P R E V I E W S O F W O R K S F O R S A L E AT U P C O M I N G S H O W S C O A S T T O C O A S T JANUARY 2018 ISSUE 147

AMERICAN

C O L L E C T O R
 ARCADIA CONTEMPORARY
at
THE LA ART SHOW 2018

Los Angeles Convention Center

January 10-14, 2018

TOWN PLAZA
9428 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232 www.arcadiacontemporary.com
© 2018 Arcadia Contemporary (424) 603-4656 info@arcadiacontemporary.com
 ARCADIA CONTEMPORARY
at

Malcolm Liepke “Bathing Beauty” Oil on Canvas

Palm Springs Convention Center

February 16-18, 2018

TOWN PLAZA
9428 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232 www.arcadiacontemporary.com
© 2018 Arcadia Contemporary (424) 603-4656 info@arcadiacontemporary.com
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 EDITOR’S LETTER

Content
JANUARY 2018 / MONTHLY

VINCENT W. MILLER / Publisher

W
EDITORIAL
ith the coming of the New Year, I tend to reflect
JOSHUA ROSE / Editor
editor@americanartcollector.com on everything we have accomplished with this
ROCHELLE BELSITO / Managing Editor
magazine over the past 12 months. The wonderful thing
rbelsito@americanartcollector.com about publishing is that all your past accomplishments/
MICHAEL CLAWSON / Deputy Editor failures/successes/attempts and everything else is right
ERIN RAND / Assistant Editor there in print for everyone to see. It’s the ultimate in Scan for
VIDEO
SALLY CAMERON / Associate Editor
accountability. Nothing goes unnoticed.
2017 was a wonderful year for us on a variety of levels. Scan the Icons
JOHN O’HERN / Santa Fe Editor
However, what I’m most proud of is the content we delivered Throughout This
FRANCIS SMITH / Contributing Photographer
each and every month. I’ve said this many times before Issue to Watch
MAIA GELVIN / Editorial Intern
over the last 12 years of being the editor of this magazine, Videos
ADVERTISING 866 6190841 but it still rings true: content is key and the success of this
LISA REDWINE / Senior Account Executive magazine is tied directly to our ability to provide original, Don't Have
lredwine@americanartcollector.com insightful, accessible and usable information to help A Scanner App?

CHRISTIE CAVALIER / Senior Account Executive collectors acquire art for their collections. This is our motto,
ccavalier@americanartcollector.com our mantra, what we live by and what we aim to do when we
ANITA WELDON / Senior Account Executive are putting together each issue.
aweldon@americanartcollector.com I’ve always said that complacency breeds mediocrity
CYNDI HOCHBERG / Senior Account Executive and that is why we are always pushing to deliver new We recommend
cyndih@americanartcollector.com
information and content to you. We are content with our SCANLIFE
CAMI BEAUGUREAU / Account Executive content but not too much so. There are always new ways Available on
camib@americanartcollector.com Android and IOS
and new articles to put together, new sections to write, new Devices
TRAFFIC artists to discover and new cities to shine the spotlight on.
BEN CROCKETT / Traffic Manager Speaking of which, do you live in a city that is quietly
traffic@americanartcollector.com becoming an art destination? If so, then please let me know.
PRODUCTION Our new City Focus section has given us a way to shine the
ADOLFO CASTILLO / Multi Media Manager light on all the new art destinations we are coming across in
TONY NOLAN / Art Director
our trips around the country. Look for more of this in 2018.
AUDREY WELCH / Graphic Designer Get Social!
Sincerely,
KEVIN KING / Junior Designer

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service@americanartcollector.com Editor
JAIME PEACH / Accounts Receivable american
jpeach@americanartcollector.com P.S. I’m always looking for new artists and new art collector
JESSICA HUBBARD / Subscriptions Coordinator exhibitions to cover in our often imitated but never
admin@americanartcollector.com
duplicated preview section. Send all recommendations to
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AMERICAN ART COLLECTOR (ISSN 1547-7088) is published 12 times a year by ON THE COVER AmericanArt
International Artist Publishing Inc. Collector
CANADA: American Art Collector Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064408 Return
Jane Jones, The Gift, oil on canvas,
Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to Express Messenger International PO Box 25058,
London BRC, Ontario, Canada N6C 6A8 www.AmericanArtCollector.com 62 x 44". Available at Bonner David Galleries,
Scottsdale, AZ.

004 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

Gel en a Pav l en k o | Charles Lotton

Pavlenko, “Rays, Irises,” 20 x 28”, Oil on Canvas

Lotton, “Iridescent Lavender Iris Vase,” 7.5 x 7.5”, Blown Glass Pavlenko, “Roses,” 16 x 16”, Oil on Canvas

900 North Michigan Ave. Level 6, Chicago, IL 60611

(312) 664-6203
www.lottongallery.com
“Red & G reen Appl e s,” 2 5 x 3 0 ” ( Fr am e d ) Past e l  “ The Avo cad o’s Au d it io n ,” 2 1 x 25 ” (Fr ame d) Paste l 
Phadke
8 4 7 - 3 0 8 - 5 6 3 2 | w w w. s a n g i t a p h a d k e . c o m
Fine Art
Sangita
B o n n e r D a v i d Galleries
Traditional x Contemporary

Peregrine Heathcote

“Celebration” / oil on canvas / 36" x 30"

15th Anniversary Season

“Apple of the Moon”
New works by Peregrine Heathcote

December 29, 2017 - January 23, 2018

7040 E. Main Street x Scottsdale, AZ 85251 x www.bonnerdavid.com x art@bonnerdavid.com x 4 8 0 . 9 4 1 . 8 5 0 0

 ANATOMY OF THE MAGAZINE
Use this magazine to help you become the first to acquire
new works for sale at upcoming shows coast to coast

COASTTOCOAST COVERAGE
Find out what’s happening across the nation. This is the first magazine to provide
coast-to-coast coverage of upcoming shows from artists and galleries specializing in
traditional fine art paintings and sculpture—the art that collectors want.

PREVIEWS COLLECTOR HOMES

In the Preview pages, we reveal Our nationally recognized
new works about to come interior design consultants take
available for sale by the country’s you inside the homes of major art
leading galleries. collectors to show how the
collections have been hung.

ART SHOW LOCATIONS

At the top of each Preview page ART MARKET INSIGHTS
you’ll see the destination where the Find out everything the
upcoming exhibition is showing, discerning collector needs to
the dates, and the gallery address know. Each month a group of art
and contact details so you can experts share their behind-the-
make inquiries about new works— scenes knowledge of how the art
before they go on sale to the market works.
general public.

ARTIST FOCUS PAGES

These one-page articles are bonus
Previews and focus on additional exhibitions taking place
each month. Artist Focus Pages also show new works SOLD!
available for purchase, providing another valuable resource
Read our monthly SOLD! pages to find out
for finding more one-of-a-kind works of art.
who’s buying whose art they first saw in this magazine.

ART LOVER’S GUIDES

Broaden your horizons by reading about the fabulous
new art to be shown in some of the country’s most
exciting and stimulating art destinations.

VIRTUAL ART WALK

Visit www.AmericanArtCollector.com to see our sensational Virtual Art Walk. When a
show announcement catches your eye, click on it and the art image will enlarge. Click
again, and you will be linked directly to the gallery hosting the upcoming show.
 Jason
Jason Kowalski
Kowalski
January
January 6th,
6th, 2018
2018

“El
“El Rancho
Rancho Verde”
Verde” 40x40
40x40

JWILLOTT.COM
JWILLOTT.COM 73300
73300 EL
EL PASEO
PASEO PALM
PALM DESERT,
DESERT, CA
CA 92260
92260 760.568.3180
760.568.3180
 Step Out of the Realm of the Ordinary...

“Divine Wind” 27” H • bronze, Edition of 20

View this piece at “Cowgirl Up”

To see more of Martha’s work, go to: www.marthapettigrew.com
Call for prices (602) 770-9950
 DAVID
LIGARE
MAGNA FIDE
Exhibition:
October 21, 2017 – January 7, 2018

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art

In cooperation with Winfield Gallery

551 Broadway, Sonoma CA 95476

Ponte Vecchio / Torre Nova, 2015, oil on canvas, 28 x 40 inches 707.939.7862 | www.svma.org

HOLLY
LANE
INDWELLING
NATURE
Exhibition:
January 27 – June 10, 2018

Fresno Art Museum

In cooperation with Winfield Gallery

2233 N First Street, Fresno, CA 93703

559.441.4221 | www.fresnoartmuseum.org

Works available through Winfield Gallery

Dolores between Ocean & 7th

PO Box 7393 Carmel, CA 93921
Between Day Past and Dawn, 2015, 800.289.1950 | 831.624.3369
acrylic on carved wood, 20 3/4 x 15 1/8 x 4 3/4 inches
 NICHOLE
LAIZURE
WWW.NICHOLELAIZURE.COM
nlaizure@cox.net | 480.280.3306

Represented by:

VICTORIA JAMES GALLERY

Scottsdale Quarter
South Street, Suite 155
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
480.220.2116

WHITE LILLIES
Oil on canvas, 40 x 30"

heidi
rosner FINE ART

SEE MORE OF HEIDI’S WORK AT THE

C E L E B R AT I O N
— OF —
F INE A RT
SCOTTSDALE, AZ
JANUARY 13 – MARCH 25, 2018
STUDIOS #133 AND #134

www. heidirosner.com
480.657.6392
heidi@ heidirosner.com
@ heidirosnerwatercolors
@ heidirosnerfineart

ALL IN THE FAMILY, 36 x 36” Watercolor on Canvas

 LARISA AUKON
SOLO EXHIBITION

Coyote Trail • 54" x 44 1/4" • oil

January 11- February 3, 2018

Artist Reception: January 11, Thursday, 7-9 pm

7103 East Main Street

Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
Telephone 480.596.9533
paulscottgallery.com
 /
CONTENTS JANUARY 2018

42
UPCOMING SOLO & GROUP SHOWS

92
Palm Desert, CA
JASON KOWALSKI
Yesterday’s relics

94
Seattle, WA
VICTORIA ADAMS
Imaginary spaces

96
Hallandale Beach, FL
ERIN ANDERSON
Exploring relationships

ARIZONA FLORIDA NEW MEXICO SOUTH CAROLINA

98
New York, NY
• Scottsdale • Hallandale Beach • Santa Fe • Charleston
• Tucson • Naples CHRISTOPHER BURK
NEW YORK WASHINGTON
City compositions
CALIFORNIA ILLINOIS • New York • Seattle
• Culver City • Chicago
• Palm Desert

014 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

 SPECIAL SECTIONS

DISCOVERING MEANING
60

48
Collector’s Focus: Still Lifes

THE ART LOVER’S GUIDE

TO COLLECTING FINE ART 74
IN SCOTTSDALE & VICINITY

CELEBRATION OF FINE ART

83
FE AT U R E S
MODERN AESTHETIC
By John O’Hern 42

100 108 114

POPULATION SANTA FE:
RAY TURNER 48
By John O’Hern
Santa Fe, NM Naples, FL New York, NY
DOUGLAS FRYER MAKING WAVES OUTER LIMITS
Artifacts of memory Water-themed exhibition Exploration of New York
HIGH ROLLER
By Rochelle Belsito 52
102 110 116 UNFOLDING VISIONS:
HOLLY LANE 56
Chicago, IL Charleston, SC Culver City, CA
By John O’Hern
GELENA PAVLENKO THE COLOR OF REALISM RETURNS
Moments in nature WATER Arcadia Contemporary
Watercolor paintings at LA Art Show
D EPA R T M EN T S
104 112 118 ART NEWS 26, 36
Scottsdale, AZ
CALENDAR 30
PEREGRINE New York, NY Scottsdale & Tucson, AZ
HEATHCOTE BAROQUE TWO TRIOS ART FAIR PREVIEW 34
Apples of the moon REVISITED Multiple gallery shows TO BE ANNOUNCED 38
Contemporary
106 UNVEILING 40
CO N TE N TS

figurative works
AWARD WINNERS 120, 124
Scottsdale, AZ
ARTIST FOCUS PAGES 126
LARISA AUKON
The language of color
015
SEWE_AAC and AFA_HPads_Jan18.indd 1 11/14/2017 4:19:50 PM
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art market. Collectors of Contemporary art rely upon American Art Collector to stay informed on the latest works from the country’s
top contemporary artists as well as artwork from historic Western masters.

Our magazine allows collectors to get a real sense of art that is coming available for sale—and opportunity to buy it right off our pages.

Stay informed on the latest exhibits across the country, subscribe today online at

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Past Issues.indd 164 11/14/16 11:11 AM

celebration of fine art 2018

Open Daily 10am-6pm | Jan. 13-Mar. 25, 2018

Loop 101 & Hayden rd, Scottsdale, Az
480.443.7695
Tickets Available At
celebrateart.com

For 28 years, the Celebration of Fine Art has been the

place where art lovers and artists connect. Meet 100 of
the finest artists in the country, watch them work and
share in the creative process.

Where Art Lovers & Artists Connect

Portrait Society of America
March 1-4, 2018

2017 First Place Drawing: Sookyi Lee

Bridget, 18x24", charcoal on paper

20th Annual International

Portrait Competition

Call for Entries

O
Debra Steidel, Mixed Media

ver $100,000 in prizes

The Ultimate Fine Art Experience!
and awards will be A short drive from legendary Palm Springs
presented in categories Presenting 220 contemporary fine artists
recognizing Painting, in a magnificent outdoor gallery
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Visit our website for full details or call toll-free for your prospectus.
Children under 12 are Free
Entry Deadline February 22, 2018 Valet & Self Parking
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A national non-profit 501 (c ) (3)
La Quinta Civic Center Campus
78-495 Calle Tampico LQAF.com
 Almond & Co.
Altman Siegel Gallery
Anthony Meier Fine Arts
Berggruen Gallery
Blum & Poe
Casati Gallery
Cristina Grajales Gallery
Crown Point Press
David Gill Gallery
David Kordansky Gallery
David Zwirner
Edward Cella Art+Architecture
Fraenkel Gallery
Friedman Benda
Gagosian
Galerie Chantal Crousel
Galerie Chastel Maréchal
Gavin Brown’s enterprise
Gladstone Gallery
Haines Gallery
Hosfelt Gallery
Hostler Burrows
James Cohan
Jason Jacques Gallery
Jessica Silverman Gallery
kurimanzutto
Lebreton
Lévy Gorvy
Luhring Augustine
MACCARONE
Magen H Gallery
Marian Goodman Gallery
Matthew Marks Gallery
Nicholas Kilner
Pace Gallery
Patrick Parrish Gallery
Paul Kasmin Gallery
R & Company
Ratio 3
Reform/The Landing
Sadie Coles HQ
Stuart Shave/Modern Art
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
Twentieth/THE NEW Gallery
Volume Gallery

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 Louis
jlouis.co

“Interweave II” Oil on Cradled Linen Panel 40” x 30”

 Where Is Your Favorite
Art Destination?
Throughout our 12 monthly issues we invite you to see the many talented artists
and high-quality galleries in these major art destinations coast to coast.

OCTOBER ISSUE
» Art Lover’s Guide MAY ISSUE
to CANADA JUNE ISSUE
» Art Lover’s Guide to » Art Lover’s Guide MARCH ISSUE
SANTA FE & VICINITY to the MIDWEST » Art Lover’s Guide to
AUGUST ISSUE WASHINGTON, D.C.,
» Art Lover’s Guide to the & MID-ATLANTIC STATES
PACIFIC NORTHWEST » The Art Lover’s Guide
to Collecting Fine Art
in Colorado

FEBRUARY ISSUE JULY ISSUE

» Art Lover’s Guide to CAPE COD
» Art Lover’s Guide
& THE ISLANDS
to CALIFORNIA

NOVEMBER ISSUE
» Art Lover’s Guide to
JANUARY ISSUE CHARLESTON, CHARLOTTE
» Art Lover’s Guide to & THE CAROLINAS
SCOTTSDALE & VICINITY
APRIL ISSUE DECEMBER ISSUE
» Art Lover’s Guide to TEXAS
» Art Lover’s Guide to FLORIDA
» Art Lover’s Guide to THE SOUTHERN STATES

See Full Details on the Special Art

Destination Sections by Visiting
w w w.AmericanAr tCollec tor.com/editorialcalendar

www.AmericanArtCollector.com • Subscriptions: (877) 947-0792 • Advertising: (866) 619-0841

“LIMON” 36 X 36” OIL ON LINEN

Yvonne Mendez GALLERY REPRESENTATION

❖ BEALS & CO.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

❖ SHAIN GALLERY
404-434-2993
Charlotte, North Carolina
ylmendez@yahoo.com
❖ GALLERY 1401
www. yvonnemendezfineart .com Chattanooga, Tennessee
 NEWS Deborah Butterfield,
Three Sorrows (quake,
tsunami, meltdown from
Gretel Ehrlich in Facing

Three
the Wave), 2016, cast
bronze, wood, plastic and
wire, 81¼ x 100¾ x 40",

Sorrows
installation dimensions
variable.

T
he works of Deborah Butterfield
will be on view at L.A. Louver in
Three Sorrows. In this series of new
and recent works, Butterfield incorporates
marine debris from the 2011 Japanese
earthquake and tsunami to create her
powerful and poignant horse sculptures.
The exhibition hangs through January 6.

What
Howardena Pindell,
Autobiography: India
(Lakshmi), 1984.

Remains
Garth Greenan
Gallery. Photo
courtesy the artist
and Garth Greenan

to be Seen
Gallery, New York.
Anselm Kiefer,

Provocations
Winter Landscape,
watercolor,

T
gouache and
graphite on he Museum of Contemporary Art

T
paper. The Chicago presents Howardena
Metropolitan
hirty-four works on paper and one Pindell: What Remains To Be
Museum of
painting by Anselm Kiefer are featured Art. Denise and Seen, which traces the themes and
at the Met Breuer in Provocations. The Andrew Saul visual experiments that run throughout
German artist is known for confronting the Fund, 1995. Pindell’s work up to the present. Trained
© Anselm Kiefer.
past head on, and the exhibition offers us an as a painter, Pindell is known for her
opportunity to reflect on our own conflicted unconventional materials such as glitter
history. The exhibition spans the artist’s 50-year and perfume. The show opens February
career and will remain on view through April 8. 24 and runs through May 20.

026 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

 “Tea and Sushi,” 30 x 38" Watercolor Framed in Antique Silver.

EVELYN DUNPHY
AMERICAN WATERCOLOR ARTIST
Vis it w e bs it e f o r in f o r m at io n on i n tern a ti on a l
an d M ain e w at e r c o lo r work shops.

“Your painting is always calm and changes her face all day long. She gives
us peace. I cannot imagine my home without her. She is so beautiful.”
-Quote from a Collector

C ont a c t : E ve l yn D unphy | a r tist@ e ve lyndunphy.c om | 207- 449- 7057 | W W W.E V E LY N D U N P H Y.C O M

 NEWS

Chuck Close
T
he Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts will feature a
comprehensive survey of Chuck Close’s photographic work.
The exhibition, organized by the Parrish Art Museum, will
feature around 90 photos from 1964 to present. Though primarily
known as a painter, Close has long been deeply engaged in
photography. The show will run through April 2018.

Visitors browse the Boston Art Book Fair.

Photo by Melissa Blackall.

Boston Art
Chuck Close,
Bill T. Jones, 2008,
black-and-white Book Fair
T
Poloroid diptych
mounted on
he Boston Art Book Fair held its
aluminum,
33⁄ x 21⁄" per first event October 21 and 22 at
panel. Courtesy the Boston Center for the Arts.
the artist and The fair brought together exhibitors and
Pace/MacGill collectors for celebrate print in all forms,
Gallery, New York.
including art books, zines, prints, catalogs
and analog recordings.

Cultural Corridor C
incinnati has recently
completed a more than $157
million renovation of three
major arts establishments. The new
Cultural Corridor is home to a thriving
startup, restaurant and culture scene.
Construction is currently underway
on Union Terminal, which houses the
Cincinnati Museum Center.

The newly renovated

Union Terminal. Photo
by Mark Lyons. Courtesy
Cincinnati Symphony
Orchestra.

028 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

GRAYDON FOULGER

“When Life Gives You Pumpkins, Paint ‘em!” 40" x 36" Oil

Graydon Will be Painting at the

CELEBRATION OF FINE ART
January 13 – March 25, 2018 | Studio 101 & 102
graydonfoulger@hotmail.com | graydonfoulger.com | (801) 573-4822

For additional details visit:

celebrateart.com
480.443.7695

SHOW CALENDAR
10
JAN
2018
Image courtesy LA Art Show
11
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
FORT MASON FESTIVAL
PAVILION
FOG Design + Art
The 5th annual exhibition will
display works from leading
artists, focusing on contemporary
works. An installation from
Stanlee Gatti will be featured.
www.fogfair.com
Through Jan. 14
WEST PALM BEACH, FL
PALM BEACH MODERN +
CONTEMPORARY PAVILION
Palm Beach Modern +
Contemporary
Contemporary, modern, blue-chip
and postwar works will be shown
at the fair’s second edition.
www.artpbfair.com
Through Jan. 15
13 SCOTTSDALE, AZ
HAYDEN ROAD & LOOP 101
Celebration of Fine Art
This juried invitational show
and sale features work by 100
established and emerging artists
in all mediums and styles.
www.celebrateart.com
Through March 25
16 CHICAGO, IL
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY
ART CHICAGO
Chicago Works: Paul Heyer
Heyer’s creations explore the
divide between life and death with
inspiration from El Greco, 1990s
rave culture and the mundane
objects of day-to-day life.
www.mcachicago.org
Through July 1
030 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
In every issue of American Art Collector magazine, we publish the only reliable guide to all major
upcoming fairs and shows nationwide. Contact our assistant editor, Erin Rand, to discuss how your event
can be included in this calendar at (480) 246-3789 or erand@americanartcollector.com.
25 LOS ANGELES, CA
THE BARKER HANGAR
Art Los Angeles Contemporary
The ninth anniversary
will feature international
contemporary artists and their
LOS ANGELES, CA
works with a central focus on
local Los Angeles galleries.
LOS ANGELES CONVENTION CENTER
www.artlosangelesfair.com
LA Art Show
Through Jan. 28
Visual art from renowned artists and
26
galleries from all around the world will be
VENICE, CA
displayed, showing the constant evolution
THE KINNEY
in both the art world and the real world.
stARTup Art Fair
www.laartshow.com
The unique contemporary fair
Through Jan. 14
creates a space for independent
artists, fostering new
relationships and providing a
19
ST. LOUIS, MO
platform for thought-provoking
contemporary artwork.
CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM
www.startupartfair.com
ST. LOUIS
Through Jan. 28
Tim Youd: St. Louis Retyped
27
Youd uses classic literature to
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
make incredible art by retyping
SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF
and condensing the words into a
MODERN ART
single, palpable page.
Designed in California
www.camstl.org
This exhibition focuses on the
Through April 22
shift of the digital revolution and
BOSTON, MA
works inspired by modernism of
the 1960s and ’70s.
THE INSTITUTE OF
www.sfmoma.org
CONTEMPORARY ART/
Through May 21
BOSTON
Wangechi Mutu: A Promise to
FORT WORTH, TX
Communicate
THE MODERN
Feminism, Afrofuturism,
FOCUS: Nina Chanel Abney
displacement and marginal
Abney’s crowded works display
spaces are explored through
the fast-paced way of today’s
contemporary sculptures to
culture and contains open-ended
provide a space for free speech
meanings she calls, “easy to
and communication.
swallow, hard to digest.”
www.icaboston.org
Through Dec. 31
www.themodern.org
Through March 18
12
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS
UNTITLED, San Francisco
Contemporary art and its boundaries are
explored through artist-run spaces, a collection
of galleries and nonprofit institutions carefully
chosen by a curatorial team.
www.untitledartfairs.com
Through Jan. 14
Photo by Casey Kelbaugh
 Green Apple Medley - 24 x 24" - Oil on Canvas

SUZANNE AULDS
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| STUDIO ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
suzanne.aulds @ gmail.com ✦ www.suzanneaulds.com

✦ G A L L ERY R E P R E S E N TAT I O N ✦

T H I B A U LT G A L L E RY 8 1 5 B AY ST R E E T, B E A U F O RT, S O U H C A RO L I N A 8 43 •37 9 •4278

 BARBARA FRACCHIA
Operatic and Ballet Paintings
T h e S a n F r a n c i s c o B a l l e t P re s e n t s

The Nutcracker Suite

Clara and the Nutcracker, Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20"

T h i s p a i n t i n g w i l l b e f e a t u re d d u r i n g t h e b a l l e t p e r f o r m a n c e s
at the San Francisco Opera House

{TH { TH(e)Gallery }
( e)) G}} T E L E G R A P H H I L L

491 Greenwich Street San Francisco CA 94133

T 415 767 9794 info@telegraphhillgallery.com

Barbara Fracchia • mfracchia@comcast.net • 510-525-7057 • www.barbarafracchia.com

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Daniel Graves’ Storm on the Plain, 2013, oil on board, hangs
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043
canvas, is above the bookcase in the living room.

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FAIR PREVIEW
Continuing to Expand
The 23rd annual LA Art Show boasts new partnerships and broadened exhibitions.
W ith more than two decades of
presenting high-quality artwork to
the Los Angeles community, the LA Art
Show has continued to redefine and expand
its outreach. This year’s 23rd edition is no
exception, with the fair delving further into
the international art market and widening
its showcases of dealers. Over the years
it has become one of the largest art fairs,
boasting crowds of an estimated 70,000
attendees across its four-day run.
“There is a spotlight on Los Angeles
today,” says show producer and partner
Kim Martindale. “It has become a center
of excellence for the production and
presentation of contemporary art. Last
year the show expanded its civic role by
providing a platform to some of Southern
California’s largest art institutions. With the
balance between museums and exhibitors
established as our new base, this year we
are redoubling our efforts to engage visitors
with the wealth of world-class art being
produced and presented all around the
globe as well as here in Los Angeles.”
During the 2018 LA Art Show,
held at the Los Angeles
Convention Center
034 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
January 10 to 14, there will be more than
100 galleries from 18 countries displaying
among the best in contemporary and
modern art. The fair is divided into a
number of sections, allowing collectors to
experience artwork by emerging through
established artists. Returning for its
second year is the ROOTS
section devoted to
2
LA ART SHOW
When: January 11-14, 2018; January 10,
Opening Night Preview & Premiere Party
Where: Los Angeles Convention Center, South Hall,
1201 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Information: www.laartshow.com
1
historic dealers; Littletopia features “rising
galleries of the contemporary lowbrow
art scene”; and the brand-new DESIGN
LA is focused on functional art, modern
furniture, décor and more.
Among the dealers from this year’s
show are Arcadia Contemporary, Blue
Rain Gallery, Fabrik Projects, Josh Tiessen
Studio Gallery, M.S. Rau Antiques,
Maxwell Alexander Gallery, Patrick
Painter Inc., Rehs Contemporary, Simard
Bilodeau Contemporary and the Public
House of Art.
At the Arcadia Contemporary booth,
visitors will find an array of contemporary
realistic artwork, including a premiere
exhibition for Artem Rogowoi. The
gallery will also feature work from Aron
Wiesenfeld, Nick Alm, Daniel Bilmes,
Matthew Cornell, Shaun Downey, Stephen
Fox, Patrick Kramer and Adam Vinson, to
name a few.
Los Angeles-based Maxwell Alexander
Gallery has exhibited smaller works at LA
Art Show the past few years, but this year
they are focusing on “pieces that collectors
will seek out,” says gallery director Beau
Alexander. There will be works from Brett
Allen Johnson, Eric Bowman, Cesar Santos

4 5
and Michael Klein. The gallery also will
re-create the installation Logan Maxwell
Hagege presented at his most recent solo
show at their showroom.
Established in 2010 between Toronto
and Niagara Falls in Canada, the Josh
Tiessen Studio Gallery features the
artwork of owner and artist Josh Tiessen
and guests. At LA Art Show, the booth will
have a two-artist exhibition for Tiessen
and emerging painter Adrienne Stein.
Tiessen says, “Oil paintings employing
symbolic imagery demonstrate
innovation and technical mastery.”
Rehs Contemporary of New York City
6
1
The annual LA Art Show
takes place at the Los
Angeles Convention
Center January 10 to 14.
2
Josh Tiessen, Occidental
Babylon, oil on braced
Baltic birch, 40 x 60 x 2".
Courtesy Josh Tiessen
Studio Gallery.
3
Aron Wiesenfeld, The
Last Stop, oil on canvas,
28 x 40". Courtesy Arcadia
Contemporary.
4
Cesar Santos, Of Venus, oil
on linen, 31 x 46". Courtesy
Maxwell Alexander
Gallery.
5
Tony South, The Great
Troglato, oil on canvas,
20 x 35". Courtesy Rehs
Contemporary.
6
Adrienne Stein, May, oil
on linen, 30 x 30". Courtesy
the artist and Josh Tiessen
Studio Gallery.
3
will feature a number of highly realistic
works at its booth. Included are the pop
paintings of Anthony Mastromatteo and
the works of Tony South that put gorillas
in human situations, such as riding
motorcycles.
AR T FA IR P RE V I E W
To kick off LA Art Show will be the
annual Opening Night Preview and
Premiere Party on Wednesday, January
10, to benefit the St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital. The show will then be
open January 11 to January 13 from 11 a.m.
to 7 p.m., and January 14 from 11 a.m. to
5 p.m. American Art Collector is a proud
035
media sponsor of the fair.
 NEWS

Jun Kaneko
at Desert
Botanical
Garden

036
www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
A round every turn at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, visitors are greeted
with rich desert flora ranging from iconic saguaro cacti to prickly pears and
palo verde trees. Throughout the year the garden hosts special art exhibitions that
places sculptural pieces along the trails, juxtaposing the landscape with colorful
and dynamic pieces. Currently found on-site is an exhibition of approximately 20
large-scale ceramic and bronze sculptures by artist Jun Kaneko.
Kaneko is recognized for his simplistic, yet colorful and graphic designs. His pieces
on view at the garden are from some of his most sought-after series of works. Included
are several from his Tanuki series of raccoon-dogs that stand upright on two legs
at human size; his monumental bronze heads—some with facial features and some
devoid of characteristics, including one with a bull’s-eye pattern; and works from his
Dango series of closed vessel forms. The show remains on view through May 13.

Jun Kaneko’s colorful ceramic sculptures are on

view at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.
Photo courtesy Desert Botanical Garden.

#
ToBeAnnounced
Interview with
Gary Baseman
by Sarah Elise Abramson
U sually this column is where I get to
find the best up-and-coming artists
and bring them to you. However, this
month’s interview is a departure from
that. I was lucky enough to sit down with
renowned American contemporary artist,
Gary Baseman. Through his work, Baseman
has created a world within a world.
Where do you think this world
that you’ve created exists?
I think it’s everywhere, I think that’s the goal.
I believe there’s a dimension here, it’s not just
inside me, that people are missing. Maybe it’s
a sixth dimension or something. I don’t know.
I feel that way as well.
Yeah, so it’s all right there it’s just
people aren’t focusing on it. And then
they’re like, “Wow you went to Ozenzark
Creamania and that’s what you found
there?” Because anyone else who went
there most likely wouldn’t see the same
things I saw. You know, I have little vegan
wild girls eating plants, jumping into the
sky and they’re being spanked. So I see
that and then it’s about focusing on the
actual creation of it.
038 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sarah will scour the country for the best and brightest emerging artists on
the scene and then interview them about their work. Sarah has a wonderful eye, and I'm sure you
will enjoy what she is able to discover. Artists, if you want your work considered, hashtag all your
social media posts #tobeannounced #americanartcollector.
uncomfortable, just in my own presence. It
gives me time to think sometimes too.
What about connection intrigues
you so much?
My basic philosophy of life and art is that
we’re here on this earth to share and to
connect. To accept from others and to give
to others and to do so, as an artist, in the
most liberal sense, is through drawing or
photography or any kind of narrative or story
telling like poetry, dance, connection, hand
holding, kissing, loving, intimacy. Intimacy in
the sense that you are truly open to someone
else. Opening up yourself and sharing and,
as an artist, how do we create our voice, our
vision, to bring that to someone, but to create
it in a way that no one else could because
it’s based on our history, our genetics, our
thought patterns, our fears, and our loves. So
you have something that no one else could
create in that exact way and then bring it out,
bring it out to others who can then connect
to it. This is what I try to do when I travel
around the world, I try to immerse myself into
their culture, religion, their narratives, into
1
their food and then I dive into it. I try to see
In regards to your art, what is your aim?
I’m trying to create some kind of world I
want to live in, a place I want to exist.
what I’m creating by bringing my world into
their world through my drawings, through
my photography, and through the stories I
end up telling from the visit. But for me, the
Like some kind of utopia? essence of life is our connection. For me,
Maybe. I don’t know if it’s necessarily perfect that’s what we are living and breathing for.
because for me, there is beauty in our flaws That intimacy, that feeling of closeness, that
and in humanity. But at the same time, how
to create a life that I can live in, day to day,
that I want to be in like what kind of people,
what kind of landscape and what kind of
connection. For me it’s all about connection
and how to be with the things I connect to
and change and grow and feel fulfilled. I
want to feel like I’m having some kind of a
greater understanding of things and making
this place a better place in some ways. Also,
where I’m able to make a living off of it and
not deal with too much negative stress. This
is what I do every day. Either you’ll see me
drawing, and that’s like breathing for me,
and it relaxes me. So, for instance, when I
was in a panel discussion two weeks ago, all
these artists are sitting there on the couch
all fine and prepped, and I’m standing there,
literally three minutes before I started, I ran,
got my sketchbook, got my pencils and I just
started drawing in it because I just felt so
2
1 2 3 4
The Martyrdom of I Reveal my Truth Venison’s Venison, Lust, acrylic on
ChouChou, acrylic on Self, colored pencil acrylic on canvas, canvas, 72 x 72"
wood panel, 2007, 30 x on ephemera, 16 x 12"
48" acrylic on wood panel 8½ x 6½"

feeling of love and touch. That life orgasm.
I feel like I’ve accomplished something in
my life. I’ve created something that’s never
been created before and I can offer that to
the world and also feel proud that I was able
to produce something. This is why I spend
every moment of my life creating. People go,
ya know, “What do you do to take a break?”
and I’m like, “I don’t take breaks.”
Does art and/or the act of creating
art help you stay sane?
Well I don’t know about that (laughs). I
think I’ve excepted that I’ll never be sane.
So for me, every time I’ve dealt with some
form of anger, or depression, or a break
up I usually create something from it
that is special and unique which seems to
empower me more. When I can take these
intense emotions of sadness and make
something beautiful. When I was 20, I was
going through a break up and I just stayed
inside for a whole weekend and painted
this book. It’s called, For the Life of Me, and
it’s never been published. I have it here. But
to me, that was something so much more
productive than stewing in these negative
emotions with nothing else to
show for it.
Would you say this was one of
the first times something like that
happened?
No, I wouldn’t go that far. It was an
important piece created from an
important hurt.
What’s the underlying
importance of blending fine
and commercial art to you?
When I started out, I was doing editorial and
commercial art, and while I was seen as a
visual problem solver, I was hired because
of my unique artistic voice. Now, when I get
invited to collaborate with a commercial
endeavor, I use it to expand my art, and do
all I can to have it be a true extension of my
work.
To me, the importance of blending fine
and commercial art is about developing and
maintaining one’s own personal voice and
staying authentic with it, in creating imagery.
It shouldn’t matter if art is created for one’s
personal art that might end up in galleries
or museums, or if it’s being sponsored by a
corporation. As long as the message or artistic
voice is authentic, then it shouldn’t matter if it
falls in one category or another. I have had as
many restrictions on my work from so called
museums as I have from corporations.
I know there’s always the question of
the value of the art. In a commercial realm,
how much of it the art is being changed or
compromised? What is fair compensation?
Working commercially is also about taking
notes and collaborating, and ideally it stays
authentic if an artist can create without
compromising the art, and if I know what I
want to say and how to say it.
When I started out, I didn’t find an avenue
in the fine art world. My first decade of
being a professional artist was within the
commercial art world, creating art for the
New York Times, Time Magazine and Rolling
Stone. But even when I did advertising for
3
Gatorade, Mercedes Benz, they wanted my
artist voice as an artistic solution. Today, my
dealings with corporations are much more
collaborative, with solutions that blend well
both fine and commercial art. Coach is an
example of a successful marriage of my
commercial and fine art because it’s a true
extension of my fine art, not just a problem
solved or someone else’s idea or thesis. It
started with my characters and stayed true
to my own artistic voice.
Can you talk a bit about some things
that particularly excite you or that
you’re currently very interested in?
Right now I’m interested in narrative,
taking a lot of the themes that I’ve been
working on for the past 20 years and
turning them into stories. I think it will
add a more poetic depth to the work, and
hopefully build an audience. I want others
to explore the themes of discovering one’s
true self, a sense of acceptance, a search for
celebration, experimentation and growth.
Photography is an interest, it’s become
so easy and available in this world. It is
amazing how easy it is for people to take
photos now and how so many take terrible
photos. For me, it’s become a tool to build
another arm of my artistic reality.
Contact at
www.garybaseman.com
@garybaseman
#TOB E AN N OUN C E D

Sarah Elise Abramson is a contemporary fine art photographer based in San Pedro, California—a mysterious post-industrial enclave
whose offbeat countercultural history and proliferation of unusual sights, sounds and citizens is tailor-made for Abramson’s obsession
with everyday surrealism. In both her own photography and in her curatorial and editorial approach to exhibition projects and
independent publications, her emphasis is on discovering the eccentric beauty in the things most people overlook. Found objects,
hidden messages, secrets of the universe that hide in plain sight—throughout her studies at Parsons The New School for Design and
Brooks Institute of Photography, and later at LaChapelle Studios, her work has evolved from finding to intuitively creating original
daydreams and shared cosmologies. www.sarahelisephotography.com @slow_toast
039
 Unveiling spotlights a recently completed portrait
commission or figurative work from some of the best and

Unveiling most active members of the Portrait Society of America.

This month Christine Egnoski, Executive Director of the
Portrait Society, interviewed Adrienne Stein about her
painting that was selected to be featured in the 2017
American Masters Exhibition & Sale.

Adrienne Stein:
Contemporary Realism BY CHRISTINE EGNOSKI

A drienne Stein’s painting Jillian was recently selected to be

part of the 2017 American Masters Exhibition & Sale which
was on view through October 27 at the Salmagundi Club in
New York City. This painting, like many of her works, blends a
contemporary feel with a nod to the past. Her model, Jillian, arrived
at her studio and immediately Stein wanted to portray her quiet
and melancholy beauty that reminded her of Tennyson’s poems
and Victorian paintings. Painting from life in natural light, Stein
included some Easter lilies that were just starting to wilt to help
achieve a wistful mood.
Much of Stein’s work revolves around depicting the figure
with natural elements that are fueled by a sense of personal
and universal myth. Often she paints close friends and family
members reinterpreted in lush and magical environments that
form the nexus between reality and fantasy, expressed through an
unconscious world of symbolic imagery.
Quite often it is our early experiences in life that can make
the most lasting impressions. For Stein it was a memorable trip
to Europe when she was 17 years old that solidified a lifelong
dedication to art. Attending a summer painting program in
Italy, it was the first time she painted the landscape in plein air,
and also the first time she had the opportunity to view the great
masterpieces of Western art in person. It cemented her desire to
pursue what she had always felt was her calling into a career.
An emerging artist living and working in Pennsylvania,
Stein’s training is a combination of atelier instruction and that of
accredited institutions. Learning to draw and paint in a classical
atelier setting with a mentor began when she was 11 years old. After
graduating from high school, she moved to Southern California
Jillian, oil on linen, 30 x 24"
to study at Laguna College of Art and Design, where she received
her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Stein says, “LCAD is firmly rooted in the
classical tradition while still encouraging conceptual exploration, viewpoints. Work from life as much as possible to give yourself the
so it was a great balance.” tools to take your art anywhere you want.”
She attended graduate school in Boston and received her Stein is committed to creating art that is steeped in history
Master of Fine Arts in painting from Boston University. There she yet within a contemporary context, always striving to create a
found the faculty and students from very diverse art backgrounds freshness that is not too indebted to the past.
exposing her to a totally different philosophy about art. In addition
to her formal education, she traveled and sought out workshops
with artists that she admired.
When asked if she had one piece of advice for young artists just A Celebration Two Decades in the Making: The Art of the Portrait conference,
starting out on their artistic journey, Stein says, “Participate in April 19-22, 2018, in Washington, D.C., celebrating 20 years of portraiture and
everything. Go to museums. Go to see exhibitions that make you figurative work. www.portraitsociety.org
uncomfortable. Engage in conversations with artists of different

040 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

 “Love me Blue,” 36 x 48”

Additional Gallery Representation

MaryBeth
New Gallery Representation

Reinert Fine Art Eisele Gallery of Fine Art

Cincinnati, OH
Karaus
Charleston, SC
OPA Wally Workman Gallery
www.marybethkaraus.c om marybkaraus@gmail.com Austin, Texas

— — UPCOMING
MUSEUM SHOWS
THE RUSSELL

⅞
SALE & EXHIBITION
March 15-17, 2018
CM Russell Museum
GRE AT FALL S, MT

⅞
COWGIRL UP! SHOW
March 23-24, 2018
Desert Caballeros
Westerm Museum
W ICK E N B UR G , A Z

NIGHT OF
ARTISTS SHOW

⅞
March 23-24, 2018
The Briscoe
Western Art Museum
SAN AN TONIO, TX 

www. sheilacottrell.com
520-615-4155
Oil "Horse Heaven" 30 x 34”

Sheila Cottrell.indd 1 11/29/17 4:08 PM

COLLECTOR HOME

MOD
ERN
AES
THE
TIC Sara Abbott and Bob Lynn have added their
personal stamp to this midcentury modern
home built by Alfred Beadle in 1964.
BY JOHN O’HERN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARA ABBOTT

A lfred Beadle (1927-1998) was a celebrated

modernist architect in Phoenix, whose
work was included in the Museum of
Modern Art’s exhibition Transformations
in Modern Architecture in 1979.
His buildings are as fresh and as loved
today as they were when they were built.
Beadle House #11, 1964, was the Beadle
family home for a few years. It was acquired
by real estate agent Olivia Quist and her
husband, Buster, in 1979 and carefully
updated. When Olivia was showing Sara
Abbott and Bob Lynn around Phoenix
to find a house, they fell in love with her
house—which wasn’t for sale. In 2016 Olivia
and Buster decided to downsize and took
up Lynn’s earlier offer to buy it when they
were ready to sell.
Beadle had built the glass and steel house
on an “unbuildable” site containing a wash
and raised it on steel stilts. His daughter,
Karen, told Sara that she remembers it was
like being on a ship when it rained and
the water came down the wash under the
hovering patios.
In a 1988 interview with Gene Garrison
for the Carefree Enterprise, Beadle said,
“One thing I will not do is molest a site.
I will not push a rock or move a tree. Yes,
I’ll make a contrasting statement from
nature to architecture, but it will be such a
delightful contrast that it won’t violate it.”
Bob calls their home the “trailer”

042 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

Beadle House #11,
1964, by Alfred
COLL E C TOR HO M E

Beadle (1927-1998),
the Phoenix home of
Sara Abbott and Bob
Lynn, raised above a
wash on steel stilts.
043
044 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
1
because there’s definitely a feeling of being
suspended above the ground. Sara calls it her
“tree house. It’s a wonderful place to be. The
energy of the house is amazing. Olivia always
said that after she had been out with clients
all day she loved coming back to this house.”
The couple removed eight layers of paint
from the steel frames and had them redone
with automotive paint. They have also installed
upgraded power for the era of computers
and electric cars. Sara says, “We re-created
the landscaping from what I could find in old
photos and from talking with Al Beadle’s wife
and daughter. With All Terrain Landscaping we
brought in stone to redefine the original wash
and we restored the grid pattern of the rear
pool area.” While they were at it, they have been
busily furnishing their home with fine examples
of midcentury furniture and lighting fixtures.
“We’re actually in the process of registering
it historically,” Sara says. “We repurpose
buildings all the time for our restaurants.”
Bob is the man behind a chain of
restaurants including La Grande Orange and
Chelsea’s Kitchen in Phoenix and The Misfit
in Santa Monica. He oversees every detail of
his properties just as he and Sara do in their
home. “The quality of the art matches the
quality of the food and the service,” she says.
A sophisticated McIntosh sound system is
prominently displayed in their Phoenix home
beneath a 1977 poster, Pretty Vacant, created
by Jamie Reid for the Sex Pistols.
Sara notes, “We’re into music. We travel
2
for art, music and food. Bob took a master
class at McIntosh headquarters to learn more
about their systems, which he’s put in all the
restaurants. He selects all the music that’s
played in them based on their ambience.”
Their art collection is a moveable feast,
hanging in their home and often rotating to
one of the restaurants…and back again.
Prominent in their home are paintings
by Sara. Although her main studio is in
California, she has converted a detached
structure off their carport for a studio in
Phoenix. A photographer, she also works in
mixed media and often mixes the media with
her photography.
The word “vibe” often comes into the
conversation—one of those undefineable
words, but you know it when you feel it.
1
Two works from Sara Abbott’s
1964 Modern Spaces, mixed media
on paper, 2014, are on the left. At
the end of the hall is Ed Ruscha’s
1988 lithograph Gallo. In the
bedroom across the courtyard is
David Hockney’s 1998 etching and
aquatint Red Wire Plant.
COLL E C TOR HO M E
2
Sara Abbott’s 1964 Modern Spaces
1 & 2, 2014, mixed media on paper,
hang above the banquette designed
by the collectors. The hanging light
is vintage Murano glass.
045
 3 4

3 4 5 6 7
Sara Abbott’s Modern Spaces V, On the wall is Sara Abbott’s I In the foreground is a Pocket Jamie Reid’s offset print Pretty Sara Abbott’s Modern Spaces V,
2009, mixed media on paper, Can Walk on Water, 2007. Below Table by Hans Olsen (1919- Vacant, 1977, hangs in the 2009, mixed media on paper,
hangs in the living room it is Michael Mew’s Cocktails 1992). Sara Abbott’s Modern living room. hangs in the living room. In
above a vintage German light with Captain Buddy, 2007, Spaces VI, 2009, mixed media the background, to the left are
fixture. mixed media on wood panel. on paper, is on the far wall vintage George Nelson (1908-
near a Barrel Chair, 1954, by 1986) kitchen chairs. In the
Nanna Ditzel (1923-2005). foreground is a Pocket Table
by Hans Olsen (1919-1992).

046 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

 I was certain her 1964 Modern Spaces pieces
had been created for their home, based on
its plan, but she did them just before they
bought the house. There was a midcentury
vibe in the air. They hang above a banquette
the couple designed and had built for the
space—a bit of the restaurants brought home.
The art and furniture appeal to them both
and they seldom disagree. There is a vibrant
David Hockney lithograph of a swimming
pool hanging above a sink and a Hockney
etching in a bedroom. They had seen the
etching at an art fair and liked it but didn’t
buy it at the time. They began searching for
it later but with an edition of only 35 it was
hard to find. They eventually found it at an
auction in Los Angeles, and it’s now part of
their collection. They have also acquired
several of Hockney’s more recent iPad
images for the restaurants and their home.
5
Sometimes pieces grab them as soon as
they walk into a gallery—an extraordinary
Pocket Table by the Danish midcentury
designer Hans Olsen (1919-1992), for
instance. The top rails of the dining chairs
merge with the skirt of the table to make a
continuous form. They walked into Danish
Modern L.A. and there it was.
Another find was original fabric that
George Nelson (1908-1986) had used on his
chairs and with which they reupholstered
their three vintage Nelson kitchen chairs.
In Phoenix they have made finds
at Modern Manor and at Red Modern
Furniture. “We didn’t have a house full of
furniture to move into the new house,” Sara
says. “We are able to go out and find things
we really want to put in the house.”
One of the newest pieces in their home
is Sara’s mixed media Summertime, 2017,
part of an ongoing project for an exhibition
at Skidmore Contemporary Art Gallery in
6 Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station opening
January 13.

John O’Hern, who

has retired after 30
years in the museum
business, specifically
as the Executive Director
and Curator of the Arnot Art
Museum, Elmira, N.Y., is the originator
of the internationally acclaimed
COLL E C TOR HO M E

Re-presenting Representation exhibitions

which promote realism in its many
guises. John was chair of the Artists
Panel of the New York State Council
on the Arts. He writes for gallery
publications around the world, including
regular monthly features on Art Market
Insights and on Sculpture in Western Art
047

Collector magazine.
7
SPECIAL PREVIEW

Population
Santa Fe
Ray Turner’s portraits of people from the Santa Fe
community are on view in a new show at Peters Projects.
BY JOHN O’HERN

W hen Ray Turner went to the paint store,

he was fascinated by the displays of
paint swatches. “It was a class in color theory
right there. I wondered about painting portraits
on each swatch and then moving them around,”
he says. Time passed as he taught painting and
drawing and visited museums where he thought
about how to combine portraits and abstraction.
And then he discovered glass.
The experience of a Turner exhibition is
multifaceted and evolves over time. A grid or
a line of 12-by-12-inch paintings with different
colored backgrounds is immediately apparent.
Then comes the realization that they’re
portraits, on glass—half-inch thick glass. While
looking at the lusciousness of the paint and the
subjects (some fully realized, some abstracted),
a disconnect between the portrait and the

1 Artist Ray Turner in his studio. 2 Soren, oil on glass, 12 x 12" 2

048 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

 3

3 4 5
Gary, oil on glass, 12 x 12" Nuala, oil on glass, 12 x 12" Katie, oil on glass, 12 x 12"

050 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

 background reveals itself; the paint casts
a shadow. The portrait is painted on the
surface of the glass and the background
color is on the wall. Then comes the
disarming moment of discovering the glass
is reflecting the viewer who has become
part of the painting.
As his portraits evolved, they became
about community. He traveled across the
country painting a cross section of various
cities. “What has continued to motivate
me,” he says, “is the common thread of our
human experiences, the joys and sorrows,
the victories and failures are all contained
in the face.” His Population paintings
travel across the country augmented by
portraits of the community where the
exhibition is showing.
Ray Turner: Population—Santa Fe will
be shown at Peters Projects in Santa Fe,
New Mexico, through February 10. Eileen
Braziel, director of Peters Projects, says,
“Since the timing was right with the Santa
Fe Independent Film Festival here for the
week, we decided that the first chapter of
Population—Santa Fe will include subjects
4 involved with the film industry. Next year
we hope to focus on members of the Santa
Fe science community. Peters Projects and
Ray Turner plan to add to the Population
series annually, focusing on a new sector
of Santa Fe’s creative economy each year.”
While making a statement about
a population and its people, Turner’s
paintings are experiments with paint and
mark making. “I photograph the subjects
and then work from the photographs,” he
says. “I push a puddle of paint around,
pushing the shapes into the shape of a
head. What’s most intriguing to me is the
paint itself. I use the photographs because
it’s difficult not to perform when you have
a model. I experiment more without the
person there.”
On the subject of likeness and
abstraction he says, “A likeness is never
enough to be a good painting nor does it, in
my opinion, ever make it a good painting.
A likeness is merely a likeness. It can be
and often is not a good painting. A good
painting, however, will always be a good
painting, likeness or not.”

RAY TURNER:
SPEC IAL P RE VI E W

5
POPULATION—
SANTA FE
When: Through February 10, 2018
Where: Peters Projects, 1011 Paseo de Peralta,
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Information: (505) 954-5800, www.petersprojects.com
051
SPECIAL PREVIEW

High Roller
Three artists present paintings with narratives that push
the limits in a new exhibition at RJD Gallery.
BY ROCHELLE BELSITO

052 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

 1
Jackee Sandelands-Strom, Rollie,
oil on wood panel, 233⁄5 x 33"

A rtists are often looking for new

ways to push the boundaries in
their artwork, whether it is through their
subject matter or painting methods. In
the upcoming show High Roller at RJD
Gallery in Bridgehampton, New York,
three artists show how they bring elements
of everyday life to fresh, evocative levels in
their paintings.
While working in disparate subject
matters, Jackee Sandelands-Strom, Frank
Oriti and Pamela Wilson all have personal
connections to the scenes they create. The
pieces are reflections not only of the self,
but also of the surrounding world—allowing
viewers to derive their own meaning.
“In High Roller are artists taking all
the risks, luring the viewer into gutsy
narratives, from ordinary to extraordinary
high stakes, as their subjects bet it all on
their everyday life,” says Richard Demato,
owner of the gallery.
“Oriti paints blue-collar workers—or their
few possessions—whose opportunities
have run out, are lost and being pulled
back in time. Sandelands-Strom’s portraits
tell her subjects’ stories through the life in
their hands. From the age, roughness or
even tattoos, you present and are intrigued
by their past,” Demato continues. “Wilson
paints the chasm of the unknown, the
abyss opens and we explore the inherent
‘distortions’ in our reality, which gives us
heart, and a balance to again look within.”
Sandelands-Strom’s painting Rollie is a
close-up image of hands rolling a cigarette,
and is evocative of the artwork for which
she is known and finds inspiration. “I am
fascinated by the way life can be read in
someone’s hands as well as the lifestyles
that surround me where I live and work
in Scotland,” the artist says. “Rolling your
own cigarettes is the norm in the UK
and I feel like it’s a throwback to a more
carefree—albeit unhealthy—time, drinking
and smoking as though there are no
consequences in the future.”
Figurative artwork has been the
cornerstone of Oriti’s artwork for many
SPEC IAL P RE VI E W

years, with him painting portraits of

blue-collar workers, who he finds are
“influential in their work ethic and their
creative drive.” A few years ago, he began
experimenting with still lifes and created
works “that showed the wear and tear
of different materials I had grown to
love paintings in my portraits,” he says.
053

“Materials such as denim, leather, tattooed

1
 2

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flesh and faded T-shirts were all things
that represented their own visual history—
displaying rips, tears, stains, wrinkles and
faded items.”
His painting Stead Fast is a portrait
of a friend he has painted several times
before. “Previously when I painted him,
he was fresh out of the military and had
moved home and was struggling to
adjust to civilian life,” Oriti says. “This
portrait captures him a handful of years
later in a much better place, mentally
and physically—once again showing the
passing of time.”
Oriti’s still lifes such as Drive and First
and Last also makes references to the
past, but show their current age and wear
and tear. In Drive are driving gloves that
belonged to the artist’s father, while First
and Last makes references to the 1991 NBA
Finals. “Michael Jordan’s ‘first’ and Magic
Johnson’s ‘last’ appearance in an NBA
Championship,” he shares. “As a young
boy I drew my favorite athletes from the
sports trading cards I collected and directly
out of the pages of magazines like Sports
Illustrated. This painting was my way
of referencing my youth—someone who
loved to play sports with my friends and
also someone who loved to draw.”
Wilson’s artwork is always personal—
sometimes autobiographical in nature—as
she can “more easily process my pain and
4

worries if I put them into a painting, and

create a new world,” she says. “Then it’s as
though it isn’t really happening to me; it’s just
a story I’m telling, possibly enhanced.” The
characters she creates look as though they’ve
been “left behind by the Albany Circus—you
know the one, with the one-eyed elephant
and the dirty, tattered clowns.”
In the show will be her painting Feral
Unlucky, which she says is “about just
‘missing the boat,’ being ready for the big
adventure, but just a little too late. I’ve got
my headdress, my outfit and my horn, but
the circus left without me. Like that horrible
feeling when you were a child, mad at your
dad, so you refused to kiss him goodbye, and
then just as he drove away...you changed your
mind...I feel like that a lot, so I paint it, as it
gives me some relief. As an emotional ‘High
Roller,’ I take big risks to find treasure.”
SPEC IAL P RE VI E W

High Roller will be on view January 6

through February 1.

5
HIGH ROLLER
2 3 4 5 When: January 6-February 1, 2018
Frank Oriti, Stead Frank Oriti, First and Pamela Wilson, Frank Oriti, Drive, oil on Where: RJD Gallery, 2385 Main Street, Bridgehampton, NY 11932
Fast, oil and acrylic on Last, oil on canvas, Feral Unlucky, oil on canvas covered panel, Information: (631) 725-1161, www.rjdgallery.com
055

canvas, 36 x 48" 52 x 70" linen, 60 x 60" 16 x 20"

056 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
 UnfoldinG
visions

1
Unfoldment, carved wood, acrylic on panel,
graphite on Mylar, 28 x 331/8 x 6". Courtesy The ar t work of Holly Lane seamlessly
Winfield Gallery, Carmel, CA.
unites handcar ved frames and paintings
into one visual experience.
BY JOHN O’HERN
057
 2

H olly Lane takes weekend walks and shares her philosophical

insights and scientific observations with her friends on
Facebook. Her weekend photo albums are enough to make me
want to hang up my camera for good. I want to see like that.
She has “made a list of artists and other people from the past
who went on walks as a regular part of their thinking; e.g. Pieter
Bruegel, Johannes Brahms, Virginia Woolf, John Muir, Georgia
O’Keeffe, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Friedrich Nietzsche and more.
I should start a list of contemporary walkers, too.”
In her artist statement she writes, “Visually, I am drawn to:
architecture, ecclesiastical furniture, light on water, clouds, lace,
freak vegetables,  models of the  internal organs of various
species, the contours of soft serve ice cream,  stalactites,
stalagmites,  fungi,  crowded forms,  sooty  lines, diffused
edges and evening light.”
Recently, she described to me “another aspect of
walking in nature, which is that everything above,
below, to every side, sky, earth, plants are living—
I find that engulfment in the living deeply comforting
and salubrious.”
“Salubrious” is an apt word for her to use since
it comes from the Latin salubris,, or “healthful.” In
September 2016, she broke her shoulder. In September
2017, she had cataract surgeries on both eyes. As her
friends awaited her recovery, her return to her walks
and her weekly photo albums, she posted albums of
art that interests her. Now she is back on her walks,
becoming more healthful and observing the grand and
the minute around her.
“Being in nature is a mystical experience,” she says.
“It doesn’t take long to switch from the day-to-day to
an almost sacred level. There is a high intensity level,
but a calmness.” I ask her how she managed both
the transcendent and the technical. “There’s a lot 3
of looking. The photos first started when I realized
I should photograph the clouds for reference,” she
explains. “Then, after a while, I started taking photos
of other things. ‘I may use it someday!’ There’s a
cross fertilizing, for instance. The photos have

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 2
Holly Lane in her studio.

3
Growing Still, acrylic
and carved wood,
19 x 14 x 4". Courtesy
Zolla/Lieberman Gallery,
Chicago, IL.

4
In Harmony with the
Times the Three Graces
Take Public Transport,
acrylic and carved
wood, 48¼ x 37 x 8¾".
Courtesy Forum Gallery,
New York, NY.

helped me with the color in my paintings.”

She continues, “As I walk, there is a
quiet expansion of the mind into nature.
If I see something captivating, I go into
technical mode. Looking through the lens
is another way of focusing attention—
another aesthetic experience. I’m surprised
by the things I see in nature. There is
always something slightly surreal, always
something new and fresh. It feeds me
4
aesthetically and visually.”
Twenty years ago I showed her framed
paintings at the Arnot Art Museum
and 16 years ago at an exhibition in the
Steuben Gallery on Madison Avenue. space where things flow between the two about the nature of art. I love looking at
I was in awe of her work then and have realms. The frame would need to relate to others’ work. To feel the things they feel is
been ever since, although we had never the paintings and reflect the symmetry of an incredibly expansive part of being a full
met and had never spoken. the human body.” human being.”
There is no mistaking a Holly Lane She explains, “We comprehend the space One of her more complex compositions
painting: elaborate handcarved frames of a sculpture, at least in part, with our body; is Unfoldment. It is a manifestation of
surround intimate paintings inspired by the we walk around it, proportion our body to her interest in emergence philosophy, in
romanticism of Northern Renaissance art. it—consequently, I think of sculptural space which “unexpected phenomena arise from
“I love the Sturm und Drang,” she admits. as body space. To apprehend the space in the combination of phenomena.” Always
Lane discovered frames in school at a a painting we project our mind into the drawn to water, she became interested in
time when frames were thought of as an painting, so I think of pictorial space and the phenomenon of the melting tundra.
edge to protect the painting, something mind space. In combining these two kinds The source of water emerges from a cloud
with no presence. She had been a of space, in paintings and the sculptural rising off the top of the complex frame with
philosophy major and switched to fine art frames, I hope to engage both modes of panels “that unfold like wings.”
“because I longed for the materiality of aesthetic perception.” Many of her choices in designing and
UN F OLD I N G V ISIO N S

art...to put ideas into physical form.” She
began to think “about all the connotations
of ‘frame,’ philosophically and practically.”
“The frame was supposed to disappear,”
she says. “I thought, ‘What happens if it
didn’t?’ It’s a border line in the perceptive
world—all that’s with the frame is art, all
that’s without is not.
“I pondered about making the frame
Lane’s works begin as drawings after
gestating in her fruitful mind. The drawings
increase in size, eventually to scale. She
takes measurements from the drawings,
orders the wood—most often basswood but
often others, never endangered species—and
begins carving. The paintings come later.
As a realist painter (lowercase “r”) she
admires “all the -isms of the art world.
constructing a piece are practical. Many are
intuitive. “I understand the appreciation
of a work being intuitive, but some people
need something to hang on to to enter the
work.” The rain cloud in Unfoldment, for
instance, provides an introduction to the
whole piece.
Lane explains, “Art is a way to understand
others’ minds and to see through other
059

permeable,” she continues, “a liminal Every -ism has something to teach me people’s eyes.”
 CO L L E C TO R'S FO CU S
STILL LIFES

D I S C O V E R I N G

MEANING BY JOHN O’HERN

S
everin Roesen developed his
still life skills painting intricate
tableaux on porcelain in Prussia.
He immigrated to New York in
1848 and later settled in Williamsport,
Pennsylvania, then a prosperous center
of the lumber industry. His still life
paintings expressed the bounty of pre-
Civil War America in a manner similar to
the great still life painters of the Golden
Age of Dutch paintings. Roesen suggested
fecundity as well as mortality without
the sometimes undecipherable moral
references of the Dutch.
In Still Life: Flowers and Fruit, 1850-55, he
combines fruits and flowers from different
seasons, sprigs of roses that have tumbled
from a water-filled vase and a bird’s nest
with three eggs. The intricate arrangement
of fruits and flowers is lit from the left by
sunlight coming through a window that
is reflected in the vase. Lighter roses and
peonies capture the light and lead the eye
from the top of the composition along the
bottom edge to the nest of eggs—a device
common in his work.
Janet Monafo also creates intricately
composed still lifes, sometimes symbolic,
but often studies of the relationships
of similar materials, shapes and colors.
Awhile back, she tried to break her control
and dropped a pile of objects on the floor
of her studio intending to paint them as
they lay. She couldn’t do it and began to
tweak the “arrangement” to emphasize
transitions of shape and color. She titled
one such arrangement Silver Cluster
(East) because she painted it from four
directions, tweaking the objects each time.

1. Severin Roesen
(1816–1872?),
Still Life: Flowers
and Fruit, 1850-55,
oil on canvas,
40 x 503/8". The
Metropolitan
Museum of Art,
New York, NY.
2. Janet Monafo,
Silver Cluster (East),
pastel on paper,
49 x 37". Courtesy
Vose Galleries,
Boston, MA.

1 2
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061
 CO L L E C TO R'S FO C U S
STILL LIFES

3 4

5 6 7

3. Bonner David Galleries, Zinnais and Dots, watercolor, 21 x 18", by Kathy Lemke Waste. 4. Jeffrey Ripple, White Hyacinth, oil on paper, 36 x 24". Courtesy Arcadia
Contemporary, Culver City, CA. 5. Lotton Gallery, Harmony, oil on panel, 40 x 31", by Gyula Siska. 6. Bonner David Galleries, The Gift, oil on canvas, 62 x 44", by Jane Jones.
7. Mia Bergeron, Reflecting, oil on panel, 24 x 6". Courtesy Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC.

Each object retains its identity but is part
of a monochromatic whole adding its own
nuances to the subtlety of the whole.
Jeffrey Ripple often paints complex
arrangements of single stems of flowers
in assorted vases, each a distinct object,
each occupying its own space. Looking at
those paintings is like looking at a tray of
fine jewelry, each a wonder on its own, all
contributing to an extraordinary opulence.
White Hyacinth is plucked from its
context to be more than itself. It becomes
a specimen of its type in the tradition of the
great botanical paintings of the past. The
flower is plucked from the soil with its bulb
and roots, each as beautiful as the other.
Ripple says, “Painting is a way to explore
the beauty and mystery I see in nature
and to go beyond observation to a greater
understanding of its structure and variety.
I strive to create images which acknowledge
a debt to the past while communicating my
sense of wonder in nature in a personal way.”
On one painting he added lines from

062 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

 NANCY
BALMERT
NancyBalmert.com

THE MARSHALL GALLERY

OF FINE ART
Scottsdale, AZ 480-970-3111

AMSTERDAM WHITNEY
INTERNATIONAL FINE ART, INC.
New York, NY 212-255-9050

PRELLOP FINE ART GALLERY

Salado, TX 254-947-3930

“Southern Magnolia,” 30 x 30” Oil on Canvas

SALLY RUDDY
STILL
LIFE

www.sallyruddy.com

Member of:
NAWA, OPA, WCA

“Nippy Dilly Beans” 9x12 inches Oil on Panel©

 CO L L E C TO R'S FO C U S
STILL LIFES

8 9

10 11

8. Lotton Gallery, Floral Enticement, oil on panel, 31½ x 23", by Gyula Siska. 9. Sangita Phadke, Chili Pepper Pair, pastel, 25 x 35" 10. Sangita Phadke, Green & Red Grapes,
pastel, 25 x 29" 11. Suzanne Aulds, When Life Gives You Lemons, oil on canvas, 20 x 20"

William Blake’s poem Auguries of Innocence:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour….
Mia Bergeron literally paints from her
roots. She grew up in the museums of
New York City with their paintings by
Rothko and Richter and studied traditional
painting in Florence. The two combine in
Reflecting, the details of the plant in its jar
of water emerging from the amorphous
viscosity of the paint and then becoming
one with it again.
She writes, “Our insecurities and
struggles force us to take another look, a
longer, more examined look. A look not
of knowing, but of searching. This is my
aim when I paint: to be curious about what
I am seeing and depicting, and to be open
to whatever it wants me to notice.”
For each of these artists, the painting of
a still life is the act of exploring complex
relationships of objects and making
discoveries about both the tangible and
the intangible.
In the pages of this special section, we
will explore works by other artists who
are making connections with the objects
in their still life paintings. The pieces are
meticulous and complex, elevating ordinary
items to new levels.
All of the objects in Evelyn Dunphy’s
still life paintings have personal stories
behind them. “The teacups, apron and
iron teapot from a trip to Japan; the
cracked Chinese bowl with its fascinating

064 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

KatrinaBerg.indd 1 11/29/17 3:11 PM

MICHAEL SHEETS
Diner Still Life Paintings

“Reuben” / 22 x 36" / oil on canvas

419.243.1087 | michaelsheetsartworks.com

Michael Sheets.indd 1 11/21/17 7:42 PM


12. Suzanne Aulds, Nesting, oil on canvas, 30 x 15" 13. Sangita Phadke, The Blushing Green Pear, pastel, 21 x 25" 14. Suzanne Aulds, Lena’s Teapot, oil on canvas, 16 x 20"
history; my mother’s plate—I think that
is one of the joys for all artists who enjoy
still life painting,” Dunphy says. “They are
snapshots of our lives.”
Her painting Exuberance of Spring is
about the emotional use of the color red,
which she says is symbolic of “excitement,
energy, passion, love—all perfect to
support my abstract patterns of tulips and
fabrics.” Feast From the Sea came from
her neighbor’s oyster harvesting where he
shucked their shells for the artist and she
ate them after having taken photographs.
With her passion for still life, Gail
Faulkner loves exploring the interplay
066 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
CO L L E C TO R'S FO C U S
STILL LIFES
12
“Collecting superb still life paintings is a delicate
balance of finding interesting subject matter that
captivates with appeal, as well as possessing charming
details.” — Christina Franzoso, director, Lotton Gallery
of her compositions—arranging and
rearranging—to find the perfect balance.
From the reflection on a favorite ceramic
piece to the intricate weave of a basket,
to the never-ending shapes and colors of
complementary fruits, Faulkner captures
her subjects with a lush, yet precise detail
13
14
that makes viewers wonder if it is really
watercolor.
Over the years, John C. Moffitt has
derived inspiration for his artwork from
the exquisitely detailed paintings of the
Trompe l’Oeil still life artists active in the
United States during the late 19th century.
 GAIL FAULKNER KAREN CAHILL “ T r an q u i l i t y , ” 8 X 1 0 ” o i l o n p an e l
gfaulkner@iswest.com gailfaulknerstudio.com

9021 N. Highway 1, Mendocino, CA. 95460

Freesia Cascade 24 x 24"  Watercolor

KARENCAHILL.COM
G al l e r y R e p r e s e n t a t i o n
Tartaglia Fine Art PA N A C H E G A L L E R Y
tartagliafineart.com t h e p an a c h e g al l e r y . c o m
307 E Ojai Avenue, Suite 102, Ojai, CA 805-646-0967 (707) 937 1234

Faulkner.indd 1
JOHN C. MOFFITT
11/13/17 11:15 AM

www.moffittartwork.com ♦ jp.moffitt @ yahoo.com

ABOVE:Pushin’ Daises, 18 x 12”, Oil on linen canvas

LEFT: Toe Shoe Memories, 20 x 16", Oil on linen canvas

john Moffitt 2.indd 1 11/27/17 7:15 PM


15. Michael Sheets, Coke with Straw, oil on canvas, 22 x 30" 16. Evelyn Dunphy, Exuberance of Spring, watercolor, 32 x 30" 17. Yvonne Mendez, Autumn Harvest, oil on panel,
30 x 30" 18. Yvonne Mendez, Waiting in the Wings, oil, 28 x 22" 19. Yvonne Mendez, A Moment in Time, oil on linen, 48 x 36"
“Following in this tradition of combining
masterful technique with compositions
often infused with an element of droll
storytelling, I offer my artwork for the
entertainment of contemporary art
audiences,” says Moffitt. “I believe that
collectors should attempt to look beyond
the artwork’s surface, no matter what the
genre, to recognize their emotional or
cognitive connection to the story behind
the represented image.”
In Karen Cahill’s still life paintings,
there is also a personal reference. She
says, “The inspiration behind Adorned
With Lace is the tattered fragment of
handmade lace as seen in the painting.
068 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
CO L L E C TO R'S FO C U S
STILL LIFES
15
17
Making lace or ‘tatting’ is a lost art now,
but was so revered in my grandmother’s
day. By including the past with the present
in my still life I am paying homage and
creating ties with my past.”
More than half of the commissioned
still life pieces Katrina Madsen Berg
paints contain objects that evoke special
memories for the person receiving the
painting. “Using a good dose of candy-
color makes these memories extra sweet,
as well as the thick paint that becomes
yummy to the senses as frosting or butter
might be to the taste,” says Berg. “Being a
small part of this memory preserving is a
gift and a pleasure.”
16
18 19
For her still life paintings, artist Liz
Kenyon says, “I’m attracted to subject
matter that makes me smile. I consider
my style representational with a flair for
textures and color harmony.” Among
her works is the pastel drawing French
Macarons, which features the sweet treats
precariously stacked with their unique
colors complementing the composition.
Lotton Gallery in Chicago represents a
number of artists, including Gyula Siska,
who creates bountiful floral still lifes.
Gallery director Christina Franzoso says,
“Gyula Siska started his career restoring
antique photographs; this tightened
his honing of perfection. His still life
 “CORE,” 13 x 16" soft pastels

Casting Doubt Into the Waters 48 x 36" Oil on canvas

LIZ KENYON PRISCILLA

602 321-9658 NELSON
JOHNSON
www.lizkenyon.com
nelsonart.com
480-636-1233

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 CO L L E C TO R'S FO C U S
STILL LIFES

20

21 22
20. Michael Sheets, Danish & Donut, oil on canvas, 22 x 32" 21. Evelyn Dunphy, The Mended Bowl, watercolor, 27 x 35" 22. Evelyn Dunphy, A Feast From the Sea, watercolor,
27 x 29" 23. Katrina Madsen Berg, Just For You, oil on wood, 20" 24. Katrina Madsen Berg, Martha, oil on wood, 30 x 30" 25. John C. Moffitt, I Will Not Swear In Class, oil on
linen canvas, 14 x 18" 26. Nancy Balmert, Lost Shaker of Salt, oil on canvas, 18 x 14"

070 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com


paintings reflect this training and his
classical education. His flowers are each
treated with delicacy and care; each petal
is impeccably painted.”
Painter Michael Sheets’ artwork is
nostalgic—with images of hamburgers
and Coca-Colas evoking memories from
those that view his pieces. He is inspired
by “the challenge of rendering the textures,
transparencies and reflections inherent in
the subject,” he says. “Also memories of
the experience of diner meals before the
current era of fast food restaurant chains
are a basis of the work.”
“When people think of still life paintings,
they tend to think classical. Early on in
23 24
25 26
“Still lifes, while composed and deliberate, should also
COLL E C TO R'S FO CU S: STI LL L I F E S
be dynamic, compelling and break the bounds of the
traditional to present unexpected objects in an original
manner.” — Suzanne Aulds, artist
my training as an artist, I was looking Many of the works, and titles, in Balmert’s
for something to paint in a still life, saw bar series are based on popular rock ’n’ roll
a coconut in the grocery store, and the songs by artists such as the Rolling Stones,
lightbulb went off,” says Nancy Balmert. Neil Diamond, Jimmy Buffett and more.
“In the back of my mind, I’d had in mind Sally Ruddy creates an expressive,
a series of still life paintings that would be expansive body of work that encapsulates
fun. I called them Bar Paintings: the kind of the little joys and treasures of life, reflecting
art you’d hang over your bar (or man cave, the beauty everywhere. Dreamlike and
071
as they call those hangouts today.)” movingly sentimental, Ruddy’s paintings
 CO L L E C TO R'S FO C U S
STILL LIFES

27 28 29

30 31

27. John C. Moffitt, Jack o’ Diamonds, oil on linen canvas, 18 x 14" 28. Liz Kenyon, French Macarons, soft pastels, 10 x 10" 29. Nancy Balmert, Red Red Wine, oil on canvas,
16 x 12" 30. Sally Ruddy, Hand Lotion, oil on panel, 9 x 12" 31. Sally Ruddy, Sciabica Oils, oil on panel, 20 x 16" 32. Gail Faulkner, Poppy Repose, watercolor, 20 x 23"
33. Karen Cahill, Adorned with Lace, oil on panel, 8 x 10"

vibrate with color and intrinsic emotion.
Her painting Hand Lotion highlights the
necessary process of washing your hands,
making the viewer ponder the mundane.
Sciabica Oils reflects the numerous
variations of one ancient ingredient,
available from her favorite local source.
In Ruddy’s paintings every moment is
unique and frozen in time for the viewer
to experience. Each painting is holding its
breath and awaiting the next moment that
is just out of reach.
Artist Sangita Phadke says, “I have been
“Buy artwork that becomes a part of you, that you
wouldn’t mind living with and it would hurt to part with if
you had to. In other words adopt a painting as though it
was your own child.” — Karen Cahill, artist
working on a series of fruit and vegetable
paintings that pay tribute to the land and
nature. I am drawn to the amazing colors and
unique variations of fruits and vegetables.
Hidden in my paintings are stories that give
life to the subject matter. A group of grapes
becomes a family posing for a portrait,
a New Mexican red and green chili find
themselves in a loving embrace, and a trio
of pears become actors on a stage.”
Suzanne Aulds is inspired by the pure
beauty of common objects “that possess

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 32 33

unusual shape, color or texture, and the
magic that occurs when I purposefully
arrange carefully selected ones with one
another,” she says. Her works often will place
objects near or on top of patterned fabrics,
allowing the juxtaposition of not only their
textures but their shapes and forms.
Yvonne Mendez is interested in sharing
the language of art in her canvases. Every
brushstroke and mark placed has meaning,
and she says “as interpreted it is at once
familiar, yet alien.” Her process beings with
an idea “derived from objects, atmosphere,
nature, whatever captures my attention,”
Mendez explains. “The studio offers a
meditative state of mind [and] laying out
my tools, palette and composition starts a
creative flow that is difficult to describe in
words. The finished piece is given to the
viewer to assimilate and interpret.”
At Bonner David Galleries collectors will
find several artists who update traditional
floral still lifes to more contemporary
compositions. The Gift, by Jane Jones,
juxtaposes tissue paper against two roses
in a glass vase—the textures, reflections
and translucency of the items cause unique
effects to unfold. Kathy Lemke Waste’s
Zinnais and Dots plays beautiful blooms
against a polka dot covered fabric.

FE AT UR ED JOHN C. MOFFITT MICHAEL SHEETS

Artists &
jp.moffitt@yahoo.com (419) 243-1087
www.moffittartwork.com www.michaelsheetsartworks.com

Galleries
KAREN CAHILL NANCY BALMERT
Mendocino, CA www.nancybalmert.com
(707) 937-0164
www.karencahill.com
BONNER DAVID SALLY RUDDY
info@sallyruddy.com
GALLERIES KATRINA MADSEN BERG www.sallyruddy.com
7040 E. Main Street, Scottsdale, Midway, UT
AZ 85251, (480) 941-8500 (435) 709-2780
www.bonnerdavid.com k@katrinaberg.com SANGITA PHADKE COLL E C TO R'S FO CU S: STI LL L I F E S
www.katrinaberg.com (847) 308-5632
www.sangitaphadke.com
EVELYN DUNPHY
(207) 449-7057 LIZ KENYON
artist@evelyndunphy.com (602) 321-9658 SUZANNE AULDS
www.evelyndunphy.com www.lizkenyon.com suzanne.aulds@gmail.com
www.suzanneaulds.com
GAIL FAULKNER LOTTON GALLERY
Ventura, CA, (805) 652-0065 900 N. Michigan Avenue, Level 6 YVONNE MENDEZ
www.gailfaulknerstudio.com Chicago, IL 60611 (404) 434-2993
Represented by (312) 664-6203 www.yvonnemendezfineart.com
Tartaglia Fine Art www.lottongallery.com
307 E. Ojai Avenue, #102, Ojai, CA 93023
073

(805) 646-0967, www.tartagliafineart.com


FIRST FRIDAYS ART WALK IN DOWNTOWN PHOENIX. PHOTO: © VISIT PHOENIX.
The Art Lover’s Guide to Collecting Fine Art
in
Scottsdale
& VICINIT Y
A
s the winter months set in, visitors flock to Arizona
to not only enjoy the sunshine but its array of fine
art. Throughout the state are a number of museums,
galleries and events to visit making it a prime destination
for any art lover. Among the hot spots are the metropolitan areas
of Phoenix and Tucson, as well as the smaller cities of Flagstaff,
Prescott and Sedona in the northern part of the state.
Throughout Downtown Phoenix are a number of hubs—
Downtown Core, Roosevelt Row Arts District, Warehouse
District, Garfield Neighborhood, Historic Grand Avenue and
Central Arts District—containing galleries and museums that
participate in citywide events and host fine art exhibitions.
Artlink is a nonprofit organization integral in connecting artists,
businesses and the community. The group supports countless
community-based events including the monthly First Friday Art
Walk; the Art Detour; and the Art d’Core Gala at Bentley Projects
in the Warehouse District.
074 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
THE ICONIC JACK KNIFE SCULPTURE BY ED MELL ON MAIN STREET IN
OLD TOWN SCOTTSDALE. PHOTO COURTESY EXPERIENCE SCOTTSDALE.
A VIEW OF DOWNTOWN PHOENIX. PHOTO BY MOLLY SMITH; © VISIT PHOENIX.
Located downtown is the Phoenix Art Museum, which has a
collection of more than 18,000 works of art. Current exhibitions
include The Logic of the Copy: Four Decades of Photography in
Print, on view through April 22, and Philip C. Curtis: The New
Deal and American Regionalism, which hangs until May 20.
Within the Phoenix Metropolitan Area is Scottsdale, which
has a fine art district in Old Town Scottsdale that is brimming
with galleries and art offerings. Galleries such as Bonner David
Galleries, Paul Scott Gallery and Wilde Meyer Gallery (with a
location in Tucson as well) feature examples of contemporary
representational artwork and abstract paintings. Off Marshall
Way is Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, which
boasts a collection of Western and Native American artwork.
The Scottsdale Gallery Association hosts weekly ArtWalks on
Thursdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m., with its special Gold Palette series
events on select nights throughout the year. The first of 2018 is
“Art in Motion: A Video Experience” on January 25.
The Art of Vacationing Where to stay in
Scottsdale & Vicinity.

FOUND:RE Downtown Phoenix THE HERMOSA INN Paradise Valley

www.foundrehotels.com www.hermosainn.com

SANCTUARY CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN RESORT Paradise Valley THE PHOENICIAN Scottsdale

www.sanctuaryoncamelback.com COURTESY SCOTTSDALE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU www.thephoenician.com COURTESY EXPERIENCE SCOTTSDALE

The Art of Dining Where to eat in Scottsdale & Vicinity.

CHELSEA’S KITCHEN COMPASS THE MISSION PIZZERIA BIANCO

New American Cuisine ARIZONA GRILL Mexican Cuisine Italian Cuisine
www.chelseaskitchenaz.com New American Cuisine www.themissionaz.com www.pizzeriabianco.com
PHOTO: © VISIT PHOENIX www.compassarizona.com COURTESY EXPERIENCE SCOTTSDALE PHOTO: © VISIT PHOENIX
PHOTO BY NICK OZA; ©VISIT PHOENIX

The city also has two events that allow visitors to peek inside
working artists’ studios: Celebration of Fine Art and Arizona
Fine Art EXPO. Along with artists’ booths, Celebration of Fine
Art, happening January 13 through March 25, also has its popular
Art Discovery Series with discussions every Friday from 4 to 5
p.m. During Arizona Fine Art EXPO, held January 12 to March
25, visitors can pass through more than 110 booths and see both
paintings and sculptures being created.
Artists, such as Nichole Laizure, also have made the Phoenix
area home. Some find inspiration in its landscapes, while others
a number of art auctions in Scottsdale, including the upcoming
Scottsdale Art Auction Leanin’ Tree Museum Collection sale on
January 19 and 20 and its annual sale on April 7. Altermann
Galleries & Auctioneers will host a sale in Scottsdale this January
18 and 19 at Venue 8600.
Moving south from Phoenix is the city of Tucson, which has
its own dynamic arts scene that includes the Tucson Desert
Art Museum and the Tucson Museum of Art. There are also 35
galleries in its downtown area, while the Historic Fourth Avenue
district hosts hundreds of local and national artists during its
075

are drawn to the desert for its year-round sunshine. There are also Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair from March 2 to 4.
DESTINATION  SCOTTSDALE & VICINITY

To the north, in Flagstaff, is the Museum of Northern Art, which each June hosts its
annual gala and fine art auction. During the gala is also the opening of a summerlong
exhibition devoted to a contemporary artist, with past honorees being Tony Abeyta and
Curt Walters. The city of Sedona is home to a number of fine art galleries and the Sedona
Arts Center, which will host an event for its 60th anniversary in April. The Sedona Arts
Festival happens in October and features artists exhibiting in booths and its new Fine
Art Gallery, a juried exhibition of artwork by artists from across the state.
In the pages of this destination guide, you will find out more about events and
exhibitions happening around the state, as well as some of the hotels and restaurants to
check out while you are in the area.
1 ALTAMIRA FINE ART
2 AMERY BOHLING FINE ART
3 ART ONE GALLERY, INC.
4 BISHOFF'S GALLERY
18
5 BLINK GALLERY
6 BONNER DAVID GALLERIES
7040 E. Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
AL OLD TOWN

Craftsman Court
(480) 941-8500, www.bonnerdavid.com
N
7 CALVIN CHARLES GALLERY
CA
8 CARSTENS FINE ART STUDIO & GALLERY
O
N
A
17 SCOTTSDALE
9 EXPRESSIONS GALLERY IZ ue
AR en
Av
10 FRENCH DESIGNER JEWELER
th 7

Scottsdale Road
11 GEBERT CONTEMPORARY
5
12 J KLEIN GALLERY

»
13 LARSEN GALLERY
14 LEGACY GALLERY 3rd Avenue
15 MAINVIEW GALLERY
N
Marshall Way

16 THE MARSHALL GALLERY

17 NATURE EXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHY 33
Goldwater Boulevard

18 ON THE EDGE GALLERY

19 PAUL SCOTT GALLERY 3
7103 E. Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 596-9533, www.paulscottgallery.com
20 PEJMAN GALLERY
Indian School Road
21 QUAN'TUM ART INC.
22 RIVER TRADING POST
23 SCOTTSDALE ARTISTS’ SCHOOL
24 THE SIGNATURE GALLERY
25 SONLEITER
1st Avenue
26 TERRITORIAL INDIAN ARTS
27 T.H. BRENNEN FINE ART
26 20 30 11
28 TILT GALLERY
25 1 6 2 32 15 12 10 27 14
29
29 TRAILSIDE GALLERIES 16
30 WADDELL GALLERY Main Street Main Street
31 WESTERN SPIRIT:
22 34 8 9 19 24 4
SCOTTSDALE’S MUSEUM OF THE WEST
5 28 21
32 WILDE MEYER ANNEX
7100 N. Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 OTHER EVENTS AND ARTISTS
(480) 947-1489, www.wildemeyer.com ARIZONA FINE ART EXPO 31
33 WILDE MEYER GALLERY 26540 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 1st Street
Marshall Way

www.arizonafineartexpo.com
4142 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 945-2323, www.wildemeyer.com CELEBRATION OF FINE ART
69th Street

Scottsdale Road

Brown Avenue

Southwest corner of Hayden Road and Loop 101,

34 XANADU GALLERY
Exit 35, Scottsdale, AZ 85255, (480) 443-7695,
www.celebrateart.com
DOWNTOWN PHOENIX 2nd Street
www.dtphx.org
NICHOLE LAIZURE 23
(480) 280-3306, nlaizure@cox.net 13
www.nicholelaizure.com

076 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

BONNER DAVID
GALLERIES
7040 E. Main Street, Scottsdale,
AZ 85251, (480) 941-8500
www.bonnerdavid.com
For the past 15 years,
Bonner David Galleries has
brought to market artwork
from representational and
nonrepresentational artists
from around the globe. A
premier destination known
for its dual-gallery concept,
Bonner David Galleries
embraces the continuum of 1
art within its traditional and
contemporary spaces. “After recent record-breaking auction sales
The gallery’s principle
purpose is to “educate,
results have recently made their way into the
encourage and expand mainstream news, vitality within art markets on
appreciation for fine art. Art
is personal and collecting is
a global level is sure to follow.”
often promoted by emotion—a — Christi Manuelito, founder and partner, Bonner David Galleries
response, a connection,
a moment or memory, an news, vitality within art Moon will run December 29 and Michael Carson’s show
appreciation for talent, a markets on a global level is to January 23. Max and Ma, a Audiovisuals will happen
meaningful experience. sure to follow,” she says. solo show for Max Hammond, March 16 to April 3 as well
We are driven by the ‘art Featured at the gallery are runs January 19 to February as a special one-day show for
experience.’ It is contagious.” more than 30 artists, whose 20, and in February is the the artist at at Stephanie’s
Gallery founder and works are shown in solo and three-artist show Within in Downtown Scottsdale on
partner Christi Manuelito is group exhibitions throughout the City with work by Brad March 21.
encouraged by the latest art the year. On view through Aldridge, Joseph Lorusso and Bonner David Galleries
market surges. “After recent December 26 is a solo show Francis Livingston. Wonders also will be hosting a number
record-breaking auction sales for Romona Youngquist, of the West, featuring Nocona of artist demonstrations
results have recently made while Peregrine Heathcote’s Burgess and Claudia Hartley, throughout 2018, allowing
their way into the mainstream solo exhibition Apples of the will take place March 2 to 20, collectors to experience artists’
techniques and insights
firsthand. Among them is a
demonstration with Lorusso

D E STIN ATION / SCOT TSDAL E & V ICI NI T Y

on February 15 from 5 to 7 p.m.,
and a demo with Carson on
April 25 from 5 to 7 p.m.

1
Bonner David Galleries features the
work of 30 representational and
nonrepresentational artists from
around the globe.

2
Bonner David Galleries, Roadside
Welcome, oil, 60 x 48", by Romona
Youngquist.

3
077

Bonner David Galleries, Harmony,

oil on canvas, 32 x 31", by Jane Jones.

2 3
DESTINATION » SCOTTSDALE & VICINITY

WILDE MEYER
GALLERY
Scottsdale & Tucson, AZ
info@wildemeyer.com
www.wildemeyer.com
Wilde Meyer Gallery has been
in Arizona for 34 years. “We
have found the Arizona art
market to be constantly in
flux,” says the gallery. “Overall,
the art business is trending
upward and we are very
optimistic about the future.”
The Scottsdale Marshall Way
location has done extensive
remodeling in the last year and
its Tucson gallery has recently
moved into a gorgeous, new,
larger space at Plaza Colonial.
Wilde Meyer shows a great
variety of contemporary art—
from abstracts to contemporary 1

interpretations of “cowboys
and Indians.”
The gallery represents a
wonderful collection of artists
who work in a variety of
styles and media. Longtime
favorite figurative painters
include Sherri Belassen,
Linda Carter Holman,
Karen Bezuidenhout and
Jacqueline Rochester. Wilde
Meyer Gallery is excited to
welcome newcomers like
Peggy Judy and Peggy
McGivern. Represented are
abstract painters such as Ryan
Hale, Debora Stewart and
Jack Roberts. Also showing
are bronze sculpture artists
Barbara Duzan, Lisa Gordon
and Carol Ruff Franza. Wilde
Meyer Annex, which is located
on Main Street in Scottsdale,
specializes in original animal
art with artists such as Connie
Townsend and Trevor Mikula.
These are just a few of the
artists represented in the
gallery’s diverse shows.
On Marshall Way in January
is Modern Classics, which will
display the work of landscape
artist Jeff Cochran, McGivern
and Stewart. Wilde Meyer
Annex on Main Street is having
a show titled Bold and Beautiful
– Diminutive and Demure
including work by Townsend,
Theresa Paden, Greg Dye and
more. The Tucson January
show, Interpretations of Place
and Time, will display the works
of Hale, Andrea Peterson and
Albert Scharf.

1
Widle Meyer Galley’s
Scottsdale location is
located on Marshall
Way.

2
Wilde Meyer Gallery,
Femme Cheval II, oil
on canvas, 60 x 36",
by Sherri Belassen.

3
Wilde Meyer Gallery,
Ray of Light in the
Pasture, oil on canvas,
48 x 50", by Jeff
Cochran.

3
2
078
PAUL SCOTT
GALLERY
7103 E. Main Street, Scottsdale,
AZ 85251, (480) 596-9533
info@paulscottgallery.com
www.paulscottgallery.com
Located on Main Street in the
heart of the Scottsdale Arts
District, Paul Scott Gallery
visitors often comment on
the diversity and quality of
the artwork and the overall
unique experience. Paul Scott
Gallery strives to represent
contemporary artists from
around the world with
something unique to say, but
with the classical education 1
to back it up. The gallery also
manages the internationally “With the return of the season, the Scottsdale Arts
acclaimed galleryrussia.com,
through which they represent
District is coming alive…So far, we have seen a
some top living painters from definite uptick in strong, motivated collectors
Russia and Ukraine while
being respected dealers in
looking to buy.”
— Paul Eubanks, owner, Paul Scott Gallery
historical fine art from the
Soviet Era.
Dimitrov. Recently, the gallery is participating in all of the figurative painter Edlinger-
Paul Scott Gallery proudly
has added several new artists upcoming anticipated Gold Kunze will have a solo
represents artists such
including John Maxon, Paul Palette ArtWalks and other exhibition through January
as Larisa Aukon, Artem
Jorgensen, James Armstrong district-wide festivities. So far, 6. The colorful paintings
Tolstukhin, Cathrine
and France Jodoin. we have seen a definite uptick of Aukon will be on exhibit
Edlinger-Kunze, Toni
“With the return of the in strong, motivated collectors January 11 through February
Doilney, Julee Hutchison,
season, the Scottsdale Arts looking to buy.” 3, and Lyubovnaya’s classical
Regina Lyubovnaya, Marci
District is coming alive,” Four new solo exhibitions realist paintings will be on
Oleszkiewicz, Robin and
says gallery owner Paul are slated for the 2017-18 exhibit from February 8
John Gumaelius and Martin
Eubanks. “Paul Scott Gallery season. Contemporary through February 24. Finally,
Oleszkiewicz, an award-
winning American figurative

D E STIN ATION / SCOT TSDAL E & V ICI NI T Y

painter known for sensitive
portrayals of children, will
open her solo exhibition
on March 1 and it will run
through the month.

1
Paul Scott Gallery represents
contemporary artists who have
classical education but unique visions.

2
Paul Scott Gallery, Returning to
Riamaggore, acrylic, 36 x 36", by Paul
Jorgensen.

3
079

Paul Scott Gallery, Wonderland, acrylic,

72 x 48", by Cathrine Edlinger-Kunze.

2 3
DESTINATION » SCOTTSDALE & VICINITY

1
Celebration of Fine Art
features 100 working
artist studios.

2
Celebration of Fine
Art, Grandmother’s
Purse, oil, 14 x 11", by
Marty LeMessurier.

3
Celebration of Fine
Art, Progression, oil
on canvas, 14 x 24", by
Allison Leigh Smith.
1

2 3

40,000-square-feet of working between generations of range from realistic to

CELEBRATION OF artist studios and works of art lovers and artists—it’s a impressionistic, Western
FINE ART art. It’s a juried, invitational beautiful thing!” realism, abstract to
Southwest corner of Hayden Road and show and has come to be The popular Art Discovery contemporary. The outdoor
Loop 101, Exit 35, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 recognized for its exceptional Series, in which guests get to sculpture garden will return
(480) 443-7695, info@celebrateart.com art, welcoming experience and hear and learn from a panel with nearly 100 pieces of
www.celebrateart.com interactive atmosphere. of artists on various topics, life-size and monumental
“The Celebration of Fine will be held each Friday from sculpture, as well as shared
Nearly three decades ago,
Art is unique in that it gives 4 to 5 p.m. throughout the 10 work space where visitors can
Celebration of Fine Art
guests the rare opportunity weeks. Last year, the series see woodturning, welding, kiln
debuted in Scottsdale,
to not only discover new brought together hundreds firings and bronze pouring
Arizona, and has become a
mediums, but also connect of guests with artists to learn demonstrations weekly.
tradition in the state’s art,
with artists face-to-face and about topics ranging from The show, which runs from
culture and tourism scene.
learn about the story behind the Making of a Monument Saturday, January 13, through
Featuring 100 acclaimed and
their work,” says Susan to The Lure of Light—a Sunday, March 25, is open
emerging artists from around
Morrow Potje, co-owner and close-up look at en Plein Air. to guests of all ages from 10
the country, the show sees
show director. “Each year, The conversations this year a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Tickets,
nearly 50,000 visitors from
everything we do is about include a Q&A portion and which are good for the entire
around the globe on average
fostering that connection, will be accompanied by wine 10-week run, are $10 for adults,
each year. Celebration of
sharing the stories of the and cheese to complement $8 for seniors and military,
Fine Art takes place in North
people behind the art and the topic. and children under 12 are
Scottsdale under its signature
building the relationships Styles at the show admitted for free.
“big white tents” and features

080 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

DOWNTOWN
PHOENIX, INC.
1 E. Washington Street, Ste. 230
Phoenix, AZ 85004; Dorina Bustamante,
director of community engagement,
(602) 770-5977, dbustamante@dtphx.org
www.dtphx.org
As Arizona’s urban center,
Greater Downtown Phoenix
provides unique year-round
experiences thanks to a
rich history, diverse culture,
fantastic art community
and booming live music
scene. From award-winning
restaurants to exciting sports
events and concerts, this is the
epicenter of fun things to do in
the area. From Downtown Core,
to Roosevelt Row Arts District,
to Garfield Neighborhood, to
Warehouse District, to Historic
Grand Avenue District, to
Central Arts District—the
Greater Downtown Phoenix
area is a true representation of
the diversity and excitement
of the fifth largest city in the
United States of America.
Artlink keeps the arts
integral to the development of
our city by connecting artists,
“Like the city of Phoenix itself, the art market
here is growing and maturing. The arts districts
of downtown invite discovery of exciting new
work, while nationally renowned midtown and
historic warehouse galleries show exhibitions of
consistent excellence.”
— Catrina Kahler, president of Artlink and publisher of Downtown Phoenix Journal
1 2
business and community. Gala. Artlink is a 501(c)(3)
Artlink supports a variety of nonprofit organization and is
community-based art events, supported by City of Phoenix
including complimentary Office of Arts and Culture,
Trolley Tours during the Downtown Phoenix Inc.,
monthly First Friday Art Walk; Arizona Commission on the
a pop-up gallery program; the Arts, Phoenix Art Museum,
Infusion arts initiative; and The Arizona Republic, Dunn
the annual Juried Exhibition, Transportation, Roosevelt Row
Art Detour, and Art d’Core CDC, Warehouse District,
1 excellence,” says Catrina
The Downtown Core
area of Phoenix.
Photo by Nader
Abushhab, NBMA
Photography.
2 providing resources for
MonOrchid gallery
with mural by JB
Snyder. Photo by
Christopher Boats
O’Shana.
3
Downtown Phoenix,
Inc., Pantaloncini:
Work No. 012 (Emma),
47,106 pearl corsage
pins, colored dress
pins, fabric and
steel, 25 x 18 x 12",
by Angela Ellsworth.
Photo by Lisa Sette
Gallery.
3
Central Arts District and
Historic Grand Avenue.
“Like the city of Phoenix
itself, the art market here is
growing and maturing. The
arts districts of downtown
invite discovery of exciting
new work, while nationally
renowned midtown and
historic warehouse galleries
show exhibitions of consistent
Kahler, president of Artlink
and publisher of Downtown
Phoenix Journal. “For 30 years
Artlink has been cultivating
an arts-friendly culture while
D E STIN ATION / SCOT TSDAL E & V ICI NI T Y
collectors looking to find talent
they might not otherwise find.”
The downtown art spaces
host exhibitions regularly.
Highlights include Art d’Core
Gala on March 15, from 5 to 10
p.m., at Bentley Projects in the
Warehouse District. March 16
to 22 is Art Detour 30 at various
locations in downtown and
midtown Phoenix. October 5 to
November 19 is Chaos Theory
19 Group Invitational, which
is curated by Randy Slack at
081
Legend City.
DESTINATION » SCOTTSDALE & VICINITY
ARIZONA
FINE ART EXPO
26540 N. Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85255, (480) 837-7163
judi@thunderbirdartists@gmail.com
www.arizonafineartexpo.com
The Arizona Fine Art EXPO
attracts award-winning
artists throughout Arizona,
the U.S. and abroad. The
event features 115 patron-
friendly studios within a
44,000-square-foot space
located at the gateway to
the Sonoran Desert foothills.
The artists featured gather to
participate with one another
and work in studios. The
show runs 72 straight days
(10 weeks) from January 12
through March 25, and is open
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Throughout the run of the
show, artisans will sketch
passionately in pencil,
charcoal and pastels; sculpt
and fire clay; drill, chisel
and carve stone; paint in
all media; stain and etch
gourds; design lost wax
casting; solder and weld
jewelry; assemble mosaics
and more. Art is for sale and
commissions are welcomed.
All art mediums and genres
082 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
1
2 3
can be found in the 115
resident artists’ studios.
Season passes cost $10,
while passes for seniors and
military are $8, and children
under 12 are admitted to the
show for free.
NICHOLE LAIZURE
(480) 280-3306
nlaizure@cox.net
www.nicholelaizure.com
Nichole Laizure is an artist
living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
She graduated with a fine arts
degree from Northern Arizona
University in Flagstaff.
4
1
Arizona Fine Art EXPO,
Grazing in the Prairie,
Arizona sandstone
on travertine base,
11½ x 20 x 13½", by
Jess Davila.
2
Arizona Fine Art EXPO,
Outside the Looking
Glass, acrylic on canvas,
30 x 30", by Kathy Parks.
3
Nichole Laizure, Lockett
Meadow Aspens, oil on
canvas, 24 x 24"
4
Nichole Laizure, Pave
Floral, oil on canvas,
30 x 40"
Laizure began her career as an
illustrator and transitioned to
working exclusively in fine art
10 years ago. She paints with
watercolor and oil, but has
been focusing primarily in oil
for the last few years.
Laizure mainly paints
figurative and landscapes, but
she also has been painting
large, contemporary florals in
a new series. She is inspired
by how light can be used in
paintings to convey certain
moods and elicit an emotional
response from the viewer.
Her work is currently being
exhibited at Victoria James
Gallery in Scottsdale.
 SHOW PREVIEW CELEBRATION OF FINE ART
When: January 13-March 25, 2018, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Where: Hayden Road and the Loop 101, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Information: www.celebrateart.com

Immersive Experience
The 28th annual Celebration of Fine Art returns this January
under the big white tents in Scottsdale, Arizona.

F
1
or the past 27 years, Celebration of Celebration of Fine Art
Fine Art has offered collectors and features 100 working
art enthusiasts a unique perspective into artist studios where
the artistic process. Throughout the big, they create new pieces
on site.
white tented venue in Scottsdale, Arizona,
are 100 working artist studios where their 2
creations come to life before the eyes of Elaine G. Coffee, Sargent
visitors. This year’s 28th edition will be held Seduces, oil, 16 x 12"
January 13 to March 25 and will continue
the tradition of featuring a diverse array of
artwork by some of the leading artists from
around the country.
Featured will be everything from acrylic
and oil paintings to wood, bronze and
A R T SH OW P RE VI E W

glass sculpture, as well as a mix of subject

matters. The artists will have completed
works displayed in their booths, and they
also will be painting and sculpting new
creations while they are on site. This
allows attendees to ask questions about the
process as well as their inspirations.
Among those participating in the show
this year are Diane Barbee, Elaine G.
083

Coffee, Graydon Foulger, Greg Gowen,

2

Jan Griggs, Gedion Nyanhongo, Martha
Pettigrew, Paul Rhymer, Heidi Rosner and
Mac Stevenson.
Foulger has been participating in
Celebration of Fine Art since its inception
and is noted for his impressionistic style of
artwork that is spontaneous and implied.
“I like to paint plein air because there is
nothing better than your eye to actually
084 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
4 5
see, and then when you’re there in person
you get the spirit of the place. That is what
I try to accomplish,” Foulger explains. “I do
a lot of florals at Celebration on site. I set
them up right there.”
He adds, “The Celebration of Fine Art
is an experience that refreshes you spirit
and washes away the dust of everyday life.
Come visit me and 100 other artists. Watch
3
each piece evolve, and I am sure you will
be as inspired as I am to be surrounded by
such passionate creators and collectors.”
As a self-taught artist and avid gardener,
Rosner uses transparent watercolors
to create botanical pieces with strong
composition, vibrant light, high contrast
and brilliant color. Among her works are
paintings of florals and succulents. “I create
 6 7

3
Mac Stevenson,
Rainbow Gold, oil,
20 x 40"

4
Diane Barbee, Cactus
Bloom, acrylic, 48 x 48"

5
Heidi Rosner, Local
Color, watercolor on
canvas, 48 x 36"

6
Heidi Rosner, Sunflower
Sunset, watercolor on
paper, 43 x 32"

7
Paul Rhymer, The
Candidate, bronze,
36 x 36 x 26"

8
Graydon Foulger,
Kamas Farm In Winter,
oil, 40 x 48"
A R T SH OW P RE VI E W
085

8
 realistic and inviting images that encourage the
viewer to engage with my paintings,” she says.
“My work emphasizes light and shadow as well as
the vivid colors occurring in nature. The fluidity
and spontaneous nature of watercolor gives my
work an organic, extemporaneous feel. My unique
process allows me to paint on boards and canvas
that I treat with layers of gesso and various
absorptive elements in order to accept watercolor.
I often work on very large format pieces to create
a dramatic affect.”
Gowen creates unique metal sculptures that
are assembled with various welding techniques.
Many of the pieces have hand-spun and formed
copper finishes with a torch flame coloration. On
view at Celebration will be pieces such as Desert
Sunrise and Plates in a Twister, which highlight
9

10 11

9
Paul Rhymer, Wake Up
America!, bronze,
25 x 25 x 12"

10
Martha Pettigrew,
Running Free, bronze

11
Graydon Foulger, Spring
Iris Bouquet, oil, 36 x 48"

12
Martha Pettigrew,
White Horse, Red Barn,
oil, 24 x 36"

13
Jan Griggs, Winter Trees,
acrylic on canvas,
36 x 36"

12
086 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
14
Greg Gowen, Plates in a
Twister, ground stainless
steel, flamed copper,
60 x 30"

15
Greg Gowen,
Desert Sunrise, flamed
copper, 34 x 84"

16
Graydon Foulger,
Autumn Glory, oil,
36 x 48"

17
Gedion Nyanhongo,
Spirit of Africa,
handcarved springstone,
39½ x 25 x 7"
13

14

The wildlife bronzes of Rhymer range in

15
subject matter from any variety of bird
to desert animals. He creates life-size,
monumental and miniature versions
of the creatures, allowing collectors to
find their ideal piece. “I love being at
Celebration of Fine Art. No other place
I know offers such a great opportunity
for artists to build relationships with
collectors and other artists like that
place,” Rhymer shares. “I sculpt and do
bronze pour and patina demos every day.
It’s a unique experience.”
In addition to visiting the artists’
booths, Celebration of Fine Art will host
16 its Art Discovery Series of lectures on
Fridays from 4 to 5 p.m. The events will
A R T SH OW P RE VI E W

his ability to mold materials into a variety
of shapes.
Pettigrew, whose does both paintings and
sculpture, is participating in Celebration
of Fine Art for her 22nd year. “Over this
years I have seen so many changes, but
17 the core idea of the show carries on from
year to year,” she says. “This year I will
be emphasizing my figurative and horse
allow attendees to hear select artists
speaking on topics related to the art
industry, ask questions and enjoy food
and beverages.
Celebration of Fine Art is open daily
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets, which
are good for the duration of the 10-week
show, are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors
and military, while children under 12 are
087

sculpture.” admitted free.

 Diane Barbee Elaine G. Coffee

“ T he Convers at ion ,” 60 x 48” A c r y lic

“Sargent Seduces,” 16 x 12” Oil

DIANEBARBEE.COM Studio Visitors Welcome…please contact Elaine at

dfbarbee@comcast.net | 623-680-2881 egcstudio@yahoo.com or call 480-227-3690.
Celebration Of Fine Art Studio #260 www.ElaineCoffee.com

GEDION “I n fin it e, ” 3 0 x 2 4 " A c r ylic a n d c o lla g e o n c a n va s

NYANHONGO
Releasing the
Spirit of Stone

Visit me at the
Celebration of Fine Art
Scottsdale, Arizona
January 13 - March 25, 2018 Ja n g rig g sfin e a r t.co m
ja n @ja n g rig g sfin e a r t.co m
480-255-4184 206 650-1696
gedionnyanhongo@gmail.com
gediongalleries.com Ce le b ra tio n o f F in e Ar t 2018
S tu d io 246

R E PR E S E NT E D BY
S TE VE MCK I BBE N S TU DI OS
“Lovers of the Century,” 19” H x 13” W x 6” D 5 4 0 S o u th Co ast Hig hway #110, L ag u na Beac h CA 92651
Stone Sculpture in Orange Calcite Onyx and Rose Granite 949 715- 6859
 Paul Rhymer
301.980.4429 • paul@rhymerstudio.com
www.rhymerstudio.com

“Wake Up America!” 72 x 25 x 12" Bronze on wood and steel

Meet Paul at the

Celebration of Fine Art
show in Scottsdale, AZ
January 13 - March 25, 2018

GREG GOWEN
1800-594-9606 greg@studiog7.com
Daily sculpting and
bronze casting
www.studiog7
www.studiog 7.com demonstrations!
 SCOTTSDALE

ARTWALK
Every Thursday Night
7pm – 9pm

Art in Motion: A Video Experience

January 25, 2018 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Come celebrate the 3rd annual event that celebrates the exciting
new art medium of video installation on Main Street and Marshall

SU R P R I SE Way in the heart of the Scottsdale Arts District! Streets and galleries
alike will feature video installations along with other great art and
FINE ART & WINE FESTIVAL street entertainment!
JAN 12-14 15940 N Bullard Ave, Surprise
Sponsored by the Scottsdale Gallery Association, City of Scottsdale

CAREFREE
FINE ART & WINE FESTIVAL
JAN 19-21 101 Easy St, Carefree
www.scottsdalegalleries.com
Meet renowned artists, stroll F E S T I V A L S
throughout juried fine arts,
enjoy sipping fine wines and
WATERFRONT FEB 9-11
GILBERT FEB 16-18
listening to live music. CAREFREE MAR 16-18
$3 Admission • Held Outdoors • 10am-5pm FOUNTAIN HILLS MAR 23-25

ThunderbirdArtists.com • 480-837-5637

“HEARTLAND DAWN,” 18 X 36” OIL

Meet Artists Working in Studios MAC

480-837-7163 ArizonaFineArtEXPO.com STEVENSON
26540 N Scottsdale Rd CONTEMPORARY
IMPRESSIONIST
January 12- March 25
10-week Season Pass $10; Military/Seniors $8 • Open Daily 10am-6pm MACSTEVENSON.COM
801-391-8534
EXHIBIT & SALE • OPEN NOW THROUGH MARCH 31, 2018

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / PALM DESERT, CA
January 6, 2018
JASON KOWALSKI
Yesterday’s relics
J ason Kowalski brings the forgotten
to life. At one time the pride and
joy of entrepreneurs and the places of
happy memories, his subjects are rapidly
decaying, peeling and rusting into
oblivion. With a combination of painterly
092 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
J. Willott Gallery
73300 El Paseo | Palm Desert, CA 92260
(760) 568-3180 | www.jwillott.com
abstraction, intricate detail and collaged
ephemera from the past, he recalls their
prime and, probably, their last gasp.
An exhibition of his latest paintings
is at J. Willott Gallery in Palm Desert,
California, beginning January 6.
1
Rather than the high-keyed photorealistic
renderings made by other contemporary
artists attracted to the subject, Kowalski
paints a soft, atmospheric haze redolent
of the hot desert where many of his
subjects reside.
In Roarin’ 20's, the sign itself is a
historical record of changed minds and
changed purposes. The separate sign
“The” seems to be an afterthought. The
long horizontal sign has layers of changed
messages. The large “Drive-up Window”
sign bears witness, perhaps, to generations
of changing menus.
Then Kowalski comes along. The long
sign resembles fragments of Arabic script
and prominently obscured in the drive-up
sign is a voluptuous nude pinup. Cattle
that may have once been herded across the
same land appear in a collaged element in
the lower right corner.
Kowalski says, “I am interested in
objects that have a past. Their story is
often forgotten and their characteristics
of being worn out, broken and old are
commonly seen as unattractive. My goal
is to create art that challenges viewers to
see the unique beauty found in worn and
castaway objects.”
He continues, “The ephemera
concealed in my work is not solely to
provide a narrative link to the past; the
mixed-media scraps act as a partner to
my brushstroke. They
1 are placed as design
Roarin’ 20's, oil on elements and are crafted
panel, 72 x 48" with considerable
importance into the
2
Retired Rio Grande, composition.”
oil on panel, Kowalski not only
28½ x 48" l ove s h i s s u b j e c t
matter; he loves to
3
El Rancho Verde,
paint. In Retired Rio
oil on panel, Grande, the staccato
40 x 40" elements of windows
are animated by the
4
Prone to Wander,
collaged elements. The
oil on panel, nearly Trompe l’Oeil
47 x 47" rendering of the side
2

3 4

of the car is full of luscious brushstrokes.

A nod to history and a different kind of
“Jason’s paintings are a ‘last-gasp’ for a lot of his
journey are referenced in collaged images subjects. Many of these roadside relics are near the
of a stagecoach and of a dining car of a
much more luxurious train.
end of their existence; signs are torn down, buildings
PR E V I E W

He brings our attention to the relics of
the past and to the new kind of beauty
they represent as well as to his ability to
combine artistic approaches to make a
painted over or demolished, cars rust into the ground.
Jason gives these objects one final chance to be
appreciated for all the wonder they represent.”
093

vibrant, arresting image.

— Josh Otten, owner/director, J. Willott Gallery
 Woodside / Braseth Gallery
UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / SEATTLE, WA
1201 Western Avenue | Seattle, WA 98101
January 2-February 2, 2018
(206) 622-7243 | www.woodsidebrasethgallery.com

VICTORIA ADAMS

Imaginary spaces
V ictoria Adams paints landscapes that are not
real, stitched together from places on earth to
create some place more idyllic. These depictions
fixed. I just keep working on it so the details look real
and evoke a sense that one could enter the space and
roam around.”
1
Harmonium, oil on linen,
48 x 72"

of land, sky and sea are the subject of a new solo
exhibition at Woodside / Braseth Gallery titled
Wellspring: New Works.
“I tend to work a painting looking at the direction
of a light source and the position of clouds, but I’m
really trying to make an ideal place, or a place that’s
other, above the mundane,” Adams explains. “I don’t
want it to look picturesque. Nothing I’m doing is
For Far Shore, Adams started with a series of 2
photographs that she pieced together to use as Far Shore, oil on linen,
references, but the image that really caught her eye 33 x 38"
was of a sunset. “There were some colors that really 3
inspired me, especially how it transitioned from purple Duration, oil on linen,
to orange to gold at the horizon line,” she says. She 36 x 60"
incorporated those elements of the photograph into
the final painting.

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2

The sky, in particular, is a point of focus

in each of Adams’ landscapes. “There’s
this human habit of looking upward and
outward to access the future, and I think
that even though we are urban people,
that part of viewing nature seems to be
instinctive,” she says of the fascination.
Adams notes that her paintings are a
little different from landscapes that include
evidence of human presence, like fences or
cars. “The places that I paint are kind of
about timelessness,” she says. “They are
outside of any identifiable time period.
PR E V I E W

I’m doing it that way to promote a sense

of stillness, and to get away from viewing
nature as a backdrop to some other story.”
Wellspring hangs at Woodside / Braseth
095

Gallery from January 2 to February 2.

3

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / HALLANDALE BEACH, FL
January 6-March 6, 2018
ERIN ANDERSON
Exploring relationships
T he connections that a person makes with others
and makes with the surrounding world are just
two of the relationships that Erin Anderson focuses
on in her oil on copper portraits. Her works, featuring
realistic figures and abstracted backgrounds, are
a unique juxtaposition that explore ties to nature.
The material that she paints on—copper—is also of
importance to her pieces.
In her artist statement, Anderson says, “The metal
substrate and paint work in concert to communicate
layers or levels of reality: one that is easily perceived
and directly in front of us and one that can be felt and
is dynamic or changing.”
Then, to explore the connections of our experience,
096 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
Sirona Fine Art
600 Silks Run, #1240 | Hallandale Beach, FL 33009
(954) 454-9494 | www.sironafineart.com
1 2
she makes “visual comparisons between the figure
and systems in nature. I find that studying the ways in
which nature is connected informs the ways I create
1
The Vet, oil on copper,
36 x 30"
atmosphere within and around my subjects. The 2
ensuing work is an exploration of our relationships to The PhD Chemist,
one another and our fundamental connection with the oil on copper, 21 x 18"
environment.” 3
January 6 to March 6, Sirona Fine Art in Hallandale The Artist, oil on copper,
Beach, Florida, will mount a solo show for the artist 21 x 18"
featuring some of her latest portraits. The works,
which can be paired in sets or be standalone pieces,
often feature background designs that connect with
each other and allow them to be placed side-by-side
in dynamic arrangements. The titles of the works also

are descriptive of the women she paints—
with many of the new works defining their
professions or experiences.
“I have never seen a painting of hers
that carries the weight of effort that many
realist paintings accumulate on their way
to verisimilitude,” says gallery director
Timothy Smith. “All of her subjects are
caught somewhere between inhaling and
exhaling, but there is undeniably breath
and pulse happening in these faces. The
texture and topography that makes each
individual person just that individual
person are exact and perfectly recorded.
3
All the amazing aspects that make seeing
another person up close, intimately and
PR E V I E W
focused, the joy of seeing the visual part of
the human condition, our bodies and faces,
are rendered expertly. But the essence, the
life, the thoughts of her subjects are there,
097
barely halted in motion.”
 George Billis Gallery
UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / NEW YORK, NY
525 W. 26th Street, Ground Floor | New York, NY 10001
On view now
(212) 645-2621 | www.georgebillis.com

CHRISTOPHER BURK

City compositions

N ow on view at George Billis Gallery

in New York City are new works by
painter Christopher Burk, who examines
smaller sections of immense cityscapes
to create a focused view of things often
overlooked by residents and pedestrians.
His subjects include billboard signs,
ordinary views from elevated expressways
and rooftop water towers.
“The quest for something new,
distinctive forms and compositions,
found in our exterior environments
are the themes that are consistently
sought after as the major components
to my work,” Burk says. “The main
emphasis focuses on transforming
the often overlooked elements, for
example, the poetry that happens in
the sweeping utility lines along the
backdrop of a morning or evening sky
with the pinnacles of structures, treetops,
telephone poles, and how each interacts
with one another within the composition.
Taking something so utilitarian, for
example, like that of a telephone pole
with all of its components, on average
would be, and usually are, looked upon
as something that is less than visually
2
desirable, yet when presented in a unique
way this provides one with the tools
needed to visually tune into not only
their personal environments but also that
of the world, therefore, giving viewers the
capabilities to find beauty in the simplest
of things.”
Works in the show include Long Island
City Windows at Night, with its single
lit window shining out over a dimly lit
night, a deep blue sky stretching out
over the scene from above. The piece
has an almost Edward Hopper kind of
presence in which the city feels alive, but
also very lonely and forlorn. Other works
include Water Tower 3, its composition
highlighting the height and dominance
of a simple water tower that reigns over
this vantage point. In Queens Billboard,
Burk can paint the smooth, tiled surface
of a billboard, as well as the metal gridlike
structure on the billboard’s wedge-shaped
interior.
Burk says, “American writer Henry
Miller’s following quote embodies my
personal philosophy, and to what drives
me to be an artist: ‘What the painter sees
he is duty-bound to share. Usually, he
makes us see and feel what ordinarily we
ignore or are immune to. His manner of
approaching the world tells us, in effect,
that nothing is hideous, nothing is stale,
flat and unpalatable unless it be our own
power of vision.’”

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3

1
Bronx Tenement, oil on
panel, 24 x 18"

2
Water Tower 3, oil on
panel, 8 x 8"

3
Queens Billboard, oil on
panel, 8 x 8"

4
Long Island City Windows
at Night, oil on panel,
10 x 8"

5
PR E V I E W

From the BQE, oil on

panel, 20 x 16"
099

4 5

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / SANTA FE, NM
Through December 22, 2017
DOUGLAS FRYER
Artifacts of memory
T hough Douglas Fryer’s landscapes
are inspired by his time in England,
Ireland and Scotland, as well as the scenes
near his home in central Utah, they portray
memories rather than recall a specific
place. The works will be featured in Beyond
the Fences, on view at Meyer Gallery.
The paintings collected in Beyond the
100 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
Meyer Gallery
225 Canyon Road, #14 | Santa Fe, NM 87501
(800) 779-7387 | www.meyergalleries.com
Fences range from abstract to concrete,
though when it comes to some of the more
abstract paintings, like Mountain Ranch,
Winter, once the subject is revealed, the
painting hits the viewer all at once,
immediately becoming more realistic than
first assumed.
Even the more straightforward paintings,
1 2
such as Sage and Spring Willows on the
Sevier River, have the feeling of a scene
you catch out of the corner of your eye, as
you drive down a country road. “There’s
movement in the paintings, a suggestion of
passage of time, and air through the trees,”
Fryer says. “The elements don’t necessarily
render a specific place; rather they are
rendered to look like nature.”
Many of his paintings start out with one
idea, and then in the middle of painting,
Fryer completely changes directions and
starts a new painting, though artifacts often
remain from the original composition.
“They start off as completely different
paintings, and then they are switched and
switched again, so the final version might be
the third or fourth iteration. The paintings
are constantly changing,” he explains.
A new endeavor for Fryer is painting in
magnitudes of grays and whites, like in
Mountain Storm. He says, “It was an exciting
painting for me, all grays with very subtle
shifts between warm and cool. It’s interesting
to think about how there really are days like
this that are so limited in their color range,
and that’s what I really wanted to convey.”
 3

“Douglas Fryer’s
artwork bridges both the
representational and the
abstract, providing the
viewer with a modern
interpretation of the
landscape.”
— John Manzari, director, Meyer Gallery
PR E V I E W

1 2 3
Mountain Sage and Thistle Creek
Storm, oil on Spring Willows (April), oil on
panel, 12 x 9" on the Sevier panel, 8 x 8"
101

River, oil on
panel, 12 x 30"
 Lotton Gallery
UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / CHICAGO, IL
900 N. Michigan Avenue, Level 6 | Chicago, IL 60611
January 5-29, 2018
(312) 664-6203 | www.lottongallery.com

GELENA PAVLENKO

Moments in nature

1 2

T here is an ethereal and intimate quality to the

nature-themed paintings of Gelena Pavlenko.
They place the viewer in a close-up perspective that
According to Pavlenko, “Painting is a way for me to
express visually my experience of the moment in
nature I am a part of. I like to contemplate how flowers
1
Early Summer, oil on
canvas, 24 x 16"

shows not only specific flower blooms but also the bloom, how mushrooms grow, how water flows, how 2
world that surrounds them. Rolling hills and lush light touches the sky and then celebrate the uniqueness Arabesque, oil on
grasses reveal nature in its prime, as well as reflections of each landscape in my work.” canvas, 18 x 12"

of light at specific moments of the day.
January 5 to 29, Lotton Gallery in Chicago will
mount a solo exhibition featuring the artist’s newest
series of works. Gallery director Christina Franzoso
says, “Intoxicating, youthful, lively and vibrant, Gelena
Pavlenko’s paintings are in full bloom.”
In Early Summer, she highlights the beauty of 3
purple irises that “just began to grow and shows the The White Bird, oil on
birth of summer.” Arabesque also spotlights the iris, canvas, 20 x 28"
which she titled after a ballet position because the 4
“gracious movement” of its petals reminded her of Blue Bird, oil on canvas,
a “ballet pas.” In another piece, Early Twilight, the 20 x 24"

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3

“violet color of mallows brings to life the

dusk—when the day becomes the night,”
explains the artist.
Pavlenko also allows viewers of her
work to dig deep into the shadows to find
subjects that may not be noticed at first
glance. In The White Bird “there is an image
of hidden birds within flowers,” she shares.
“A bloom of elderberry flowers sounds, for
me, like birds singing in the spring.”
In addition to the floral pieces, Pavlenko
has created paintings where living birds
and plant life are juxtaposed against stone
carvings of the same subjects. Blue Bird
mixes “living and dead,” says Pavlenko,
PR E V I E W

with the subjects “switching their roles

between themselves.” While her painting
Peekaboo shows a game of hide and seek
that the living sparrow is playing with the
103

stone ones.
4
 Bonner David Galleries
UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / SCOTTSDALE, AZ
7040 E. Main Street | Scottsdale, AZ 85251
December 29, 2017-January 23, 2018
(480) 941-8500 | www.bonnerdavid.com

PEREGRINE HE ATHCOTE

Apples of the moon

1 2

T he artwork of Peregrine Heathcote

often takes viewers on a nostalgic
journey through a bygone era that is
filled with romanticism and whimsical
narratives. His characters are often
swept away in the moment, regardless
if they interact with the scene itself or
the other figures that occupy the space.
Many of his latest works, which will be
on view at Bonner David Gallery in
Scottsdale, Arizona, from December 29
to January 23, were inspired by a work
of poet William Butler Yeats.
“There was a poem which I recently
came across by Yeats called The Song
of Wandering Aengus. It had, as many
of Yeats’ poems do, an ethereal quality
that ultimately expresses a quest for
the impossible and unattainable,” says
Heathcote. “Legend is transformed and
Aengus’ unsatisfied love is symbolical,
and shows the wide gap between
reality and fantasy. These ideas are
woven into my canvas while the paint
binds them into my narrative.”
The last stanza of the poem, in
3

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“Peregrine Heathcote’s
works emulate the
charm of the prewar
period. His love of
capturing the perfect
narrative is evident in
each painting.”
— Clark David Olson, founder,
partner and art consultant,
Bonner David Galleries

particular, hints to the narratives

that are echoed on Heathcote’s
canvases—with his show, Apples of
the Moon, even being titled after part
of the prose:

Though I am old with wandering

Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.

Heathcote finds narratives from

any combination of elements.
“A sensational sunset or cloud
arrangement can trigger a new color
scheme and can set an emotional tone,
peaceful complicated, transitional,”
says Heathcote. He adds, “I always
use live models in the studio; they
are often actors rather than ‘models’
as I find they have the ability to
convey narrative in their moments
far more subtly than standardized
poses that you get from models in
the mainstream fashion industry. I use
photographs to supplement the work,
but real life defines it.”
Heathcote’s work will be unveiled
during a special multi-sensory
opening Friday, December 29, from
6 to 8 p.m. The opening is limited to
the first 35 RSVPs.
PR E V I E W

1 3
Celebration, oil on Bayview, oil on
canvas, 30 x 36" canvas, 18 x 22"
105

2 4
Meeting Point, oil on Explorers, oil on
canvas, 18 x 20" canvas, 18 x 8"
4

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / SCOTTSDALE, AZ
January 11-February 3, 2018
LARISA AUKON
The language of color
T o begin the new year, artist Larisa Aukon will debut
her most recent collection at Paul Scott Gallery
in Scottsdale, Arizona. This lively new body of work
is an exploration in color, technique and emotional
narrative, and will explore both new and established
themes and subjects.
Aukon’s collection uses cities and natural scenes
as its main subjects. “Landscapes and cityscapes
complement each other. They are two sources of my
inspiration, two sides of my personality,” says the
artist, “because I enjoy nature, solitude and this kind
of pristine feeling when I’m outside. But I also enjoy
the city and what city life is giving you.”
Ultimately, Aukon’s focus is to convey an energy
and a pulse within her works. “Life—this is what is
important for me. Landscapes, cityscapes—they’re
alive. They’re full of life,” says Aukon. “This is what
I want to paint. The buildings have life, too; they’re
2 3
106 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
Paul Scott Gallery
7103 E. Main Street | Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 596-9533 | www.paulscottgallery.com
very old. There’s lots of history in these buildings.” In
her piece Townies, Aukon marries the two scenes with
the vision of a small town nestled between mountains
1
View From the Past,
oil, 30 x 30"
and green hills. 2
Aukon is also taking the opportunity to revisit old Summer Promises,
subjects with an updated perspective. “The world oil, 30 x 30"
around us is changing, and we are changing. I would 3
like my audience to see this change,” she says. In her Townies, oil on canvas,
show, she is exploring equine subjects in a new way. 30 x 30"
“I used to paint horses a lot, but it was a long time
4
ago,” she explains. “But there are so many horses,
Grazing Pintos,
especially wild horses, in Arizona.” This exploration oil, 16 x 29"
can be seen in her piece Grazing Pintos, which
depicts a team of wild horses chewing yellow grass 5
Sacred Chamber, oil on
in a bright, open field.
canvas, 48 x 48"
“I use colors to be expressive, and the textures and
brushstrokes. I’m trying to be more simplified,” says the
artist. “For me, painting is about colors. And I like to
 4

“Larisa Aukon is a superb colorist. She commands the canvas with her bold palette
and confident brushstrokes. Her paintings are her voice to nature’s beauty.”
— Kim Matthews, gallery director, Paul Scott Gallery

build the painting—sculpt the painting—

using brushstrokes.”
Her intent is not to create realistic
landscapes, but to evoke the emotional
language of a space. In her work
Summer Promises, Aukon utilizes these
techniques to achieve a work that is
bursting with vibrancy and narrative.
The artist uses heavy, solid strokes of
oil to depict roadside trees that lean
longingly toward a distant hill. “It’s not
a literal interpretation; it’s more about
what I feel when I’m there,” she says.
“I’m trying to make people pay more
attention to what is out there, around
them—to stop and look at everything
with a different eye.”
Aukon’s new collection will be on
display from January 11 to February 3.
PR E V I E W
107

5

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / NAPLES, FL
Opens January 24, 2018
Making waves
T o begin the new year, Quidley &
Company will premiere its themed
exhibition Wet. Showcasing works
inspired by fluid subjects, the exhibit
explores how liquid is depicted and
interpreted using traditional mediums.
Featured artists include Stephen Coyle,
Colin Berry, Karen Woods, Peter
Quidley, Eric Zener, David Shevlino and
T. S. Harris, among others.
Woods’ approach to a “wet” look
draws from the last rainy days of the
winter season. Her piece Almost Spring
positions the viewer behind a pane of
rain-flecked glass, perhaps a car or kitchen
window, allowing for a feeling of coziness
despite the dreary weather. This sense of
protection from the elements defies the
108 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
Quidley & Company
375 Broad Avenue South | Naples, FL 34102
(239) 261-4300 | www.quidleyandco.com
chilly landscape, and adds to the narrative
that spring is almost here. To further this,
Woods includes bright, rich greens to
juxtapose the muggy sky, highlighting
the stark color transitions that occur when
opposing seasons meet.
Misty open waters are the muse behind
Berry’s work Morning Mist. “I’ve always
lived near the ocean, so I have a natural
emotional connection to water and light,”
he says. “My paintings are about the
beauty of a moment; the almost musical
patterns, rhythms and colors of water that
surprise and excite me about making a
painting.”
While his work maintains a high
realism, Berry’s intent isn’t one solely
of realistic representation. “I’d like
the abstract visual motifs to have a
strong enough presence to straddle the
line between representing something
and having a life of their own,” Berry
says. “I want them to be contemporary
artistic objects.”
In Shevlino’s work Surfing, the power
of ocean tides is wrangled by a surfer
who skims the water’s surface. Shevlino
uses thick, impressionistic brushstrokes
to convey the movement and weight of
the wave and its rider, adding a sense of
narrative and time to his work. Through
the use of dominant white tones, bright
blues and subtle pops of red, the artist
achieves a vision that is loud, lively and
fast paced.
Coyle’s vision of beach pastimes takes a
1
 2 3
1
Eric Zener, Lone Summer,
mixed media, 41 x 62"

2
David Shevlino, Surfing,
oil on panel, 23 x 30"

3
Stephen Coyle, The Tide
is Rising, alkyd on panel,
36 x 36"

4
Karen Woods, Almost
Spring, oil on canvas,
18 x 25"

more tranquil approach. With a sunbather
lounging lazily in the water as its focal
point, his piece The Tide is Rising takes
a moment to appreciate the calmness of
a day spent at the ocean. Sweeping gray
and blue hues dominate the scene; these
blocks of color separate the sunbather from
the clear blue water of a deep pool. “My
inspiration for all the work related to
water, and in particular beneath the
surface, is about the metaphorical and
literal place of ‘escape’ from the world
above,” the artist says, “a momentary
reprise where we feel buoyant, refreshed
water that is more difficult to make with
traditional media.  Layers of clear resin
and reflective ground—silver or gold
leafing, pearlescent paint, etc.—allow
light to bounce back through the clear
film the image is on. Additional layers of
painting between the resin layers create
PR E V I E W

the swimmers in the distance, creating a
sense of solitude and internal narrative in
a public space.
Farther from wild tides, the subject of
and free.” To achieve the visual effects of
light playing off water, Zener utilizes a
salad of different mediums. “This mixed
media technique is a wonderful medium
an optical depth that adds dimensionality
to the image.”
The Wet exhibition opens January 24
and will be held at Quidley & Company’s
109

Zener’s piece Lone Summer dives through to capture the wetness and light of fine art gallery in Naples, Florida.

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / CHARLESTON, SC
January 5-February 23, 2018
The color of water
T his January 5, Robert Lange
Studios will premiere their group
show The Color of Water, featuring 20
contemporary watercolor artists from
around the globe. Each artist will create
multiple works exemplifying their
specific style, genre and subject matter.
Participating artists include Dylan Scott
Pierce,  Reuben Negron, Alexandra
Becker-Black, Mario Robinson, Michiyo
Fukushima and Kerry Simmons, to
mention but a few. The exhibition will
hang through February 23.
“Local favorite Mary Whyte is
responsible for introducing me to
contemporary watercolor painting,”
explains gallery owner and artist Robert
Lange. “Before seeing her work, I was
unaware of how versatile watercolor could
1 2
110 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
Robert Lange Studios
2 Queen Street | Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 805-8052 | www.robertlangestudios.com
be, and since that day I’ve wanted to bring
together a group of contemporary painters
that are using the medium and choosing
subject matter that truly propels the
genera forward.”
Robinson recently began to incorporate
rural subjects into his pieces, with
each being personal in selection and
execution. “As the work progresses, my
relationship with the sitter develops,
and a uniquely personal story begins to
evolve,” he explains. “I frequently depict
subjects framed within the context of
their daily lives. The underlying narrative
counters sentimentality and serves as the
underpinning for my figurative images.”
Artist Negron uses his watercolors to
create a visual narrative. “I’ve long been
interested in using art to tell stories,” he
explains. “Beyond the larger ideas that
hold up contemporary art, an image’s
ability to transport me into a narrative
has always resonated most. Taking a page
from those I’ve worked with in the past,
this new series allows me to turn my lens
inward for the first time to tell my own
personal narrative.”
His piece Untitled (Catherine no. 1)—a
bright, bold snapshot of a nude woman
lounging in her sitting room—uses
carefully positioned objects and the
subject’s body language to create a sense
of passing time. “Each image in this new
body of work is approached as a passage
(and in some cases a full chapter) in what is
essentially a visual novella. Over the next
year or so, this series will touch on themes
of loss, sexuality, memory and discovery—
1
Alexandra Becker-
Black, Boy, watercolor
on paper, 24 x 18"
2
Suzy Schultz, Dancing
in the Ruins, watercolor
on paper, 40 x 23"
3
Kerry Simmons, Frost,
watercolor drybrush
on paper, 9 x 12½"
4
Reuben Negron,
Untitled (Catherine no. 1),
watercolor on paper, 18"
 3

“We hope to inspire people with these kinds of shows. If you are a watercolorist,
perhaps you’ll find renewed inspiration for your medium of choice and if you are
a collector, perhaps you will purchase your first watercolor piece.”
—Robert Lange, owner and artist, Robert Lange Studios

all while pushing and expanding my
relationship with watercolor, and finding
ways to utilize the medium in a manner
that challenges public perception of what
it can or should be.”
According to Becker-Black, who
paints portraits of contemporary figures,
“watercolor is a delicate medium with a
powerful impact. Every mark must be a
deliberate decision, because there is no
undoing what has already been done.
It’s a slow and challenging dance that
at first was very difficult and had a
lot of disadvantages. But now I only
see advantages.”
Her piece Boy layers liquid
to create a texturing that
emphasizes the medium. “As a
watercolorist, I am forced to work
in the moment, to consider every
watercolor keeps me focused on the true
meaning of what each painting is and
urges me to remove everything but the
key elements. It’s a beautiful dance that
I wouldn’t trade for any other medium,”
says the artist.
Many of Becker-Black’s pieces have large
areas of negative space around a single
figure. She says, “I’m  magnetized  by the
power of simplicity. I think the best stories
of any kind are the ones with just enough
detail to deliver a message, but still enough
space to leave some mystery. Whether it be
a painting, a song, a film or a novel, I love
art that makes us wonder.”
At Robert Lange Studios, the
exhibition is about celebrating
watercolor, its uniqueness and its
future as a medium. “We have really
tried to find artists with unique
voices for our group exhibits,”
says Lange. “No two are alike in
their approach, and specifically for
this watercolor exhibit we wanted
to find painters that didn’t create
PR E V I E W

stroke that I make and to proceed traditional watercolor scenes.”

with confidence and grace, even if The Charleston, South Carolina-
I know that a large painting could based gallery will host a public
be ruined at any moment because of reception  with music, wine and hors
111

one mistake. I feel that working with 4 d’oeuvres on February 2 from 6 to 8 p.m.
 Booth Gallery
UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / NEW YORK, NY
325 W. 38th Street #1 | New York, NY 10018
Through January 13, 2018
(646) 902-4566 | www.paulboothgallery.com

Baroque revisited
C o-curated by Rob Zeller and Casey
Glenhorn, The New Baroque at
Booth Gallery features artwork by 22
contemporary figurative artists. Inspired
by Zeller’s recent book The Figurative
Artist’s Handbook: A Contemporary
Guide to Figure Drawing, Painting, and
Composition, the exhibition celebrates a
recent resurgence of figurative art.
Chie Shimizu’s The Story of the River was
inspired by two important Japanese works.
The first was “Hojoki”—an essay written in
1212 that describes a life as the current of
a never-ending river. The second was an
early-18th-century painting by Kōrin Ogata
called Red and White Plum Blossoms, which
depicts a river running between plum trees.
Shimizu says, “I painted this image directly
on the body to express how human life is
transient, but also such a short period of
life is powerful and beautiful at the same
time.”
Created during her third year at the 1

New York Academy of Art, Aleah Chapin’s 1

And We Were Birds was made as her Camie Salaz, Narcissus,
oil on linen, 30 x 40"
subconscious led the way. “I was following
a sense of beautiful strangeness, a world 2
that is both familiar, yet at the same time, Chie Shimizu, The Story
a world that is slightly off-kilter from my of the River, Ultra-cal,
plastic and pigment,
own,” she explains. “The women in this
37" tall
painting are all in their 60s and 70s, but
they are inhabiting their bodies as if they 3
were children.” Maria Kreyn, Eva’s
Also on view is Bo Bartlett’s Diaspora, Hands, oil on canvas,
36 x 28"
which features the four classic elements
of nature: earth, water, fire and air. Camie
Salaz’s Narcissus tells a story of vanity and
self-loathing as the mythical figure tries to
tear himself away from his reflection. An
untitled wall-mounted cut out drawing
from Christian Johnson features a
curvaceous figure that brings to mind the
works of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.
The New Baroque will also feature work
from Odd Nerdrum, Alex Kanevsky, Brad
Kunkle, Maria Kreyn, Kurt Kauper and
others, and will remain on view at Booth
Gallery through January 13.
2 3

112 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

PR E V I E W 113

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / NEW YORK, NY
On view now
Outer limits
N ow open at the Lodge Gallery in New
York City is The Outer Boroughs:
Brooklyn, Queens & the Bronx, a group
exhibition that will examine urban landscape
painting in Manhattan’s famous neighbors
across the East and Harlem rivers.
One of the seven artist in the show is
Derek Buckner, who turns his attention to
Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal, an industrial
area (and Superfund site) that is known
for its machinery, shipping barges and
industrialized structures that loom over
the narrow waterway. “Having grown up
in Brooklyn I’ve seen the Gowanus area
go through a lot of changes. For most of
my upbringing it was kind of a no man’s
land with a lot of factories and abandoned
buildings, etc. When I returned to New York
in the early ’90s I was drawn to it yet again
and surprised to see that more artists were
moving to the area,” he says. “Now it has
become a hotspot, and there are a lot of large
residential buildings being built. I have to
say it’s a bit disappointing because many
of the iconic industrial  structures which
I found so compelling have been torn down
to make way for the new developments.”
In Laura Shechter’s D’Art III, she paints a
view of the city from the Manhattan Bridge.
114 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
The Lodge Gallery
131 Chrystie Street | New York, NY 10002
(212) 627-7221 | www.thelodgegallery.com
Except for graffiti on a building, the view is
mostly timeless and could be from 1918 just
as easily as 2018. “My work has always been
involved with decoration. For me graffiti
are decorative motifs that happen to be
on buildings and trucks,” she says. “There
was one early cityscape, Painted Wall,
Williamsburg from 2006. I was told about
5 Pointz in Long Island City. After visiting
it in 2010, my paintings shifted to graffiti in
the cityscape. I believe that graffiti beautifies
urban blight. I walk the five boroughs and
ride the subways, photographing graffiti.
I revisit what I consider important walls.
My interest are the tags not murals. Some
of these walls change for the better. Some
of these walls don’t exist anymore.”
Painter Todd Gordon also visited 5 Pointz
before the famous graffiti mecca was torn
down in 2014. He captures the landmark
in 5 Pointz, Loading Dock, in which nearly
every surface is covered in graffiti murals.
“I think the first time I saw 5 Pointz was from
the window of the 7 train. I was awestruck
by this seemingly living three-dimensional
canvas that appeared to rise up amidst the
factory buildings in [Long Island City],” he
says. “The entire building seemed to vibrate
with its electric spectrum of color, rhythmic
patterns and shapes. I just had to paint it.”
Tun Myaing paints a 5 Pointz interior
in The Metal Dome in the Boiler Room at
5 Pointz, Queens. “I used to work in the 5
Pointz building before it got torn down…
The building was mostly known for being
the graffiti mecca of New York since the
exterior was covered by beautiful murals
from various local and international graffiti
artists. Inside were artists and their studios
in varying levels of their art careers,” she
says, adding that her and a friend found
a way into the depths of the building.
“We descended into darkness breathing
in the thick moldy air while trying to not
to get stabbed or step on sharp objects
that were jutting out all around us. After
passing through the gauntlet of abandoned
paraphernalia it opened up to a huge,
cavernous room that housed the oldest
boilers I’ve ever seen. It was an amazing
experience and I knew right then what
I would be painting for the next two years.”
Valeri Larko focuses on a street scene
in the Bronx with her Train Trestle, E. 133rd
Street. “What attracted me to the train
trestle was the way the light hit the trestle
along with the combination of graffiti and
weeds/foliage that are filling in the gaps
1
Todd Gordon, 5 Pointz,
Loading Dock, Queens, oil
on canvas, 29 x 59"
2
Derek Buckner,
Gowanus Canal, Ninth
Street Bridge, oil on linen,
44 x 60"
3
Laura Shechter, D’Art
III, View from Manhattan
Bridge, oil on canvas,
35 x 30"
4
Valeri Larko, Train
Trestle, E. 133rd Street,
Bronx, oil on linen,
32 x 52"
1

along the structure,” she says. “I added my
car to give a sense of scale. When I need a
car in a scene and it is feasible, I will often
use my car because I can repeatedly park
it in the same spot.”
Other works in the show include Pamela
Talese’s McCarren Pool, Brooklyn, which
shows an abandoned pool with a large
“Ink Head” graffiti tag on the front façade,
and John Wellington’s Air Raid Over
3 4
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which shows an
fictional attack over New York “inspired by
the fragility of empires.” Wellington says
the city has and likely always will call to
artists of all mediums. “New York beckons
artists from all over the world, not just for
visual reasons, but for the exchange of
ideas,” he says. “New York is usually not
considered a beautiful city when compared
to Rome, Barcelona or Paris. New York has
2
been during my life dangerous, filthy and
expensive. However, there is beauty that can
be found in the decay of a building’s walls,
covered with layers of posters and graffiti,
and even in the litter that settles into the
PR E V I E W
crack of a sidewalk. Those painters that find
New York their muse, are often not painting
the newest condominium to pop up on 57th
Street. They are painting and finding their
115
beauty in the darker sides of this city.”

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / CULVER CITY, CA
January 10-14, 2018
Realism returns
A rcadia Contemporary owner Steve Diamant
wanted to make splash with his booth at the LA
Art Show. He found an answer by pluralizing “booth”
to “booths”—Arcadia has eight in a row. The space,
large enough to curate a comprehensive exhibition of
paintings, will show guests that realism is alive and
well in the contemporary art scene.
“Realism is certainly an outlier at the show, which has
a great deal of work that is a little bit more contemporary
and decorative, and even more pop oriented. It’s work
that has a lot of wall power. It gets people to say ooh
and ahh, but then they move on and don’t think about
it again,” Diamant says. “We’re really going to focus on
quality, and I think people will recognize that as they
walk around amid the wide array of different kinds of
works. Our work will stand out, and I think it’s going to
get a great response. If I didn’t think it would get a great
116 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
Arcadia Contemporary
9428 Washington Boulevard | Culver City, CA 90232
(424) 603-4656 | www.arcadiacontemporary.com
1 2
response we wouldn’t have done eight booths.” 1
Shaun Downey, The
Diamant says visitors and collectors who come to Round Mirror, oil on
the fair are more casual collectors, but it also varies panel, 48 x 36"
greatly, from first-time young collectors to older
more veteran collectors who are known among art 2
Nick Alm, Down the
circles. Additionally, the show also tends to bring Stairs, oil on canvas,
out celebrities, some of whom purchase at Arcadia, 39 x 25"
though Diamant is quick to point out his collectors
don’t fit a mold. “We’ll get celebrities, but we’ll also get 3
Artem Rogowoi, The Veil
young people who have to pay for their first piece in
of Autumn, oil on canvas,
payments,” he says. “It’s across the board.” 47 x 37"
For this year’s LA Art Show, which runs from January
10 to 14 at the Los Angeles Convention Center,
Arcadia will be presenting a mixture of works from
established and up-and-coming gallery artists. One
of the newer artists is Artem Rogowoi, a Ukrainian
artist whose works will be debuting at the fair. “His

work is really amazing, and his talent is
amazing,” Diamant says. “We’re excited to
be premiering his work here at this show.”
Shaun Downey is another fresh artist
making his debut. He will be bringing
The Round Mirror, a classic image that’s
a throwback to another time. “He has
brilliant, brilliant technique with these
very cinematic damsels in distress, and
this wonderful 1940s and 1950s Hollywood
vibe,” the gallery owner says. “They’re
very much like movies, which is why I use
the word cinematic. And his works are
flawlessly executed.”
Other artists showing work at the booth
are Nick Alm, who will be bringing Down
the Stairs, showing a female figure walking
past a rose bush; Daniel Bilmes, whose
3
monochromatic Oracle shows a figure
rendered in stunning detail behind a single
branch of leaves; and Aron Wiesenfeld,
who will bring The Last Stop, which shows
PR E V I E W
a girl in an abandoned car on the beach.
Additional artists include Matthew Cornell,
Stephen Fox, Adam Vinson and Patrick
Kramer. For more information about the
117
LA Art Show visit www.laartshow.com.

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / SCOTTSDALE & TUCSON, AZ
January 4-31, 2018
1 2
Two trios
T his January, Arizona-based Wilde
Meyer Gallery will host two three-
artist exhibitions: Interpretations of Place
and Time in Tucson and Modern Classics
at its Scottsdale location on Marshall Way.
The shows will highlight both realistic and
abstract artwork, showing the breadth and
depth of its roster of artists.
Interpretations of Place and Time will
happen January 7 to 31, with a reception on
January 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. On display will
be artwork by Ryan Hale, Andrea Peterson
and Albert Scharf.
When creating a new piece, Hale tends
to think about “the interaction between
humans and nature, both in a single
moment and over a span of time.” In The
City Awakens, Hale paints an abstract
landscape that has a glimmer of human
118 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
Wilde Meyer Gallery
4142 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 | 2890 E. Skyline Drive #170, Tucson, AZ 85718
(480) 945-2323 | (520) 615-5222 | www.wildemeyer.com
existence. “In this painting, the space is
divided like a horizon line, with the earth
tones of the lower section representing
the division and buildup of land, and the
blurred movement of human activity upon
it,” says Hale. “To me, the upper section is
a fiery sunrise sky, that point in time when
the blazing light calls upon everything
below to come in to being.”
Scharf ’s painting Landscape #802
was also inspired by the landscape, in
particular an “impressive morning sky
with golden energy filling the world for
a new day,” he says. “The warm palette
highlights use the wonderful orange and
reds that give both vibrant energy and a
positive attitude for the coming future.
Red being the color of hot energy and
the yellow-oranges bringing positive
vibes and a secure, happy outlook.”
Always drawn toward figures, Peterson
has found ballerinas to be a natural muse.
In Trio her goal was to capture a scene
as well as a moment in time. “Letting
[ballerinas] come to life in my latest
prism paintings allows these figures to be
captured on canvas while still allowing for
movement and a glimmer of emotion to
come through,” she says.
Artists Jeff Cochran, Peggy McGivern
and Debora Stewart will be featured in
Modern Classics, which will take place
January 4 to 27 with a reception January
25 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Cochran’s landscape paintings—done
in a variety of styles—will be featured
in the show, such as Mountain View and
Ray of Light in the Pasture. According to
3 4 5

the gallery, some of the artist’s works are
“created with swathes of thick paint, some
have an Old World feel or, in others, Jeff
depicts trees sitting on gold leaf horizons.”
McGivern is represented in the show by
both figurative and landscape works, such
as Indian Paintbrush. When she began her
career, McGivern was an abstract artist
but then in the ’90s moved toward a more
traditional style, before settling back into
her unique blend of abstracted narrative.
Turquoise Rhapsody is one of the
paintings by Stewart in the show. The piece
“is an intuitive and expressive painting with
colors that represent earth, sky and water,”
says the artist. “My painting expresses the
inspiration I receive from my experience in
the desert Southwest.”

1
Andrea Peterson,
Trio, oil on canvas,
60 x 30"

2
Ryan Hale, The City
Awakens, acrylic on
canvas, 60 x 72"

3
Peggy McGivern,
Indian Paintbrush,
oil on canvas,
21½ x 21½"

4
Albert Scharf,
Landscape #802, oil
on canvas, 54 x 42"

5
Debora Stewart,
Turquoise Rhapsody,
acrylic on canvas,
58 x 49"

6
Jeff Cochran,
Mountain View, oil
on canvas, 38 x 40"
PR E V I E W
119

6

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST MAGAZINE AWARD WINNER
Innovative Improvisation
Mitch Gyson’s contemporary paintings are highlighted by looseness and spontaneity.
W hen Mitch Gyson was an aspiring
artist, illustrators such as Maxfield
Parrish and Norman Rockwell influenced
him, and he originally wanted to follow in
their footsteps. However, after graduating
from school and looking for work, he found,
“I really didn’t have the temperament
to be confined to the time limitations or
stylistic preferences of an art director, so
I just started creating my own universe of
imagined and observed things.”
In his contemporary artwork, Gyson likes
to mix it up by finding new ways to innovate
120 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
on his canvases. He says, “I’ll often play with
materials or I’ll play with content in an effort
to see what I can provoke. My paintings are
rarely a singular event. Often times my ‘starts’
get archived to be revisited at a later date.”
As Gyson works in the fast-drying
medium of acrylic, looseness and
spontaneity are two key elements in his
paintings. “I place a high priority on
improvisation and keeping an open mind
as a piece develops. The interplay of color,
pattern and texture play key roles in the
overall design. The paint has a powerful
1
MITCH GYSON
Brooklyn, NY | (917) 862-6369
mitchgyson@nyc.rr.com | www.gysonart.com
vocabulary of its own; my role is to put it
in motion, let it dry and then respond,” he
says. “I do not think about style. I do think
about form.”
Often, his application of paint is a stream
of consciousness, but his mind is engaged
in what he calls “a good-natured battle with
the causes and effects of any given color
or technique used.” Some of the pieces
are assembled from multiple parts, while
others are cropped and added to different
sections of his works.
Gyson’s artwork is often done in series,
such as BioBots on Parade that includes
his piece We’ll Have ’em Singing from the
Rafters. He says this particular work is
“at the heart of the series” and contains
a “rhythmic structural design element in
which vague organism-like shapes float
throughout the composition. I use the
levity of the title to offset our impending
War of the Worlds anxiety with the advent
of such things as security drones and
robotic warfare.”
Others in the series include Proud Sprout,
where he used a single-color textured
background on which the “figuratively
suggestive black-and-white plant-based
form can exist in stark contrast.” He further
notes, “This separately created form, which
feels equal parts plant and Transformer, is
a combination of poured and swirled paint
along with leaf-like shapes that have been
collaged.”
In other paintings, Gyson works directly
from life—particularly with pieces that
are based on the figure such as Albena on
Fire and Jackie Standing 1. Gyson says,
“Working from life has
1 been an invaluable exercise
Mitch Gyson
works on 70
in sharpening my eye to the
Reasons Why. essentials of good design
and eye-hand coordination.
2 For me, this is a very
Jackie
Standing 1,
intuitive process in which
acrylic, the quick-drying results
171/8 x 133/8” become a testing ground for
IN TE RN ATIO N AL AR TIST MAG AZ IN E AWARD W IN N E R 121

2
 3 4

3
Proud Sprout, acrylic,
19¾ x 18½"

4
We’ll Home ‘em Singing
from the Rafters, acrylic,
15¾ x 12½". This painting
received the Grand Prize
in Internatioanl Artist’s
Challenge No. 102,
Abstract/Experimental
Art in the December
2017/January 2018 issue.

5
Spider Beetle from Mars,
acrylic, 11½ x 15¼"

6
Albena on Fire, acrylic,
16¼ x 14¼"

122 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com


each successive piece.”
With Jackie Standing 1, the “long,
lithe body lends itself to this wonderful
standing pose,” Gyson explains. He adds
that “Finding the right shape and the right
angle with a single stroke is a definite way
to keep you focused on the essentials.”
Gyson also paints works based on nature
in his The Nature of Things series, which
includes paintings that evoke the seaside
and vast landscapes. Breezing Up borrows
its title from Winslow Homer and recalls
“the power he conveyed with his depictions
of rocky coastlines,” says Gyson. He also
used a combination of two sections of
acrylic—one that reads like “color-filled
clouds of cotton candy” and another that
contains “hard edges and broad strokes.”
IN TE RN ATIO N AL AR TIST MAG AZ IN E AWARD W IN N E R
With his landscape pieces, Gyson uses
“individual segments of paint of a distinct
character to add visual interest and height
tension, and to suggest distance and
specific forms.”
Gyson was the Grand Prize winner of
International Artist magazine’s Challenge
123
No. 102, Abstract/Experimental Art.
 SUSAN MCLENNAN
INTERNATIONAL ARTIST MAGAZINE AWARD WINNER
Victoria, BC | sueznmclennanartist@gmail.com | www.suezn.com

Inner Meanings
Susan McLennan explores the relationship between physical
and mental health in her abstract paintings.

T he abstract paintings of Canadian

artist Susan McLennan are colorful
and layered, using her materials and
artistic vision to the fullest. She describes
her paintings as “bold, audacious and rich,”
with the density of materials—primarily
acrylic and resin—creating “visceral effects
of shifting light and color as it reflects
through indeterminate forms.”
McLennan says the texture of the pieces
have a “Trompe l’Oeil effect” that originates
from “the shadows and positioning of the
layers of glossy resin,” while metallic hues
“peek from beneath the surface between
organic shapes with delicate edges.” Take
for instance her painting Determination,
which presents a commanding pink mass
surrounded by complementary tones.
“I allowed each horizontal layer of paint
to dry before adding the next layer,” she
says of the piece. “The edges reflect the
light in a very unusual way, which reveals
a dramatic shift of color as you move from
one side of the painting to the other.”
In another work, Rhythmn, “industrial
metallic reflections enhance the softness
and fluidity of the organic shapes.” Then
there is Dallas Road, which was inspired by
a scene view the artist saw while running to
a house at the end of an incline. She says of
the painting, “The vertical rectangle on the
right side has been painted with an oil paint,
which resonates beside the shiny resin.”
In addition to the importance of
materials, the underlying theme of
McLennan’s artwork is the relationship
between physical and mental health. Many
works are done in series, including her
newest: Metabolic Burn, which is also the
name of one of her pieces that was inspired
by “the internal heat or burn that is felt
after I finish a high-intensity workout.”
Another painting in the grouping, TC10K,
came about after she ran her first race of
the season, Times Colonist 10K in Victoria.
“Anxiety and stress influence our
decisions and behavior,” says McLennan.
“Physical activity is a powerful tool that can

1
Dallas Road, resin
and oil, 36 x 48"

2
Determination,
acrylic and resin,
40 x 60"

3
Rhythmn, acrylic
and resin, 36 x 24"

4
TC10K, resin and
oil, 36 x 24". This
painting received
Second Prize
in International
Artist magazine’s
Challenge No.
102, Abstract/
Experimental Art.

5
Metabolic Burn,
acrylic and resin,
48 x 36"

124 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com


3 4
decrease our stress to improve our quality of
life. How do you describe phases of physical
exertion over a period of time? Heart rates
and muscle strength can be quantified, but
how do you describe your experience as your
perform? I felt sheer strength, butterflies,
an endorphin rush, competitive desire,
metabolic burn and accomplishment as
I ran the TC10K. I hope to visually express
this experience to others.”
McLennan is represented by Aldo Castillo
Gallery in Estero, Florida; Art Gallery of
2
IN TE RN ATIO N AL AR TIST MAG AZ IN E AWARD W IN N E R
5
Greater Victoria in Canada; and Saatchi Art.
She will exhibit at Art! Vancouver in 2018.
McLennan is the Second Prize Winner of
International Artist magazine’s Challenge
125
No. 102, Abstract/Experimental Art.
 A R T I S T F O C U S

Dennis
Heckler
D ennis Heckler has always been a traveler
and explorer. He has walked city blocks
and country roads, gone into the woods, crossed
rivers and hiked mountains looking for scenes
that inspire. “It is all about capturing that initial
impact on canvas,” he states.
Over the past three years Heckler’s paintings
have not gone unnoticed and are getting a closer
look. His work has been included in the 2015 Oil
Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition,
the 2016 National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society
International Juried Salon and, most recently,
the 2017 National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society
Best of America exhibit.
Heckler’s painting process is rather
straightforward whether painting in the studio
or on location. It is all about the inspiration
of the setting, capturing the light and drama
of the scene. He paints with a palette knife in
multiple layers of wet over dry oils on canvas-
mounted panels. This enables him to build
texture and radiant color, allowing previous
layers to show while capturing the moment in an
impressionistic style.
“Modern life can make us unaware of, even
numb to, our surroundings, but spending just a
moment with a painting has the power to open
up new horizons,” Heckler says. “As a landscape
artist, I am inspired to paint scenes with which
I have an emotional or visual connection.
Through dramatic light and shadow, vibrant
color, unique perspective or interpretation of
image, I hope people viewing my work will
pause—if only for a moment—and find their own
connection in a painting.”

Want to See More?

(662) 998-5891
www.dennishecklerpaintings.com
Represented by River Gallery
400 E. Second Street | Chattanooga, TN 37403
(800) 374-2923 | www.river-gallery.com

@dennishecklerart

Top: Afterglow, oil on canvas panel, 18 x 24"

Middle: Night Light, oil on canvas panel, 18 x 24"

Left: Pasture in Sunlight, oil on canvas panel, 12 x 16"

126 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com


Karen Murphy
A rtist Karen Murphy has been
painting for as long as she can
remember and was most influenced by
American tonalist painters of the 19th
century. “I was a young teenager when
I saw my first George Inness, and it was
unlike any other painting I had seen
before,” she says. “I had an immediate
emotional reaction to the piece and knew
I wanted to paint in a similar style.”
Primarily a landscape painter, Murphy
has always had a strong connection to
nature. She currently lives in Rhode
Island and frequents the beaches and
salt marshes where inspiration is all
around. “With every painting my intent
is to capture the feeling and mood of
A R T I S T F O C U S
Clockwise from left:
Wandering Marsh,
oil on canvas, 24 x 48"
Quiet Evening, oil on
canvas, 30 x 40"
Marsh Morning, oil on
canvas, 36 x 48"
these places and not to create an exact
rendering of a location,” she says. “I favor
the transitional times of day. But I am
Murphy is represented by Adore in
Mystic, Connecticut, and in Rhode Island
by Kristen Coates in Newport and the Mint
also influenced by the calm before an Gallery in Bristol. She is also represented
approaching storm, or strong sunlight with by Fuller Gallery in Jamestown, Rhode
burnt out forms and long dark shadows.” Island, where she will participate in an
Her oil paintings have muted colors, exhibition opening February 1.
soft contours and an overall tone that
evokes a quiet, contemplative feeling.
She wants the viewer to walk through
AR TI ST FOC U S
the scene as they would in nature, always
Want to See More?
(508) 631-1994
discovering something new. karen@karenmurpyfineart.com
“Becoming the oil painter I am today www.karenmurphyfineart.com
has been a lifelong journey, with every new
discovery building upon those before it,” /karenmurphyfineart
Murphy says. “I look forward to making new
127
discoveries every day I enter the studio.” @karenamurphy
INDEX

LOOK FOR VIDEOS

IN THIS ISSUE
ARTISTS IN THIS ISSUE
Adams, Victoria 94 Fryer, Douglas 100 McLennan, Susan 124 Shechter, Laura 114

Alm, Nick 116 Gordon, Todd 114 Murphy, Karen 127 Shevlino, David 108

Anderson, Erin 96 Gyson, Mitch 120 Negron, Reuben 110 Shimizu, Chie 112

Aukon, Larisa 106 Hale, Ryan 116 Oriti, Frank 52 Simmons, Kerry 110

Baseman, Gary 38 Heathcote, Peregrine 104 Pavlenko, Gelena 102 South, Tony 34

Becker-Black, Alexandra 110 Heckler, Dennis 126 Peterson, Andrea 116 Stein, Adrienne 34, 40

Buckner, Derek 114 Kiefer, Anselm 26 Pindell, Howardena 26 Stewart, Debora 116

Burk, Christopher 98 Kaneko, Jun 36 Rogowoi, Artem 116 Tiessen, Josh 34

Butterfield, Deborah 26 Kowalski, Jason 92 Salaz, Camie 112 Turner, Ray 48

Close, Chuck 28 Kreyn, Maria 112 Sandelands-Strom, Jackee 52 Wiesenfeld, Aron 34

Cochran, Jeff 116 Lane, Holly 56 Santos, Cesar 34 Wilson, Pamela 52

Coyle, Stephen 108 Larko, Valeri 114 Scharf, Albert 116 Woods, Karen 108

Downey, Shaun 116 McGivern, Peggy 116 Schultz, Suzy 110 Zener, Eric 108

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE

Arcadia Contemporary / Culver City, CA Cover 2, 1 Gedion Nyanhongo Sculptures / Phoenix, AZ 88 Rhymer, Paul / Point of Rocks, MD 89
Arizona Fine Art EXPO / Scottsdale, AZ 90 Gowen, Greg / Albuquerque, NM 89 RJD Gallery / Bridgehampton, NY 2-3
Artlink, Inc. / Phoenix, AZ 21 Griggs, Jan / Scottsdale, AZ 88
Rosner, Heidi / Scottsdale, AZ 12
Balmert, Nancy / Seabrook, TX 63 J. Willott Gallery / Palm Desert, CA 9
Ruddy, Sally / Waterford, CA 63
Barbee, Diane F. / Bluffdale, UT 88 Johnson, Priscilla Nelson / Scottsdale, AZ 69
Sangita Phadke Fine Art / Colts Neck, NJ 6
Berg, Katrina / Midway, UT 65 Karaus, MaryBeth / Cincinnati, OH 41
Scottsdale Gallery Association / Scottsdale, AZ 90
Bonner David Galleries / Scottsdale, AZ 7 Karen Cahill Fine Art / Mendocino, CA 67
Celebration of Fine Art / Scottsdale, AZ 19 Kenyon, Liz / Phoenix, AZ 69 Sheets, Michael / Toledo, OH 65

Chapin, Jane / St. Petersburg, FL 18 La Quinta Arts Festival / La Quinta, CA 20 Sirona Fine Art / Hallandale Beach, FL Cover 4

Coffee, Elaine G. / Cave Creek, AZ 88 Laizure, Nichole / Scottsdale, AZ 12 Southeastern Wildlife Exposition / Charleston, SC 16
Cottrell, Sheila / Tucson, AZ 41 Lotton Gallery / Chicago, IL 5 Stevenson, Mac / Ogden, UT 90
Cowboy Artists of America / Clifton, TX 16 Louis, J / Chicago, IL 23
Suzanne Aulds Studio / Hilton Head Island, SC 31
Evelyn Dunphy Studio / West Bath, ME 27 Mendez, Yvonne / Santa Fe, NM 25
Telegraph Hill Gallery / San Francisco, CA 332
Faulkner, Gail / Ventura, CA 67 Moffitt, John C. / Santa Clarita, CA 67
Thunderbird Artists / Carefree, AZ 90
FOG Design + Art / San Francisco, CA 22 Paul Scott Gallery / Scottsdale, AZ 13
ULINE / Pleasant Prairie, WI 69
Foulger, Graydon / Murray, UT 29 Pettigrew, Martha / Kearney, NE 10
Fracchia, Barbara / Kensington, CA 32 Portrait Society of America / Tallahassee, FL 20 Wilde Meyer Gallery / Tucson, AZ 17

Gallery of Amazing Things, The / Dania Beach, FL 91 Quidley & Company Fine Art / Boston, MA Cover 3 Winfield Gallery / Carmel, CA 11

128 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

 Gary
Gary
Eric
Eric
Ruddell,
Ruddell,
Zener,
Zener,
Colin
Colin
Karen
Karen
Berry,
Berry,
Woods
Woods
WET
group
group exhibition
exhibition
opens
opens January
January24th
24th
Naples
Naples gallery
gallery

Quidley Company
Quidley Company
Fine Art
&& Fine Art
Boston • 38 Newbury Street • 617.450.4300
Boston • 38 Newbury Street • 617.450.4300
Nantucket • 26 Main Street • 508.228.4300
Nantucket • 26 Main Street • 508.228.4300
Naples • 375 Broad Ave South • 239.261.4300
Naples • 375 Broad Ave South • 239.261.4300
Westport • 12 Wilton Road • 203.226.3304
Westport • 12 Wilton Road • 203.226.3304
QuidleyAndCo.com
QuidleyAndCo.com
 ERIN ANDERSON
Sirona Fine Art

ERIN ANDERSON

The PhD Chemist, Oil on Copper

sironafinear t.com South F lorida 954.454.9494 info@sironafinear t.com