona and mounded them into … Continue reading Of dirt and other art-worthy materials
