#ArtLitPhx

Unintended Consequences: Artistic Collaboration between Three Past Contributors

Artists Carolyn Lavender, Monica Aissa Martinez, and Mary Shindell, known for their previous exhibit Creature-Man-Nature at Mesa Art Center, have come together for a project titled Unintended Consequences to be showcased at Center Space at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. The project tells the story of life in Arizona through a combination of biology, botany, and zoology, all expressed in paintings done by the three artists.

Registration and directions can be found by visiting the Center Space’s website here. Their project’s opening ceremony is on Friday, February 17th from 7:00PM to 8:00PM Arizona time. Tickets are free. Beyond the opening ceremony, the group’s paintings can be viewed at the Center Space from February 17th through May 28th.

Carolyn Lavender and Monica Aissa Martinez’s drawings were featured in issue 9. Mary Shindell’s artwork appeared in issue 11. Learn more about them and their works: Carolyn Lavender’s website, Monica Aissa Martinez’s website, and Mary Shindell’s website.

#ArtLitPhx: Barbara Kemp Cowlin Debuts New Work “Upstairs & Around the Corner” in Scottsdale

#ArtLitPhx
(Acrylic painting on panel 10×10)

Date: July 12

Event Description:

The Balcony Gallery at London Gold presents the solo exhibition of Barbara Kemp Cowlin, Upstairs & Around the Corner. Kemp Cowlin’s new exhibition showcases a vibrant and dynamic selection of acrylic paintings of stunning original imagery from her “Askew Series”. Her current work offers viewers a quirky interpretation of architectural details from a skewed perspective. The “Askew series” features abstract paintings inspired by architectural details reduced down to essential shapes from emphasizing ambiguous perspective, pattern and simultaneous contrast in colors.

“In these paintings I explore the relationship between abstraction and representation, creating tensions between the pictorial and actual space,” states Kemp Cowlin. Who goes on to say “I manipulate the colors until they spark off each other and become luminous.” Evident throughout each series of work the artist seeks to capture the light, shadows, reflections, movement, as well as all things ephemeral. Her paintings showcase rich surfaces of texture and layers that create depth and complexity within each work. Kemp Cowlin’s works on multiple paintings at a time, allowing her to keep her work fluid and energetic as she moves back and forth among paintings an the artist relishes the “happy accident” which she says is an integral to her art making process.

Barbara Kemp Cowlin was born in Georgia and has lived around the United States as well as abroad in Germany and Australia. She has spent most of her adult life in the southwestern United States. She earned her Bachelors of Fine Art in Printmaking and a Masters of Art degree in Community College Education with a minor in Printmaking from Northern Arizona University. She completed her post-graduate work at Arizona State University in Letterpress Printing and Bookmaking and she is a certified Golden Artist Educator. She currently resides and works in Oracle, Arizona painting in her studio and teaching workshops around the Southwest.

She has exhibited her work both locally & internationally in solo exhibitions at such prestigious venues as Powell Museum in Page; Rancho Linda Vista Gallery, Oracle; Yuma Art Center in Yuma; Agua Caliente Ranch Park Gallery in Tucson; Willo North Gallery in Phoenix; and the @ Central Gallery, Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix and the Blue Dome Gallery in Silver City, New Mexico. From 2015-2017 her paintings were shown at Aqua Art, Art Basel, Miami, in the Projects Gallery Square Foot Exhibition and “The Art in Embassies Program” exhibited her work at the Bolivian Embassy.

Kemp Cowlin’s work can be found in art collections throughout the United States and Canada, including the City of Phoenix Arts Collection; the University of Arizona Special Collections; Providence Medical Center in Everett, Washington; Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio; First Bancorp Headquarters in Troy, North Carolina; Baylor University Medical Center, Houston, Texas; Edison & Sprinkles Architecture & Design, Vancouver, British Columbia; Grafix, Maple Heights, Ohio.

Join the artist for a special reception being held Thursday, July 12, 2018 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm with an artist talk by Barbara Kemp Cowlin at 5:15pm. Kemp Cowlin’s solo exhibition Upstairs & Around the Corner will be on display through August 27th at the Balcony at London Gold (the newly renovated London Gold Showroom) located on the second level. The Balcony at London Gold is located at 10441 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 85253. The exhibition may be viewed at London Gold during regular business hours: Monday 10:00am to 7:00pmTuesday-Friday 10:00am to 6:00pm, Saturday 10:30 to 5:00pm, Closed Sunday. For more information about the exhibition or artist visitbarbarakempcowlin.com or contact the artist by email at barbara@barbaracowlin.com.

#ArtLitPhx: “It’s Nature’s Way” Exhibition at Royse Contemporary

It's Nature's WayRoyse Contemporary is so excited to present “It’s Nature’s Way,” the solo exhibition of mixed-media artist Constance McBride, opening on Thursday, December 7. The exhibit will showcase McBride’s “impressive body of work highlighting the artist’s interest in the cycle of life, the human form and the natural world.”

McBride reveals that her work is “inspired by living really close to the desert; it’s an ever present influence on me. I’m intrigued by all the diverse vegetation – bits and pieces of debris are picked up and saved in my studio.” She comments that “the desert is continually expanding, contracting, and redefining itself; so are we, it’s a shared pursuit of survival.”

The opening reception will be from 5pm to 10pm on December 7, but the exhibit will be on display until December 30. It is at the Royse Contemporary Gallery, which you can find at 7077 E. Main Street, Suite 6, Scottsdale, AZ 85251.

The opening will be a part of the Scottsdale ArtWalk in Old Town Scottsdale. Nicole Royse, the owner and curator, will give a brief talk about the artist and work featured in the exhibition; guests will also have the chance to meet the artist. For more information about the exhibition, check out the official press release or visit Royse Contemporary’s website.

#ArtLitPhx: “Expression & Dialogue” Exhibition at Royse Contemporary

Royse Expression and DialogueRoyse Contemporary is so excited to present “Expression & Dialogue,” the joint exhibition of Dan Pederson and Thuong Nguyen, opening on Thursday, November 9. The exhibit will showcase Pederson’s mixed media assemblages and Nguyen’s abstract paintings.

According to Nicole Royse, the exhibit “highlights a thought-provoking collection of work from these two talented artists that may appear aesthetically different, but have an undeniable connection and energy that unites their work. Through the raw and expressive work of Pederson combined with the powerful dialogue of Nguyen paintings, this unique pairing of artists is stimulating yet harmonious.”

The opening reception will be from 5pm to 10pm on November 9, but the exhibit will be on display until December 2. It is at the Royse Contemporary Gallery, which you can find at 7077 E. Main Street, Suite 6, Scottsdale, AZ 85251.

The opening will be a part of the Scottsdale ArtWalk in Old Town Scottsdale. Nicole Royse, the owner and curator, will give a brief talk about the artists and work featured in the exhibition; guests will also have the chance to meet the artists. For more information about the exhibition, check out the official press release or visit Royse Contemporary’s website.

#ArtLitPhx: “Sound of Color” Exhibition at Royse Contemporary

Sound of ColorRoyse Contemporary is so excited to present “The Sound of Color” by mixed-media artist Rafael Navarro, opening on Thursday, October 19. The exhibit will showcase art inspired by music (and musical instruments themselves) in a variety of mediums including painting, mixed-media, and sculpture.

Navarro shares, “I prefer to communicate visually, in a poetic manner, making similarities in the creation of life, music, and art.” Nicole Royse also reveals, “what I love most about Navarro’s work is his keen eye for details, the strong imagery he depicts and the stories each piece tells.”

The opening reception will be from 5pm to 10pm on October 19, but the exhibit will be on display until November 4. It is at the Royse Contemporary Gallery, which you can find at 7077 E. Main Street, Suite 6, Scottsdale, AZ 85251.

The opening will be a part of the Scottsdale ArtWalk in Old Town Scottsdale. Nicole Royse, the owner and curator, will give a brief talk about the artist and work featured in the exhibition; guests will also have the chance to meet the artist. For more information about the exhibition, check out the official press release or visit Royse Contemporary’s website.

#ArtLitPhx: Joint Exhibition of Bowers & Buck-Hutchison at Royse Contemporary

Buck Hutchison BowersRoyse Contemporary is so excited to present the joint exhibition of Arizona artists Alexandra Bowers and Cherie Buck-Hutchison, opening on Thursday, October 5. The exhibit will showcase Bowers’ intricate wood burnings of Sonoran desert flora and fauna and Buck-Hutchison’s digitally composited photography reflecting upon the southwest landscape.

The opening reception will be from 5pm to 10pm on October 5, but the exhibit will be on display until October 15. It is at the Royse Contemporary Gallery, which you can find at 7077 E. Main Street, Suite 6, Scottsdale, AZ 85251.

The opening will be a part of the Scottsdale ArtWalk in Old Town Scottsdale. Nicole Royse, the owner and curator, will give a brief talk about the artists and work featured in the exhibition; guests will also have the chance to meet the artists and enjoy refreshments. For more information about the exhibition, check out the official press release or visit Royse Contemporary’s website.

#ArtLitPhx: Film and Conversation presents Manifesto

On Thursday, August 24th, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art will be showing the new film, Manifesto. The movie stars Cate Blanchett in thirteen different roles, and is directed by acclaimed art director, Julia Rosefeldt. Tickets are $7 and available through the museum website. Click here for more information.

#ArtLitPhx: The Art Guys

On September 7th, the Scottsdale Art Museum will be hosting The Art Guys, a comedy duo that uses humor to demystify the art world. This lecture is a free event that starts at 7PM. Find out more information about the event here. And check out The Art Guys at their minimalistic website here.

Intern Update: Ofelia Montelongo

Congratulations to our former student editor-in-chief, Ofelia Montelongo who has become a regular writer for So Scottsdale magazine. Ofelia started writing monthly arts and culture articles in January. Her most recent feature focuses on the new Scottsdale art gallery, Desert Mountain Fine Art. You can read the article on page 60 of the newest issue here