Southwestern art – Explore Art: Phoenix

July 16, 2015

Straying off the beaten path to see the Southwestern Invitational

Featured photo: “Cyclical Patterns 02,” mixed media animation by Chris Johnson. Taken at West Valley Arts HQ. Yesterday I made a worthwhile trek to Surprise, Arizona, to see the Southwestern Invitational, featuring a potpourri of Arizona artists. The Invitational had been organized in Yuma for many years and traveled around the state under the auspices … Continue reading Straying off the beaten path to see the Southwestern Invitational

May 29, 2014February 9, 2015

Here’s wishing for a huge summer at the Heard

Image: “Gift of the Earth” by Allan Houser. I profess to being one of those longtime Phoenicians who takes the Heard Museum for granted. There it lies in central Phoenix, easy to reach from the interstate or from the light rail line, and I don’t visit it nearly often enough, even though I brag to … Continue reading Here’s wishing for a huge summer at the Heard

November 11, 2013November 12, 2013

Scottsdale is lighting up the art scene again

Kudos to downtown Scottsdale for shaking off the summer doldrums this weekend and reemerging as a great place to see visual art. November 7-10, 2013, was the city’s second annual Fall for the Arts, a chance for the more than 100 galleries in the vicinity of Main Street and Marshall Way to open their doors … Continue reading Scottsdale is lighting up the art scene again

December 6, 2012January 28, 2013

Selectively viewing PAM’s ‘The West Select’

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’

November 17, 2012January 4, 2013

Think small: ‘Petite’ at Calvin Charles

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

October 31, 2012January 4, 2013

Fine art, fine setting at Scottsdale Waterfront

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

October 11, 2012August 18, 2015

Art walking (uphill) in Jerome, Arizona

Featured photo: Detail from the doorway to the iconic Spirit Room at the Connor Hotel, Jerome. Photo by Deborah Ross. Sometimes from the desert heat, great clarity emanates, and it says to you, “Get out of town.” And so to Jerome we went, where it’s a mile high and 20 degrees cooler on an early … Continue reading Art walking (uphill) in Jerome, Arizona

August 2, 2012November 2, 2013

Native amazement: Namingha Family exhibit at Heard Museum

The Heard Museum, one of the country’s preeminent showcases of Native American history and culture, is fascinating in so many ways and certainly a Phoenix treasure. Many residents, though, are not aware of its changing exhibits of contemporary visual art. It so happens the current exhibit is a real crowd-pleaser, featuring not only Southwestern art … Continue reading Native amazement: Namingha Family exhibit at Heard Museum