AAG 11th Annual Statewide Exhibition
Arizona Artists Guild
11th Annual Statewide Exhibition
Juried Exhibition of Fine Art
Click on title for more information
Lisa Godo
I Came From the Mother
I Came From the Mother
Lisa Godo
Medium: Mixed
Size: 11″ x 7″ x 5″
Price: $350
I’ve never been a paint-inside-the-lines kind of artist and with my intuitive and messy creative process I found mixed-media to be the perfect medium for me. Subverting tools and materials, finding a usefulness that is different than that which was intended, often contributes to the happy accidents that guide my process. My use of organic detritus juxtaposed with metal, glass and plastic serves as a reference to the profound experiences of humans living in times of blossoming enlightenment and exponential technological growth, alongside epic and often normalized experiences of loss, trauma, and disaster. I invite you to view the world for a few moments as a deeply magical and exciting place, one in which we can each exist peacefully, even amid the fear and confusion that plague so many of us.
Elissa Nowacki
Mixed Bag
Mixed Bag
Elissa Nowacki
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 48 X 60
Price:$6,000
Artist Elissa Nowacki enjoys adolescent humor, paranormal romance novels, 80’s punk/alt rock and taking over her family’s kitchen table to paint. When she isn’t assistant principaling at a K-8 public school in Phoenix, she can be found in her tacky pajamas, using art as meditation from the stressors of adulting. Her formal art education is minimal. She and her exceptionally tolerant husband once enrolled in an evening painting class at Phoenix College, which they affectionately refer to as “marriage counseling.” Elissa’s family is checkered with interesting artist types. She credits her mother for most of her artistic education. Elissa is inspired by random things, including but not limited to flowers, skulls, Daleks, and family pets. In addition to painting, she has built wire sculptures, constructed intricate Halloween costumes for her children and made jewelry. She finds joy in paint…but also in clay, hot glue, and glitter.
Mike Cotter
Butterfly
Butterfly
Mike Cotter
Medium:Oil on canvas mounted to panel
Size:7 x 7
NFS
Mike Cotter is a realist, still life, oil painter, born and raised in Arizona. With Arizona as his home, the Sonoran Desert has been a constant source of inspiration. He studied fine art in Wyoming, as well as New Hampshire, where he earned his BFA with honors from the Institute of Art and Design. Currently, Mike is working on several projects including new desert still scapes and recomposed art.
A. R. Bourque
Tribal Symbols
Tribal Symbols
A. R. Bourque
Medium: oil on canvas
Size:36 x 48
Price: $900
Graduate of Rhodes Island School of Design. Work in oils on canvas.
Ed Browne
Centurion
Centurion
Ed Browne
Medikum: Oil on canvas
Size: 24 x 20
Price: $2,500
Hank Keneally
Rainbows Are Coming
Rainbows Are Coming
Hank Keneally
Medium: Photography
Size: 21 x 32
Price: $500
I am very fortunate. I have always been in the Arts. Learning the notes on the piano from my Grandmother who was a Piano teacher. Listening to Classical Music that my Brother brought before me. Playing instruments. Becoming a Photographer. Practicing Counseling and Social Work for 42 years, which I see as another Artistic process. Becoming a Painter. I Create every day. I start with compassionate observation. I always have a camera with me. For me, Great Things Happen Where Arts Merge. I use Paint, Cameras and Digital Technologies. I aim for reciprocity between myself and my media. I love to be surprised in the act of Creation. My Artworks shown in this exhibition are all a result of these processes.
Lynn Smith
This Tender Land
This Tender Land
Lynn Smith
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 36 x 36
Price:$2,100
Lynn is a working artist, a painter and ceramic sculptor, living in Phoenix, Arizona. Lynn’s paintings capture an impression or abstraction of an ever-changing landscape. The landscape is grounded by a familiar object such as a house, a shelter, a door or an object that challenges our sense of belonging in this impermanent and ever changing world.
David Knorr
Slipping Away
Slipping Away
David Knorr
Medium: Fused Glass on Hardwood Panel
Size: 27 x 13 x 2
Price: $700
Born in Albion Michigan, and studied art at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo Michigan. David received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture, with a minor in Ceramics. David currently resides in Sun City, Arizona. David is actively involved with the Five15Arts @ Chartreuse collective, Arizona Clay Club, and the Arizona Artist Guild. David has received numerous awards and recognition. David exhibits regularly at the Five15Arts @ Chartreuse and other regional competition and invitational shows.
David is an interdisciplinary artist working with Ceramics, Stone, Wood and Glass. David has three significant bodies of work.
David’s inspiration comes from travels, nature, and from places like the Mayan temples, the Chiricahua Mountains, Monument Valley and Kew Gardens, and the list goes on. He is inspired by the shapes, the colors, the movement, and the feelings felt while engaging all the great spaces. He conveys the richness of shape, color, and texture into the works of art, and shares the boldness of his experiences into the work for others to engage.
Matthew Werner
the day our innocence ended
the day our innocence ended
Matthew Werner
Medium: sculpture in pecan wood, bass wood, and metal
Size: 20 x 31 x 24
Price: $15, 600
Matthew Werner-Artist’s Statement I’m a positive-minded, non-cynical person. I see people as engaging, amusing, beautiful, joyous, and noble characters in life’s panoply. People are simply the most interesting part of the show. When folks see my sculptures, they see snapshots of people—like themselves—who are doing things that they have done—singing, dancing, sleeping, striving, running, praying—people living. It’s as if they see movements and moments from the show of life. In their minds, they create stories to go with the art. The art forces a narrative from the viewer. That’s what I do—I make narrative, realistic, people-sculptures. I see the essential humanity of folks around me—people of all races and walks—and I capture it in physical forms that encourage folks to find a story that is uniquely their own. The narrative may be long and involved, or it may be only a few words. Sometimes they tell me what they see. I admire the sculptor Bernini for his sense of movement and composition. I admire Rodin for his impressionistic abbreviations of human forms. I favor the illustrator Rockwell for his loyalty to the nobility of common women and men.
Donna Ceraulo
Justice Digi I
Justice Digi I
Donna Ceraulo
Medium: Digital Limited Edition
Size: 18 x 22
Price: $395
Donna Ceraulo has had a life-long passion for art. Born in 1962 in St. Louis, Missouri, her first introduction to painting was in High School in Phoenix, Arizona in 1977 where she developed an intense love of the Impressionists. Although her career was not in Art, she attended Art History classes in Junior College while working and raising a family. Donna has toured many of the world’s finest art museums and has participated in many art workshops taught by fine artists.
Donna began selling her artwork in 2017 after creating a separate art studio in her home in Phoenix. Donna believes in the self-healing and nurturing benefits of a creative life. “ART enables us to FIND ourselves and LOSE ourselves at the same time.” (Thomas Merton)
Donna has three grown children, a grandchild and a boxer dog. She is an animal lover, an avid reader and loves nothing more than painting with her dog at her feet and listening to music or an audio book.
Barbara Dahlstedt
Picking the Perfect Purple Prickly Pear
Picking the Perfect Purple Prickly Pear
Barbara Dahlstedt
Medium:Colored Pencil
Size:29 x 35
Price$2,000
Barbara Dahlstedt began her career in art as a Graphic Designer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Arizona State University but found her genuine passion in teaching art at Apollo High School, in Glendale Arizona. Barbara received a Master’s degree in Education and has been teaching young minds for 26 years. Her students have won state and national recognition for their artwork including Congressional Awards, Scholastic Art Awards, and have been finalists in the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery Teen Competition. In retirement, Barbara has devoted her time to developing her own artwork and taking commissions. Barbara attributes her success in the fine art world from all the years of teaching, experimenting, and lots of practice. From a very young age, Barbara was fascinated by the human face; it’s contours, how light illuminates the form and the rich depth of skin tones.
Elissa Nowacki
Earth and Light
Earth and Light
Elissa Nowacki
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 36 X 48
Price: $2,500
Artist Elissa Nowacki enjoys adolescent humor, paranormal romance novels, 80’s punk/alt rock and taking over her family’s kitchen table to paint. When she isn’t assistant principaling at a K-8 public school in Phoenix, she can be found in her tacky pajamas, using art as meditation from the stressors of adulting. Her formal art education is minimal. She and her exceptionally tolerant husband once enrolled in an evening painting class at Phoenix College, which they affectionately refer to as “marriage counseling.” Elissa’s family is checkered with interesting artist types. She credits her mother for most of her artistic education. Elissa is inspired by random things, including but not limited to flowers, skulls, Daleks, and family pets. In addition to painting, she has built wire sculptures, constructed intricate Halloween costumes for her children and made jewelry. She finds joy in paint…but also in clay, hot glue, and glitter.
Mike Cotter
Dobson Fly
Dobson Fly
Mike Cotter
Medium: Oil on canvas mounted to panel
Size: 6 x 9
NFS
Mike Cotter is a realist, still life, oil painter, born and raised in Arizona. With Arizona as his home, the Sonoran Desert has been a constant source of inspiration. He studied fine art in Wyoming, as well as New Hampshire, where he earned his BFA with honors from the Institute of Art and Design. Currently, Mike is working on several projects including new desert still scapes and recomposed art.
A. R. Bourque
Navigate #2
Navigate #2
A. R. Bourque
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 34 x 36
Price: $875
Graduate of Rhodes Island School of Design. Work in oils on canvas.
Lee Brown
Simultaneity
Simultaneity
Lee Brown
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 38 x 26
Price: $800
Statement For years, I was a member of the Artery Gallery Collective where I was able to show my work on a regular basis. In addition to the Artery Gallery, I have been fortunate to have my work shown at following: 2014-16 Fischl Gallery at Phoenix College (1st, 2nd and 3rd)* 2014-16 Phoenix Art Museum (as a (Phoenix College Student Art Competition winner)* 2015-19 Glendale Fine Arts Competition* 2010-16 Mesa Art Center 2018 United Universalist Church 2019 Holland Gallery* 2019 Ice House Gallery 2019 Devonshire Senior Center 2019 Arizona Artist Guild * 2019 Arizona Statewide Competition in Surprise* 2019 Phoenix Center for the Arts (Best in Show)* 2019 Arizona State Fair* 2020 First Studio (Award of Merit)* 2020-21 Mood Room* 2022 Foundre (currently in RECYCLE SHOW)* *Juried Affiliations • Arizona Artists Guild (Juried Member) • Phoenix Center for the Arts • Phoenix Artlink
Shannon Weiss
Point of Change
Point of Change A
Shannon Weiss
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 11 x 9
Price: $1,250
Having grown up in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains, Shannon’s childhood summers were spent playing in the woods, climbing over glaciers, and soaking up the summer’s vivid colors. In comparison, winters were stark displays of contrast: dark days and gleaming snow; a white world set against a sky so blue it almost looked like a photographer’s backdrop. Although the same place, these visual differences taught her to be observant and sparked a love for landscape painting. While she’s lived many places and explored much of the world since, her paint brush has never been far from hand; the results of which she hopes you enjoy.
Martina Lomas
Rustin Cohle
Rustin Cohle
Martina Lomas
Medium: Colored Pencil
Size:16 x 20
Price:$350
Martina’s strong desire for art has kept her preoccupied and has remained a constant. Martina has gained much knowledge and one-on-one training from her mother, who has helped her daughter by critiquing her artwork. During Martina’s education, art was her favorite and major area of study. Martina is a juried member of the Arizona Artist’s Guild and has won numerous awards in juried competitions throughout Arizona. Her work can be found in public and private collections throughout the United States and Europe.
Craig Anthony Lomas
Fish Finder
Fish Finder
Craig Anthony Lomas
Medium: Gouache and colored pencil
Size: 20 x 17
Price: $350
Craig received his art education at St. Johns University on the scholarship that he received. Craig is also trained as a commercial artist and has worked in the field free-lancing his talents. In Craig’s paintings, he wants to convey close-up moments in nature. Craig’s paintings offer you the chance to touch nature and wildlife up close and personal letting the observer see texture and all the beautiful details in nature and to build on their love of nature and wildlife. Craig is a proud member of the Artists for Conservation and is a juried member of the Arizona Artist Guild. Craig’s paintings are in many private and public collections all across the country.
Madeline Linsley Smidt
What Were We Thinking
What Were We Thinking
Madeline Linsley Smidt
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 18 x 24
Price: $700
Inspired by life experiences, Madeline Linsley Smidt’s abstract paintings originate from from within and are deeply personal. “My studio is my quiet place”, she says. “I first approach the canvas with a particular composition in mind and paint in oil or acrylic, although oil is magical. It is luscious and delicious. My choice of palette depends upon the feelings I wish to convey, whether they be unsettling or joyous”. A resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, Ms. Smidt grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. While earning a bachelors degree at Columbia University she often would escape the campus to visit the New York galleries and museums. Following a corporate career in Information Management Ms. Smidt pursued her interest in art by taking many workshops at The Scottsdale Artists’ School. From realism to abstraction, painting became an obsession. Previously represented by On The Edge Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, her work can be found in private collections throughout the United States.
Rafiq Majeed
Danish Girl
The Danish Girl
Rafiq Majeed
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size 18 X 24
Price: $1,550
Rafiq Majeed was born in Baghdad, Iraq. He was surrounded by art as a child. His father was a goldsmith and his brothers work in fields of painting, graphic art, and photography. Rafiq learned a lot about art before he ever started his academic studies. He received a Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design from the University of Baghdad. Rafiq worked in various artistic fields such as, photography, goldsmith and printmaking. However, painting is his major medium. He paints in oil, acrylic, ink, and mixed media in a personal and unique style. Rafiq always says “I paint to make a statement. I paint to tell a story” Rafiq now lives in the United States. He has been living in Arizona since 2013.
Elle Gould
Bird Brain
Bird Brain
Elle Gould
Medium: Water media on paper
Size: 15x 22
Price: $650
I come from a family of artists. My Grandma, mom, dad, aunts, cousins, sister, and daughter are all artists. When I retired, I began studying painting, glass, wood carving and working, sketching, and other art forms. My studio is my refuge. My personal Disneyland where magic happens and time stops or flies.
Ashley Walden
Games We Play
Games We Play
Ashley Walden
Medium: Mixed Media on Fabric
Size: 26 x 34
Price: $450
Ashley Walden is an wife, mother, and art educator living in Arizona. She creates works of art that provide reflections into the psychological awareness of life. She primarily works in mixed media using found imagery and objects to layer together with other materials and mediums. She loves creating a scene or mood from whatever her intuition pulls together to visually pause a thought or idea for the viewer to experience.
Gabriele Bitter
Woman in Black
Woman in Black
Gabriele Bitter
Medium: Acrylic
size: 16 x 18
Price” $500
I love paint, inks, pencils, pens, pastels, paper and glue. I love to make marks and arrange them, like a musician composes a song. Taking risks, experimenting, and playing is a part of the art process that thrills me. This is where I discover surprises and unexpected imagery. This the stuff of dreams, metaphor, magic. It unfolds when I am courageous. This process is a stark contrast to the way I learned to make art. I can paint a portrait, a landscape, or a still life but it just bores me to tears. But generally speaking, I have learned from my art practice, that life is to be experienced, not controlled.
Dyanne Locati
Dancing Illusions Water
Dancing Illusions Water
Dyanne Locati
Media: Water Media
Size: 29 x 21
Price: $800
Dyanne Locati – An award-winning artist, instructor, past president of the Watercolor Society of Oregon; Past President; Executive Vice president and convention director of the Colored Pencil Society of America; Signature member of the National Watercolor Society; the Arizona Watercolor Association; the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies. Current President of the Contemporary Watercolorists of Arizona. “Texture, line and color play an important role in my artwork. I enjoy working on a variety of surfaces with water media materials. My artwork is on the abstract side with recognizable subjects created with imagination and structure.” Locati has traveled around the US to organize conventions, teach workshops and judge art shows. Her artwork is featured in and on the cover of 15 books, both in the US and Europe. She has written articles for magazines as well as step-by-step illustrations. Locati’s artwork has been in many collections around the US.
Tom Herbert
Indigo Illusion
Indigo Illusion
Tom Herbert
Medium: Pure Pigment Watercolors
Size: 40 x 30
Price: $1,800
The lure of something different, new or exciting, leads me past the safe and ordinary. Mistakes often offer a path to unexpected positive results, and they sometimes lead me to compositions and colors that when completed allow me to be ME.
After attending first and second grade at the two room school and ( 2 outhouses) Double Adobe Ariz., I grew up in Douglas, Arizona and after attending Northern Arizona University, (B. A. M.A) I happily taught high school art in Phoenix for 31 years. I have enjoyed designing and rendering jewelry; I was a successful sculptor using bronze, wood and wood pulp to compose over 300 sculptures. In the early 1990’s I discovered and developed “pure pigment watercolors”. I have used the technique and shared it with many students, younger and older.
I think a lot about the basics of drawing and painting, but I look forward to each day as a chance to fall again, into the calming, sometimes disturbing place, that I think of as “my world”. Not having a preconceived idea allows me to explore pushing and pulling the image. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes or less, or up to 2 or 3 years. So, I usually have 10 to 20 works in progress.
I am a signature member of the following watercolor associations: Arizona Watercolor Association, San Diego Watercolor Society, Contemporary Watercolor Association, the National Watercolor Society, and the Arizona Artists Guild. I have received many awards including 8 “best of show” and have paintings and sculptures in collections across the U.S.
Shannon Weiss
Road Home
Road Home
Shannon Weiss
Medium: Acrylic on wood
Size: 11 x 9
Price: $75
Having grown up in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains, Shannon’s childhood summers were spent playing in the woods, climbing over glaciers, and soaking up the summer’s vivid colors. In comparison, winters were stark displays of contrast: dark days and gleaming snow; a white world set against a sky so blue it almost looked like a photographer’s backdrop. Although the same place, these visual differences taught her to be observant and sparked a love for landscape painting. While she’s lived many places and explored much of the world since, her paint brush has never been far from hand; the results of which she hopes you enjoy.
Kristi James
Portrait of a Great Blue Heron
Portrait of a Great Blue Heron
Kristi James
Medium: Transparent watercolor on Arches 140# cold press paper
Size: 27.5 x 21.75
NFS
n 2020, Kristi James retired from a lengthy career in the semiconductor industry and discovered watercolor painting. She has been painting for approximately 2 ½ years. While open to attempting almost any subject matter, the body of her work reflects a special fondness for birds.
Craig Anthony Lomas
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Craig Anthony Lomas
Medium: Colored Pencil
Size: 19 x 23
Price: $350
Craig received his art education at St. Johns University on the scholarship that he received. Craig is also trained as a commercial artist and has worked in the field free-lancing his talents. In Craig’s paintings, he wants to convey close-up moments in nature. Craig’s paintings offer you the chance to touch nature and wildlife up close and personal letting the observer see texture and all the beautiful details in nature and to build on their love of nature and wildlife. Craig is a proud member of the Artists for Conservation and is a juried member of the Arizona Artist Guild. Craig’s paintings are in many private and public collections all across the country.
Dyanne Fiorucci R
Rooftop Parkour
Rooftop Parkour
Dyanne Fiorucci
Medium: mixed
Size: 24 x 24
Price: $940
Texture has a strong presence in most of my work. Love of texture developed as a result of visits to my family’s homeland in Italy. I was fascinated with the facade of rare landmarks throughout the country. Italy’s love of scarred & graffitied natural surfaces made an impression on me. The natural rough stone quality is included in my art. This tactile quality helped bring my paintings to life. I’ve been physically enjoying art for 35 years. Recently, feeling the need of a real challenge, I changed my artistic direction from figurative painting to an abstract style. Eventually progressing to simple geometric elements. My recent interest in hard edge painting came from being a mathematically challenged student. I always had the desire to learn geometry with all it’s shapes & curves but wasn’t allowed to attend a geometry class. Living in the southwest, my work has been represented by several galleries in Arizona and can be found in private collections throughout the U.S. and Canada. My artwork was accepted and published by the Women’s Caucus for Art in 2013.
Tom Thomas
Still Waters, Elkhorn Slough
Still Waters, Elkhorn Slough
Price: $1,200
Melanie Franz
Lightkeeper
Lightkeeper
Melanie Franz
Medium:Photography
Size: 16 x 20
Price:$280
My work has always been a personal exploration and a means of visual communication for issues I feel strongly about. My recent work intertwines themes of past and present, God’s great earth, dreams and fears, and the passing of time. These pieces come from a body of work that explores questions about how we treat where we are (our natural resources) and who we are in that world. What comes next?
Trish Mayberry
Crow
Crow
Trish Mayberry
Medium: acrylic, charcoal powder, Caran Ache watercolor crayons, graphite
Size: 40X33
Price: $1,700
TRISH MAYBERRY NWS, SDWS, AWA, AAG ARTIST STATEMENT My painting inspiration comes primarily from my life experiences and emotions. I seldom work from resource photos, preferring to find my way experimentally. I often employ many mediums including acrylic, gesso, Caran d’Ache watercolor crayons and graphite. Each new painting is approached in a variety of ways, sometimes utilizing underlying color, texture or monotype. There are often layers of obscured images as well as layers of meaning. While I do focus on fundamentals such as color, value and composition, I’m definitely more concerned with emotional content. To me, a painting should be more than just a pretty face! T
Debra Goley
In and Out Fiber
In and Out Fiber
Debra Goley
Medium: Fiber
Size: 38 x 34
Price: $1100
Art is Debra’s language, and it speaks of how she is innately wired. Beginning with a career as architect, she is now a full-time artist, art instructor, illustrator and designer. Her latest love is working with fiber as an exciting extension of her portfolio adding depth to her work after her mom left her with a plethora of fabric and a machine to draw with her needle. With a brush and a pencil in hand, Debra begins her designs by sketching to scale and allowing the form to follow function. Her technique of piecing color value together and cutting through the multiple layers offers elements of mystery and intrigue. Her life’s work is a continued exploration which has its roots in a life lived overseas and the experience of a multicultural community. As a multimedia artist, Debra’s work and teaching style clearly represent a global influence. With each new project her journey begins with research and analysis of a subject which takes her design from concept to expression.
Hao Shi
Next Stop
Next Stop
Hao Shi
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 40 x 30
Peice: $3000
Chinese born artist Hao “Eric ” Shi was confronted with a seismic culture shift during his adolescent years when his family migrated to the United States. This singular life changing event had a profound impact on the way he sees the world. Channeling this unique perspective, Eric strives to create art that is representative and honest to his life experience and cultural diversity. Utilizing expressive lines and bold colors, Eric explores the relationship between the artist and his subject matter through portraiture, landscapes and more. An avid traveler and SCUBA diver, Eric hopes to continually progress and evolve his artistic style, as he immerses himself into different cultures.
Tom Herbert
Partnership
Partnership
Tom Herbert
Medium: Pure Pigment Watercolors
Size: 32 x 24
Price: $1100
The lure of something different, new or exciting, leads me past the safe and ordinary. Mistakes often offer a path to unexpected positive results, and they sometimes lead me to compositions and colors that when completed allow me to be ME.
After attending first and second grade at the two room school and ( 2 outhouses) Double Adobe Ariz., I grew up in Douglas, Arizona and after attending Northern Arizona University, (B. A. M.A) I happily taught high school art in Phoenix for 31 years. I have enjoyed designing and rendering jewelry; I was a successful sculptor using bronze, wood and wood pulp to compose over 300 sculptures. In the early 1990’s I discovered and developed “pure pigment watercolors”. I have used the technique and shared it with many students, younger and older.
I think a lot about the basics of drawing and painting, but I look forward to each day as a chance to fall again, into the calming, sometimes disturbing place, that I think of as “my world”. Not having a preconceived idea allows me to explore pushing and pulling the image. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes or less, or up to 2 or 3 years. So, I usually have 10 to 20 works in progress.
I am a signature member of the following watercolor associations: Arizona Watercolor Association, San Diego Watercolor Society, Contemporary Watercolor Association, the National Watercolor Society, and the Arizona Artists Guild. I have received many awards including 8 “best of show” and have paintings and sculptures in collections across the U.S.
Rafiq Majeed
Girl with a Wheelchair
Girl with a Wheelchair
Rafiq Majeed
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 24 X 30
Price: $1,950
Rafiq Majeed was born in Baghdad, Iraq. He was surrounded by art as a child. His father was a goldsmith and his brothers work in fields of painting, graphic art, and photography. Rafiq learned a lot about art before he ever started his academic studies. He received a Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design from the University of Baghdad. Rafiq worked in various artistic fields such as, photography, goldsmith and printmaking. However, painting is his major medium. He paints in oil, acrylic, ink, and mixed media in a personal and unique style. Rafiq always says “I paint to make a statement. I paint to tell a story” Rafiq now lives in the United States. He has been living in Arizona since 2013.
Kristi James
Male American Kestrel
Male American Kestrel
Kristi James
Medium: Transparent Watercolor on Arches 140# cold press paper
Size: 29.75 ; x 24
NFS
n 2020, Kristi James retired from a lengthy career in the semiconductor industry and discovered watercolor painting. She has been painting for approximately 2 ½ years. While open to attempting almost any subject matter, the body of her work reflects a special fondness for birds.
Craig Anthony Lomas
Winter Sentinel
Winter Sentinel
Craig Anthony Lomas
Mediium: Soft Pastels
Size: 19 x 26
Price: $325
Craig received his art education at St. Johns University on the scholarship that he received. Craig is also trained as a commercial artist and has worked in the field free-lancing his talents. In Craig’s paintings, he wants to convey close-up moments in nature. Craig’s paintings offer you the chance to touch nature and wildlife up close and personal letting the observer see texture and all the beautiful details in nature and to build on their love of nature and wildlife. Craig is a proud member of the Artists for Conservation and is a juried member of the Arizona Artist Guild. Craig’s paintings are in many private and public collections all across the country.
Dyanne Fiorucci
Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue
Dyanne Fiorucci
Medium: mixed
Size: 30 x 24
Price: $1,170
Texture has a strong presence in most of my work. Love of texture developed as a result of visits to my family’s homeland in Italy. I was fascinated with the facade of rare landmarks throughout the country. Italy’s love of scarred & graffitied natural surfaces made an impression on me. The natural rough stone quality is included in my art. This tactile quality helped bring my paintings to life. I’ve been physically enjoying art for 35 years. Recently, feeling the need of a real challenge, I changed my artistic direction from figurative painting to an abstract style. Eventually progressing to simple geometric elements. My recent interest in hard edge painting came from being a mathematically challenged student. I always had the desire to learn geometry with all it’s shapes & curves but wasn’t allowed to attend a geometry class. Living in the southwest, my work has been represented by several galleries in Arizona and can be found in private collections throughout the U.S. and Canada. My artwork was accepted and published by the Women’s Caucus for Art in 2013.
Tom Thomas
3 Stories Up
3 Stories Up
Melanie Franz
Oracle
Oracle
Melanie Franz
Medium:Photography
Size: 16 x 20
Price:$280
My work has always been a personal exploration and a means of visual communication for issues I feel strongly about. My recent work intertwines themes of past and present, God’s great earth, dreams and fears, and the passing of time. These pieces come from a body of work that explores questions about how we treat where we are (our natural resources) and who we are in that world. What comes next?
Carol L Bendell
Homeward Bound
Homeward Bound
Carol L Bendell
Medium:Pastel
Size: 19 x 16
Price: $1,850
I have always found people and their circumstances to be infinitely interesting. Hence I enjoy doing portraiture, especially when working from live models. My quest is to use the time I am drawing or painting to go deeper into the individual subject’s persona, hopefully expressing subtle clues as to who my portrait subject really is or how he or she thinks and feels. Drawing is absolutely the basis of everything I do, whether with pastels, watercolors or graphite.
Debra Goley
Glass and Steel
Glass and Steel
Debra Goley
Medium: Fiber
Size: 39 x 39
Price: $950
Art is Debra’s language, and it speaks of how she is innately wired. Beginning with a career as architect, she is now a full-time artist, art instructor, illustrator and designer. Her latest love is working with fiber as an exciting extension of her portfolio adding depth to her work after her mom left her with a plethora of fabric and a machine to draw with her needle. With a brush and a pencil in hand, Debra begins her designs by sketching to scale and allowing the form to follow function. Her technique of piecing color value together and cutting through the multiple layers offers elements of mystery and intrigue. Her life’s work is a continued exploration which has its roots in a life lived overseas and the experience of a multicultural community. As a multimedia artist, Debra’s work and teaching style clearly represent a global influence. With each new project her journey begins with research and analysis of a subject which takes her design from concept to expression.
Hao Shi
Everything has changed and nothing has changed
Everything has changed and nothing has changed
Hao Shi
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 40 x 30
Price: $3000
Chinese born artist Hao “Eric ” Shi was confronted with a seismic culture shift during his adolescent years when his family migrated to the United States. This singular life changing event had a profound impact on the way he sees the world. Channeling this unique perspective, Eric strives to create art that is representative and honest to his life experience and cultural diversity. Utilizing expressive lines and bold colors, Eric explores the relationship between the artist and his subject matter through portraiture, landscapes and more. An avid traveler and SCUBA diver, Eric hopes to continually progress and evolve his artistic style, as he immerses himself into different cultures.
Hank Keneally
Light Forms – Blue – Purple
Light Forms - Blue - Purple
Hank Keneally
Medikum: Photography
Size: 21 x 32
Price: $500
I am very fortunate. I have always been in the Arts. Learning the notes on the piano from my Grandmother who was a Piano teacher. Listening to Classical Music that my Brother brought before me. Playing instruments. Becoming a Photographer. Practicing Counseling and Social Work for 42 years, which I see as another Artistic process. Becoming a Painter. I Create every day. I start with compassionate observation. I always have a camera with me. For me, Great Things Happen Where Arts Merge. I use Paint, Cameras and Digital Technologies. I aim for reciprocity between myself and my media. I love to be surprised in the act of Creation. My Artworks shown in this exhibition are all a result of these processes.
Candice Diaz
Lisa’s Eggs
Lisa’s Eggs
Candice Diaz
Medium: Watercolor
Size: 32 x 26
Price: $900
Matthew Werner
Giant steps, Daddy
Giant steps, Daddy
Matthew Werner
Medium: sculpture in alligator juniper, monkey pod wood, and metal
Size: 22 x 13 x 10
Price: $7,300
Matthew Werner-Artist’s Statement I’m a positive-minded, non-cynical person. I see people as engaging, amusing, beautiful, joyous, and noble characters in life’s panoply. People are simply the most interesting part of the show. When folks see my sculptures, they see snapshots of people—like themselves—who are doing things that they have done—singing, dancing, sleeping, striving, running, praying—people living. It’s as if they see movements and moments from the show of life. In their minds, they create stories to go with the art. The art forces a narrative from the viewer. That’s what I do—I make narrative, realistic, people-sculptures. I see the essential humanity of folks around me—people of all races and walks—and I capture it in physical forms that encourage folks to find a story that is uniquely their own. The narrative may be long and involved, or it may be only a few words. Sometimes they tell me what they see. I admire the sculptor Bernini for his sense of movement and composition. I admire Rodin for his impressionistic abbreviations of human forms. I favor the illustrator Rockwell for his loyalty to the nobility of common women and men.
Henry Bosak
Help On The Line
Help On The Line
Henry Bosak
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 19.5 x 25.5
Price: $2,500
Art has always been a big part of my life as far back as I can remember. The way I looks at it, I was always going to do something art related… there was no plan “B”. Born in eastern Nebraska, my parents encouraged and nurtured my love for art. I was also fortunate to have a professionally trained artist living just down the street, where I could go to watch her paint and sculpt. My high school art teacher was a big influence by opened my eyes to all forms of art. I got a degree in commercial art at a small community college and I have pursued a career as a graphic designer and illustrator for over 35 years. It has been a good way to make a living and to allow me to create nearly everyday, but I always tried to make time to paint. Even though I have no formal training in painting, I have “put in the time” and dedicated myself (and quite a few canvases) to strengthen my skills over the years. I was very fortunate to meet Bonnie Lewis years ago, who at the time was owner of Catitude Gallery and Studio in Avondale, Arizona. She gave me the chance to show and sell my work in her gallery. That was the first time anyone had given me a chance like that. I’m a member of the Arizona Art Alliance and the International Guild of Realism. I’ve shown my work at On The Edge Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona and {9}TheGallery in Phoenix. I have been juried into the Glendale Arts Council’s Fine Arts Competition, The Sedona Arts Festival, The National Society of Painters in Casein & Acrylic and the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society. I have been featured in Southwest Art magazine and American Art Collector magazine. Like all of us, I may not know exactly how my life will turn out, but I do know that art will always be a big part of it. After all…there is no plan “B”!
Mikii Bendotti
The Morning Light
The Morning Light
Mikii Bendotti
Medium: water based acrylics
Size: 11 x 14
Price: $230
Art in the practical sense has been a constant in my life because it translates our verbal learning into
visual learning and vice-versa. Now that I am retired, I paint with oils, watercolors, and most-often
acrylics. Generally, I paint people engaged in the human experience capturing a personal, intimate
moment with themselves and sometimes with others. My goal is to communicate something unique
about the people I paint – something that a camera might not pick up. When I paint a portrait there is a
moment while I am painting that the person seems to look back at me and we become one in the same
within a human experience.
My Art Vision and Missions Quest, is inspired by Phillippians 4:8: ‘Whatsoever things are true, honest,
just, pure, lovely, and are of good report … paint on these things.’
Mikii Bendotti retired from a career in Education, both teaching and administration. Retiring in 2015
she has been a full-time artist, exhibiting her work throughout central Arizona. She is a juried member
of the Arizona Artists Guild and is an active member of Ground Floor Artists. She has exhibited with the
Glendale Arts Council, Portrait Artists of Arizona, The Arizona Art Alliance and the Scottdale Artist
School. In addition to her studio practice, Bendotti offers private and small group lessons. Her studio is
open by appointment. You can follow her on Instagram @MikiiSamaha.
MichellineBendotti@gmail.com
Elissa Nowacki
Between the Light and the Dark
Between the Light and the Dark
Elissa Nowacki
Medium: Acrylic and goldleaf on canvas
Size: 30 X 48
Price: $3,000
Artist Elissa Nowacki enjoys adolescent humor, paranormal romance novels, 80’s punk/alt rock and taking over her family’s kitchen table to paint. When she isn’t assistant principaling at a K-8 public school in Phoenix, she can be found in her tacky pajamas, using art as meditation from the stressors of adulting. Her formal art education is minimal. She and her exceptionally tolerant husband once enrolled in an evening painting class at Phoenix College, which they affectionately refer to as “marriage counseling.” Elissa’s family is checkered with interesting artist types. She credits her mother for most of her artistic education. Elissa is inspired by random things, including but not limited to flowers, skulls, Daleks, and family pets. In addition to painting, she has built wire sculptures, constructed intricate Halloween costumes for her children and made jewelry. She finds joy in paint…but also in clay, hot glue, and glitter.
Lee Davenport
Lucent
Lucent
Lee Davenport
Medium: watercolor on paper
Size: 33 X 25
Price: $755
I am a visual artist that is deeply inspired to explore the idea that artworks can tell visual stories and all the narratives that an artwork can hold within it. By applying a variety of mediums and processes, I can best represent the subject matter in captured moments of fantastical space. Utilizing bright and contrasting colors combined with various expressions to hint at details within the narrative, each work ultimately creates an elaborate puzzle of story elements for one to interpret. Altogether, I develop images that immerse the viewer into the events of that world, allowing someone to get lost in the scene of the artwork and experience a connection to an original narrative that is not their own.
Debra Goley
Sunflower Dance
Sunflower Dance
Debra Goley
Medium: Fiber
Size: 34 x 49
Price: $1,450
Art is Debra’s language, and it speaks of how she is innately wired. Beginning with a career as architect, she is now a full-time artist, art instructor, illustrator and designer. Her latest love is working with fiber as an exciting extension of her portfolio adding depth to her work after her mom left her with a plethora of fabric and a machine to draw with her needle. With a brush and a pencil in hand, Debra begins her designs by sketching to scale and allowing the form to follow function. Her technique of piecing color value together and cutting through the multiple layers offers elements of mystery and intrigue. Her life’s work is a continued exploration which has its roots in a life lived overseas and the experience of a multicultural community. As a multimedia artist, Debra’s work and teaching style clearly represent a global influence. With each new project her journey begins with research and analysis of a subject which takes her design from concept to expression.
Gloria Cuádraz
Mid-morning Cafecito
Mid-morning Cafecito
Gloria Cuádraz
Medium: Oil
Size: 12 x 12
Price: $475
I am originally from the agricultural borderlands of Imperial Valley, California and moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1994 to begin my faculty career at Arizona State University. Often, my Mexican heritage is reflected in what I choose to paint, painting subjects related to my research interests in the Mexican descent community in Arizona, especially as it pertains to labor. I also especially enjoy painting in bold and warm colors–colors found in Mexican pottery and old clay bowls–objects once made and shaped by the labor of human hands. I enjoy painting florals and am comfortable working from photographs, although I much prefer painting from live set-ups. I paint because of the challenge, and the infinite learning curve. Immersing myself in painting allows me to capture a fleeting moment of light, an observation from everyday life, or to document a moment worth preserving.
Hank Keneally
The Language Of Light – Letter A
The Language Of Light - Letter A
Hank Keneally
Medium: Photography
Size: 21 x 32
Price: $500
I am very fortunate. I have always been in the Arts. Learning the notes on the piano from my Grandmother who was a Piano teacher. Listening to Classical Music that my Brother brought before me. Playing instruments. Becoming a Photographer. Practicing Counseling and Social Work for 42 years, which I see as another Artistic process. Becoming a Painter. I Create every day. I start with compassionate observation. I always have a camera with me. For me, Great Things Happen Where Arts Merge. I use Paint, Cameras and Digital Technologies. I aim for reciprocity between myself and my media. I love to be surprised in the act of Creation. My Artworks shown in this exhibition are all a result of these processes.
Rafiq Majeed
Hug with a Small Sip of Wine
Hug with a Small Sip of Wine
Rafiq Majeed
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 18 X 24
Price: $1,550
Rafiq Majeed was born in Baghdad, Iraq. He was surrounded by art as a child. His father was a goldsmith and his brothers work in fields of painting, graphic art, and photography. Rafiq learned a lot about art before he ever started his academic studies. He received a Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design from the University of Baghdad. Rafiq worked in various artistic fields such as, photography, goldsmith and printmaking. However, painting is his major medium. He paints in oil, acrylic, ink, and mixed media in a personal and unique style. Rafiq always says “I paint to make a statement. I paint to tell a story” Rafiq now lives in the United States. He has been living in Arizona since 2013.
Linda Miller
Entangled
Entangled
Linda Miller
Medium: Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas:Size: 36 x 36
Price: $1,900.00
I was born and raised in Portland Oregon. When my husband retired we move to Fountain Hills Arizona and have been full time residents for the last five plus years. Presently I enjoy working with acrylic on canvas. I have also worked in watercolor and oil pastels. While in Oregon I was a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon. I served as Treasurer and Secretary. In Oregon I was part of a monthly critique group besides being a member of the Buffalo Grass Society and Painters Showcase. I was juried into Contemporary Watercolorists of Arizona in 2019. I presently serve as Treasurer for the group. I am also a member of Arizona Artists Guild. I enjoy being an artist and being able to express myself through art.
Matthew Werner
checking in
checking in
Matthew Werner
Medium: sculpture in pecan wood, English sycamore wood, and metal
Size: 17 x 18 x 31
Price: $8,600
Matthew Werner-Artist’s Statement I’m a positive-minded, non-cynical person. I see people as engaging, amusing, beautiful, joyous, and noble characters in life’s panoply. People are simply the most interesting part of the show. When folks see my sculptures, they see snapshots of people—like themselves—who are doing things that they have done—singing, dancing, sleeping, striving, running, praying—people living. It’s as if they see movements and moments from the show of life. In their minds, they create stories to go with the art. The art forces a narrative from the viewer. That’s what I do—I make narrative, realistic, people-sculptures. I see the essential humanity of folks around me—people of all races and walks—and I capture it in physical forms that encourage folks to find a story that is uniquely their own. The narrative may be long and involved, or it may be only a few words. Sometimes they tell me what they see. I admire the sculptor Bernini for his sense of movement and composition. I admire Rodin for his impressionistic abbreviations of human forms. I favor the illustrator Rockwell for his loyalty to the nobility of common women and men.
Ellen Van Pelt
California Covid
California Covid
Ellen Van Pelt
Medium: Digital photography
Size: 8.5 x 11
Price: $100
My recent art is an multimedia expression, combining traditional life drawing images with a variety of digital applications in a collage format.
