Art Exhibits

Current Exhibit:

Artwork is located in Yoga “A” hallway, the Central hallways AND the hallway in the Massage wing. Pieces will be available for purchase.
Then & Now – Artist Vikki Reed
Artist Bio

After a career in medical management, Vikki began painting full time in 1989 and established herself as a watercolor artist specializing in desert landscapes and botanicals. In 2004 she was called back to mandala work (mandalas had been a natural part of her childhood expression). 2016 brought unprecedented changes, to life, medium (watercolor to acrylic), and style, (representational to contemporary).

Having always instinctively used color frequency in her work, Vikki became drawn to the concept of sound frequency healing in 2018, becoming certified in the Biofield Tuning Method. It was a natural progression which continues to evolve Vikki’s work on the canvas and beyond, ever yielding new ways to explore frequency and its universal role. A growing awareness that everything is energy brings an even deeper mystery to Vikki’s work as she delves into the power of art beyond the visual.

Vikki continues to paint a variety of subjects; favorites include the divine feminine, landscapes featuring paths, florals and animals.

Previous Exhibits:

Kathy Taylor
Students of Kathy Taylor
Finding Peace – the Healing Heart
Artist Statement
All of the artists exhibiting in this show study and create at Studio 6020, Center For Creative Development. Most have been painting for many years and a few are new to our program.

The theme for this exhibit is SERENITY. The artists have created with their unique voice, a “feel” of inner peace. Some artists use color to express this theme while others use symbolism. It is our hope that the viewer will also “feel” the sense of calm that this exhibit evokes.

Enjoy!

Kathy Taylor

Growing up in Southern California during the “60’s”, Kathy was exposed to endless change and a bohemian lifestyle. In the early 80’s she relocated to Phoenix, Arizona where she studied with numerous artists including Dick Phillips her greatest influence. As an intuitive artist, the content of her work is often ambiguous and rooted in a trust of that intuitiveness. In 2007 Kathy founded Studio 6020 where she nurtures budding artists and shares these concepts through her Creative Development courses.
Taylor exhibits in galleries throughout the United States and Europe. Her work is in numerous private and corporate collections including: Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler, AZ; AT&T, Phoenix, AZ; Campeau Corporation, Boston, MA; Juhl Marketing Inc., Scottsdale, AZ; Stroebe, Zine & Assoc., Portland, OR.

Peter Hogan
Artist Statement
African Portraits:
My favorite photographic subjects for many years have been what I call ‘environmental portraits.’ The photo below is a good example, and one of my favorites.

PHOTO

Photographs like this of people are hard to come up with, so I do not have many in my portfolio.

My wife, who loves cats of all types and sizes, strong-armed me into traveling to Africa last year, a lifelong dream of hers. There, I unexpectedly discovered that large animals are terrific subjects for photographs, taken more in the nature of portraits. The photographs on the walls here were all taken during three weeks in South Africa and Zambia.

I used a Sony cropped sensor camera with a Sony 70-300mm lens (~110-460mm with the cropped sensor). This camera system is small and light, making it perfect for travel. I’m happy to talk with anyone interested in the camera system or how these photographs were taken and processed. You can contact me at peter.hogan@cox.net.

I hope you enjoy these wildlife portraits.

Sue Altman
Artist Statement
Since I went to art school in the 60’s, I always consider myself an abstract expressionist, which means that I consider the process more important than the product. I don’t paint much anymore, but that identity is reflected in my quilting and jewelry as well.

My art making comes in spurts – I might make fabric and paper collages for a few weeks and then try a new type of jewelry. But I am always working on something – or several things.

After I started making art quilts, I saw a “call” for a new magazine, “Art Quilting Studio,” a Stampington publication. I submitted an entry and was amazed when it was published (they even paid me!). Since then, I have had artwork and articles published in about a dozen of their publications. I also teach art quilting and fabric transfer methods at local quilt shops. I love to make custom quilts and quilted books.

My website is www.bysue.com.

Kelly Sifferman
Artist Statement
For all of my professional life I have worked as a lawyer. I don’t regret my career in law, nor do I think I should have followed a different path. Nevertheless, I have felt I was missing something that was purely creative. Four years ago, I started taking art classes with Kathy Taylor at Studio 6020 and I realized that art fills that void. Art is my “Happy Place.”
As a native Phoenician I appreciate native homegrown businesses like Desert Song, and I have enjoyed their yoga classes for many years. I admire Desert Song for its support of the community at large and local artists specifically and am very honored to be one of those artists. Creating these paintings has been a joy. I hope that they might bring you a smile as well.

Kelly Sifferman
www.etsy.com/shop/FlyingPigsProduction

Sharon Stelluto
Sharon Stelluto is an artist based in Arizona, originally from the east coast. She spent her adolescent years in Charlotte, North Carolina with the opportunity to apprentice with professional figure painter, Andrew Braitman. She learned the subtleties of figure drawing and painting at a young age. After moving back to the Northeast for art school in New York, she still resided in New York for many years while helping to manage CoSM, an art retreat center in the Hudson Valley of New York, directed by visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey. There she studied under the guidance of many international artists including Alex and Allyson themselves. She created many art installations during her time there and developed as a live painter at the many events at the center.  Sharon has live painted and exhibited her work nationally, including a solo show in New York City and other locations around the U.S. She is also the partner in a local Phoenix based organization and podcast as well, called RISE Phoenix/Inner Monologue Podcast, based on mental health and mindfulness. With nearly 200 episodes recorded, she has created custom artworks for episodes based on the conversation and guest. She has a true passion for art and wellness, and has a healing practice in Old Town Scottsdale called Entelechy Visions.

Artist Statement

Through my work I capture the visual representations of the subtle energies of nature. Inspired by the natural world, the human form, botanical life, geological references and galactic imagery, I infuse my work with a sense of connection to all that is and one’s healing path. Each piece reflects a reverence for nature in its many forms. With a long time fascination of the floral form, I believe that the flower is the most beautiful form in nature. It is one of the only forms that holds such beauty, color and attraction combined specifically in order to populate itself and draw to it pollinators. With the flower’s sexual organs on display, it is one of the most sensual forms in nature and ultimately exuding pure creativity and potential. This fascination has propelled much of my work to align with that pure creation focus and potential of growth and expansion.

Being a long time student of yoga and a healing practitioner for over ten years, I blend my work with a connection to energy awareness, higher consciousness and the potential that lies within each individual as their truest self as a reflection of this potential and growth mirrored in nature.

Websites:
www.sharonstelluto.com 

www.entelechyvisions.com

Social Media:
Find Sharon’s artwork on Facebook@sharonstelluto
Instagram@sharonstellutoart

Entelechy Visions on Facebook@entelechyvisions
Instagram@entelechyvisions

RISE Phoenix on Facebook @rise/innermonologuepodcast
Instagram@innermonologuepodcast

Susan Alberts
Sometimes, it takes a major life event to snap a person out of their rut and get them moving in a direction more in line with their soul. That’s what happened to me in 2009. A few years prior, I had earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Multimedia and had hoped to find work using my digital artistry skills. Instead I spent several years teaching technology at the elementary level – a job that, while enjoyable, was not fulfilling. Then, in 2009, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and died shortly thereafter. To process the grief I spent several weeks at the ocean. I stood on the California shoreline contemplating the meaning of life when the sunset “spoke” to me of how “all is ok”. It was that huge moment – and my attempt to capture it – that led to my first large scale painting….of the sunset, of course. That 3’x4’ canvas painting hangs in my house today.

It was then that I began to focus on art full time. Since that time, I’ve continued to paint large and with broad brush strokes. I enjoy experimenting with everyday items and finding new ways to present them artistically. My current large-scale paintings are scenes from nature painted on wood panels, often with leftover house paint. The ocean and the sky are major influences to the way I make art and an inexplicable inner drive translates those influences to pieces that are both abstract and ethereal.

Reinventing everyday items also applies to wine corks. Like many other people, I had been saving wine corks and ended up with a very large collection. Wondering what I would do with this stockpile – creative genius struck! What if I created a life-size guitar? That guitar was the first in a continuing attempt to use wine corks in unexpected ways such as a three foot wine bottle and the female form.

One of my favorite parts of creating any art piece is figuring out how to resolve the problem of bringing it to life. It is the translation of a vision to the real world that keeps me motivated and creating.

Susan Alberts

www.facebook.com/susanlynnalberts
www.instagram.com/susanlynnalberts
www.susanlynnalberts.com

Jill Brownley

Jill Brownley is a visual artist and writer from Pittsburgh, Penn. While she has been painting for as long as she can remember, she considers her artistic creativity to be mostly self-taught, with formal training helping to refine and polish her creative passion. She creates one-of-a-kind acrylic and mixed-media paintings of all sizes on gallery-wrapped canvas, wood panels, reclaimed wood and cardboard. She credits her ideas and inspiration from everyday objects, as well as finds inspiration in street art, graffiti, old buildings and faded signs.

Brownley describes her style of artwork as “urban abstract”…incorporating layers and textures, while drawing on her background in graphic design and typography. While some of her artwork relies heavily on her graphic design background, others tend to be on the looser, messier side.

From a very early age, Brownley had a strong connection with Southern Folk Art and The Blues. She was inspired to create art from repurposed materials, whether it was pieces of wood strewn on the roadside, an old discarded window frame or tin panel relegated to a junk pile, or just some old cardboard box. She was a kid who had limited art supplies who had to make do with what was available, but saw it as a challenge to create art from discarded materials and leftover house paint.

“There’s something about a bygone era that I am drawn to and feel a connection with,” Brownley explains. “It’s like bringing an old idea or theme back to life with a renewed vibe. I love creating a textured, retro or vintage feel that incorporates typography. I strive to combine my offbeat style with my love for the unconventional to create something edgy and unique.”

While most of her current collection of paintings are on gallery-wrapped canvas or mixed-media wood panels, she still loves the edgy, raw charm of found materials and reclaimed wood that’s incorporated into her Blues series and the New Orleans folk art series. Additionally, cardboard remnants still make a strong appearance in her mail art.

Brownley added, “The urge to create art is irrepressible. I see ideas and inspirations every day, everywhere, in ordinary situations and in found objects. It’s that passion that drives me to create something beautiful, but a bit unconventional.”

Brownley earned her degree in visual communications and illustration from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communications and a Master’s degree in International Business from Point Park University in Pittsburgh.

Email: jillbrownley@gmail.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jillbrownleyartist
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/JillBrownleyArtist

Charlotte Fischer:Sonoran Desert Oil Landscapes

By keenly observing her environment Charlotte Fischer grasped early on, that imagination, harnessed with a clear purpose and determination, leads to profound levels of creativity and beauty.

Fischer chose art as a career path (1979 – 1982 New England School of Art & Design, Boston, Massachusetts – graphic design/book design). Her expansive and rewarding endeavors in graphic design were followed by an immersion into the world of oil painting (2004 – 2014 River Gallery School, Brattleboro, Vermont). Here she was able to develop a technique combining oil paint and a cold wax medium which she currently utilizes and experiments with to portray the many intricacies of the Sonoran Desert landscape.

The artist has resided in Phoenix since 2014. She is a member of the Arizona Artist Guild. She also enjoys working artistically with a veterans group which meets at AAG once a month.

Prints of the artist’s artwork are available upon request. You can find the order form and her business card at the front desk.

Gina Santi:Mandalas for Peace Photography

Gina Santi is a freelance photographer, born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She graduated in Industrial Relations from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Caracas. She studied photography at the Universidad Santa María, Caracas. She obtained her MBA from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and continued her photography training at the Washington, D.C. School of Photography. She earned her Education degree and her M.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Northern Arizona University. She teaches Spanish and Anthropology at the university level, and in her capacity as an educator and administrator she has worked, lived in, and traveled in many countries.

Gina has held many award-winning solo and collective exhibits in the United States and abroad. She is an associate photographer at the prestigious Phoenix-based organization TEOE – Through Each Other’s Eyes, an active member of the American Society for Visual Anthropology, the American Anthropological Association, and INFOCUS, the photography branch of the Phoenix Art Museum.

For more information and to see her entire photo gallery, please visit this link. If you need to contact her with questions or for special projects and assignments, please email her at Gina@GinaSantiPhotography.com

Cynthia Ganem

A versatile artist, Cynthia Ganem works in oil, acrylic and watercolor. She finds that painting suits her personality – spontaneous, colorful, unpredictable, “I have had a love for art ever since I could hold a pencil. Working with a variety of subjects, I find strong light, shadow and color inspire me to paint in what I describe as ‘stylized realism.’ My paintings grab the viewer’s attention and brings them into the excitement of the moment captured.”

She has studied at Phoenix and Glendale Community Colleges, Arizona State University and with many well-known local artists.

In 1985, Cynthia opened a teaching studio/gallery where she and other prominent local artists share their knowledge and skill in classes and workshops. She has been teaching watercolor, oil and acrylic for 32 years now. Cynthia is a very sought after instructor conducting workshops throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and Africa.

Her award-winning work has been in many exhibitions throughout the Southwest. Corporate collectors include First Interstate Bank, Marriott Hotels and Shea Homes. Cynthia is a juried life member of the Arizona Artists Guild and the Arizona Watercolor Association.

Sonja Kautzman

Artist Sonja Kautzman, is an author, photographer, painter, sculptor, and metal worker. The many facets of this artist tell you that she has been using her creative talents to explore her creative curiosity. Her work has been showcased in Europe, New York, California and Arizona. She also offers workshops in showing others how to explore their curious souls and feed them with creativity.

Sonja’s philosophy isn’t that we all are artists, but that we have something in our souls
that wants to create light from dark, or bring the dark into the open. You will see in
much of her artwork, and photo’s that she doesn’t see something that was, but the new
life that is beginning at that moment.

Locally, she was the first artist to hold an exhibition on Iphoneography, in 2013, at First
Studio Gallery, in Phoenix. The show was a resounding success and led to many other
photographers and artists to explore this type of art. She captures that idea in her book
“Creative Path, Creative Soul, available through Amazon.

Published in 2012, Creative Path, Creative Soul, which was internationally successful for
it’s insights into the creative outlets that can be pursued to keep your soul “fit and
healthy”. Sonja continues to grow her artistic outlets and pursues multi-media type
options. Each piece has been created through courage, love and curiosity, to share with
you.

You can contact her and see more of her work and upcoming events at:
curioussouls7@gmail.com

Judith Faitsch
Birds, bees & flowers in the Sonoran Desert

Our artist truly enjoys working in watercolor and mixed media, specializing in plants, birds & insects. Judy has exhibited in regional, national and invitational shows, garnering Best of Show multiple times at Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. Whether working in close focus, or merging realism with abstraction, she loves bringing attention to the myriad of detail existing in our daily natural world.

Judy Faitsch is a signature member of Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild and American Society of Botanical Artists. she studied at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia & Bryn Mawr Art Center, graduating from Pennsylvania School of Horticulture in Landscape Design.

Betty Peterson
Betty Peterson attended Kachina School of Art in the early 1970’s and later worked at the school for director Jay DatusBetty has attended many workshops at Scottsdale Artists School.She loves to paint people doing interesting things and loves the use of color. Betty is Vice President of Phoenix Artists Guild and a member of Arizona Art Alliance.Betty paints under the name of “Bozenka” the name on her Slovak birth certificate.

Jules Gissler
Jules, originally a Montana girl, has travelled many creative trails; books, paintings, cards, prints, giclees, pillow design, and hardware jewelry. Her original designs have sold in retail shops such as Barneys New York, Ballard Designs catalog, ABC Carpet & Home-New York, and The American Craft Museum. Currently, Jules’ books and line of prints, giclees, cards, & paintings can be seen at various shops, design/art centers, & galleries. Two paintings by Jules, “Hope” and “Joy”, are both permanently displayed in the new surgery waiting area at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. Her jewelry line is known for the ziG bracelet & belt, which uniquely combines pearls and hardware.

Jules has lived in several cities from east to west. She currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona where she continues to be inspired by her daughter, Anna, her rescue dog, Harper, and her eclectic group of very cool pals.

Joan Waters: The Garden
How is The Garden a model for our creative practice?

Joan Waters exhibits welded steel sculpture and paintings that explore how the analogy of the garden can provide a model for our creative practice. No matter what our creative expression is, from yoga to music to mathematics, observing and enjoying the natural cycles of the garden can inspire and sustain our paths.

Beginning with industrial sheets of steel, Waters draws and sketches the plans for each new work. With time, the processes of welding and grinding help the piece grow and take shape. Patinas add color to make the piece blossom.

Kathy Zimmerman Photography
Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving.
What you have caught on film is captured forever…it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.
Aaron Siskind

I have two main desires in life: to travel and to photograph. I am very happy doing one or the other. I’m in heaven when I’m doing them together. I am self taught for over 25 years. I am proud to feature images from my vacation travels in Canada,
England, Costa Rica, Mexico, France, Spain, India and across the United States.
I love stepping foot in an unknown place, or perhaps a known place with a new perspective, and opening myself up to its dynamics, its culture, people, capturing it all in photographs. I enjoy wandering around overlooked streets, and finding little curiosities as much as photographing iconic landmarks.

Rescue Me! Art Exhibit Opening
A passionate group of students ranging from beginners to professional independent artists enrolled in artist Kathy Taylor’s Creative Development classes are donating their time and talent to support a local rescue. Rescue Me!, the brainchild of one Studio 6020 student, will assist Amazing Aussies, a foster based rescue, with their mission and to raise funds to support expensive medical costs. Amazing Aussies is dedicated to rescuing vision and/or hearing impaired Australian Shepherds (known as Lethal Whites) and matching them with loving forever families. Funds will be raised through the proceeds of Studio 6020 artists’ paintings sold during the show. Join us for a heartfelt display of artistic compassion and meet a few furry Amazing Aussies to learn what makes them truly AMAZING!

Visit www.amazingaussies.org for more information about the rescue and Studio 6020 Facebook page to see examples of their work.

Organic Abstraction
We are excited to announce our first art exhibit for 2015, Organic Abstraction, featuring paintings by local artist, Linda Pullinsi. Linda is a popular art instructor of both adults and children and has been a mentor for Free Arts for almost 20 years.
“The need to be close to nature has always beat in my heart. The song of the birds, the wind rustling the leaves and the sound of the water soothe my soul. I feel safest in the middle of the woods, on a mountaintop, or deep in the desert. Digging in the earth and growing things is therapy. This show combines my two loves, art and nature. I love to create an image that’s never existed and enjoy playing with color and getting them to harmonize and vibrate with each other. I have slowly healed my soul with artistic expression and a big source of joy for me is helping others to express themselves artistically, especially abused children through Free Arts. I am thrilled to share my work with the Desert Song community!”

Pieces of Me: Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona
This exhibit was created by young women living in Child Protective Services custody.  Each girl was asked to paint individually about one unique aspect of their life.  The girls then collaborated on a color scheme, layout and three group pieces.  This exhibit is the result of their collaboration.  Prints are available for sale.  We will also have a donation jar for a holiday collection.

A Way Through: Art As A Path for Healing
Join us for the opening of our latest art exhibit “A Way Through: art as a path for healing” collages by Mary Glover. At 1:30, Mary will talk about her art. Then award-winning guitarist Darin Mahoney, joined by violinist Jane Hilton, will perform original instrumental compositions from his latest album, “Transformations,” 2013 Old World Music Album of the Year. Darin’s music reflects his inspiring journey back to full health, beginning with a cancer diagnosis and a remission that defies all odds, yet resonates with audiences from all walks of life. Refreshments will follow.

I Matter by Free Arts for Abused Children
Through a unique combination of arts in a therapy-based curriculum and highly trained volunteer mentors, Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona helps abused, neglected and homeless children channel their emotions, release anger and express themselves in healthy ways. Our work allows children to build trust, self-reliance, self-control and self-confidence.

Works by Monica Aissa Martinez
The work exhibited explores body, mind and spirit. Included are pieces from each series I’ve completed in the last decade – much of it done after my teacher training here at Desert Song. I continue to study. I continue to learn.

http://monicaaissamartinez.com/
http://monicaaissamartinez.wordpress.com

Picture Me Adopted: A Poverty Pet’s Photo Project
The show will feature photographs by Jessica Hately of rescued dogs from Poverty’s Pets who currently need loving homes. The show will be hosted for the month of December.

This show was created to bring awareness to the dog over population crises in Phoenix & to share opportunities to be involved with a small grass roots non-profit, dedicated to helping. Come meet our dogs, volunteers & ideas!

We reduce the Suffering of Unwanted Animals Through:

• Spay/Neuter Clinics
• Veterinary Services for sick pets
• Pet Food Distribution
• Adoption to loving homes
• Sterilization & Vaccination Education

Brian Vincent: Cuba – Peace & Chaos
One of our closest neighbors, Cuba, is a mystery to most of us. Cloaked in the politics of the cold war today it is an enigma. Please join us for a photographic exhibit and celebration of this wonderful place and her people. The exhibit begins at 6 pm Friday August 23rd followed by a presentation at 7 p.m. with discussion by photographer Bryan Vincent. Come with your questions and willingness to learn about one of the most fantastic places on earth.