2013 Juried Exhibition

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15 Annual Juried Exhibition May 3 – May 17, 2013

Artlink’s A.E. England Gallery 424 N. Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004

EXHIBITION CATALOGUE

Artlink’s 15th Annual Juried Exhibition Artlink Phoenix’s 15th Annual Juried Exhibition presents the work of fifteen exceptional Arizona artists. The pieces shown in this exhibition were selected by a panel of three jurors from the Arizona arts community. This year the panel was made up of Arizona State University Art Museum Director, Gordon Knox; Phoenix artist, Angela Ellsworth; and critic and curator of R. Pela Gallery, Robrt Pela.

The fifteen artists featured in this show are Michael Joel Denson, Denise L. Fleisch, Kristin Forbes-­‐Mullane, John Hyde, Jessica Jackson, Elizabeth Katz, Maggie Keane, Peter Brian Klein, Constance McBride, Lacey Shelton, Ray Skeet, Kenneth Steimle, Rossitza Todorova, Mohan Toopal, and Carol Ann Wagner.

Each spring, Artlink asks for submissions to this show and with each year, Artlink has seen a growth in its submissions. We organize this Juried Exhibition to provide an opportunity for local artists for more exposure and to expand the art conversation.

We are very thankful to the jurors and all of the impressive artists who applied.

The Artlink A.E. England Gallery was founded in the fall of 2009. The mission of the gallery is to feature established and emerging artists who push the boundaries of art as expression, test the limits of media, and broaden the perspective and consciousness of audiences. Artlink A. E. England Gallery is open to all disciplines of art, to include experimental, digital, traditional, and integrations thereof. The Gallery has a year round open submission policy and is volunteer operated.

The Artlink A. E. England Gallery is located at 424 N. Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004, Civic Space Park, in the A. E. England Building.

Artlink Phoenix is one of the oldest, all-­‐volunteer run, 501(c)3 arts organizations in downtown Phoenix. Our mission is to maintain and enhance our current regular events, including the monthly First Fridays art walk, the annual Art Detour self-­‐ guided tour that features several open studios and Mystery Galleries in addition to the galleries and businesses that participate in the monthly event, the Annual Juried Exhibition and an art-­‐related fundraiser. Our monthly newsletter can be subscribed to online and keeps readers up-­‐to-­‐date on our efforts, community activities, and opportunities and information for and about artists. Visit artlinkphoenix.com.

Michael Joel Denson

Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, where my father was a minister and mother and artist, I believe my artistic abilities stood out above all else, typically drawing superheroes and comic book characters; a favorite reading pastime. My inherent creativity was reinforced as I began to accompany my mother, who decided to continue her education in art in the early 90’s, to night classes at the Center for Creative Studies. This early exposure to art led to my attending the College of Santa Fe, a liberal arts college in Santa Fe, NM where in 2006 I received a BA in Photography.

Though receiving a degree in Photography, my work demonstrates experimentation and utilization of almost all media. Photography, in some instances, acts as a starting point. Other media is used depending on the effect desired. My most current works have begun as charcoal drawings mounted on canvas and will usually contain three-­‐ dimensional elements. Fabric, vegetation, twine, and chain are some of the more utilized materials.

Heavily influence by the Christian faith, ideas can start from a single word such as “grace” or from events such as the death of Christ. With these starting points I question myself, “How can I present these ideas in a way that grabs the viewer’s attention, and more importantly, how do I get them to continue looking, thinking, and questioning.” My goal is not to get the viewer to agree or disagree with the work’s message. It is ultimately to get them thinking about the subject matter and dialoging with the piece.

I find it important to explore while creating art. Not only is it meditative, but there is always something new to find. I believe that when I discover that exciting “new thing” that works in and for the piece, the work is that much closer to being successful.

MJDen2001@aol.com http://mjdenson.wix.com/art

Preparing for the Journey of Faith; Self-­‐portrait MMX, 2010 Mixed Media 48” x 36” x 2” $1200

Denise L. Fleisch

Why I make Art Art takes me to a place or time or feeling. All art is an expression of one’s life and love and emotion.

I paint because I have to. I make art because I want to make a difference in the world, make a difference in your life.

What my art signifies My art is an expression of who I am. Being from Phoenix, I love the sunsets, mountains, the textures of the desert. My art signifies life. My art tells a story of bravery, solitude, happiness, joy, friends, family. The bright and healthy color pallet that I choose for each painting is a huge part of my painting process. Each individual painting is unlike any other. They all have their distinct overall characteristics.

What is it made of Glad you asked. I love rich vibrant colors. I also love the smooth texture of oil paints.

I mainly use transparent paints and use many layers of the paint on the canvas. The texture is an acrylic gel medium used to give texture in areas of the canvas where I specifically want it. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes more is good. Before I start painting, I apply the gel directly to the canvas. I wait a couple of days or a week and then start applying paint.

dlfleisch14@gmail.com

Butter Cream Oil on Canvas 48” x 60” $850

Kristin Forbes-­‐Mullane

As a native of Phoenix, AZ, Kristin Forbes-­‐Mullane grew up with an obsession for anything having to do with art. At a young age she began painting and drawing every chance she got. This love of art came from her father, who as an artist and graphic designer himself has always inspired her.

Without any formal training in art, hating high school enough to know there’d be no way she’d survive the structure and rules of college, she has managed to learn about art by studying on her own. She has found herself being drawn to anything with a dark, sad feeling. Her love for all things sinister portrays itself in her art as religious icons, old family photos and figures, twisted into something dark, no longer serene and beautiful. This transition from light to dark allows the viewer to create their own story…

“That little girl looks so innocent, but she might bite you when you aren’t looking”

kfm@kfmgallery.com www.kfmgallery.com

Duplicity, 2012 Acrylic on wood 11” x 14” (not including frame) $850

John Hyde

I will keep it short for insight on my work, that’s just scratching the surface. I’m not much in the way of writing, though I have been keeping tabs on my life from childhood, these are the reasons why I chose to do these things

When I started this new project with my art I got bored fast! I guess I’m fortunate I see these things in my mind’s eye or through my windows.

My sons along with my wife have been saying for years: do your art, you love doing it, you’re so inspired when you do it! Yeah whatever, I keep hearing this from others it just never hit me. I was talking to my wife one day and she was telling how she inspired a friend to do what I have been wanting to do for years. It was about the art culture in Phoenix we need to go to First Fridays. No, I will get bored and just want to go home it’s been a long week. She twisted my arm and I came down to see what she was talking about. Moving through the people I stopped and I talked with a few artists, it was like talking shop.

The thing that caught my attention and was commented to me was about destroying my work! The lady told me you can’t take it with you and then no one will enjoy it!

Bing! That slapped me in the face wow! So here I’m going for the things I like and love.

The piece in this exhibition is a carving for a front of a home PC system that was being crated for a customer, being that the hours that was being installed to crate this system the client decided it would cost too much when completed. This is my first craving but not the first of my creations.

gohydes@cox.net

Face, 2012 Mixed Media Carving 27” X 27” not for sale

Jessica Jackson

I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Since childhood, I always held an interest in the commercial art that one would see in advertising and comics. I began to practice drawing as way to illustrate stories that my imagination would create. As time went on, I was exposed to different types of art such as historical paintings and contemporary, conceptual art. I started to venture from the commercial illustration side of art and discover how to create work that was more intimate and personal. As I practiced and developed my skill, I learned to meld the aesthetic I liked so much from illustration work and the more personal narrative and conceptual complexity that is often found in gallery art.

I studied traditional oil and watercolor painting in college but also taught myself how to create digital art on my own between classes. Since graduating from Arizona State University, I primarily use a computer and tablet to create my art but my foundation in painting still plays a large role in how I compose digital works. There are times even when I start a piece of art on paper with paints or graphite, scan, and add more detail and rendering using digital art tools.

My work often tells melancholy stories of beauty and horror. I am mostly inspired by common people and the experiences that we all have with each other and within our world. I like to play with the idea that the mundane can be profound and that feelings can spiral out of control and sometimes take on a new life and tell a new story. Beneath our everyday guises, humans are creatures of infinite complexity.

Jconstine.jackson@yahoo.com www.j-­‐jacks.com

Gothic, 2013 Graphite on Paper 14” x 18” (unframed), approx 18” x 24"(framed) $200

Elizabeth Katz

My work has its foundation in the natural world-­‐ the color palate and energy of a particular geographic space or the sculptural lines of certain animals. I am inspired by new locations, encounters, and the associations formed during the act of perception.

In my paintings, the colors featured in each work are directly inspired by distinct geographical locations: the desert, frozen lakes, pastoral fields, cities, sandstone and seascape. I dismantle the images and ideas that I associate with a location until all is left is an enduring impression, a mutable abstraction of color and experience. Line then serves as a skeletal framework pulling back in the arrangement of these influences.

After each abstract work, though, it’s as if the pendulum swings in my creative center, and I need to ground myself through a return to unadorned realism through drawing.

I find great comfort in striking a working balance between these two very different ways of seeing and creating.

lizjkatz@gmail.com

Wallow Fire, 2013 Graphite 30” x 40” $350

Maggie Keane

I was born in Brooklyn NY, raised near the Jersey shore, graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and have been a freelance artist in Phoenix since 1982. After graduating, I began doing courtroom sketches for KVOA TV in Tucson, portraits of visitors to Old Tucson, and worked on restoring the animals on their antique carousel. In Phoenix, I continued court sketching for local and national stations, restored 2 carousels, painted billboards and buses, and developed a mural and portrait clientele consisting of Federal court judges, attorneys, children, families and pets.

I like surprising people, getting reactions, maybe a little confusion over whether it's actually painted or a blown up photograph. Part of me needs to prove something and I'm still trying to figure out what it is. I like to challenge myself to make things look exactly as they are, then add something else that's not there or couldn't possibly be there. Or, just leave it the way it is, I never know what I'll ultimately decide as the piece progresses. Then I like to surround it with an outline in the form of a frame that possesses some quality linking it to the image. It's either like a continuation of what's going on visually, or like wrapping a gift with paper, ribbon and bows that all match or relate to the gift exclusively. This I've been doing to my latest paintings and will continue as a tradition. In other words, there are some earlier works without personalized frames. When I finish a painting I really want it to look as finished as I feel with it.

I like people to look at what I paint with an open mind. I love to hear the personal meanings people assign to what they are viewing. So far, my least favorite was "We don't get it." from a Scottsdale gallery and my favorite: "Oh, now this person is obviously disturbed." overheard at another Scottsdale gallery. How I love art.

maggie1one@gmail.com

Fender Bender Oil on Canvas 24” x 36” $1750

Peter Brian Klein

My aesthetic vision is primarily expressed through the use of 35mm black and white film. My attempt to create surreal traditionally printed photographic montages is inspired by master print makers like Jerry Uelsman and Scott Mutter. The subject matter I use often varies as my perspective may shift from natural to architectural and even avant-­‐garde imagery.

Finding solace in the confines of a darkroom, I used many types of black and white film over the past two decades, though I prefer the look and feel of Kodak’s infrared film to convey the essence and beauty of the black and white imagery I am attempting to capture. Taking particular care to avoid being labeled a purist however, I feel that whether the process uses digital or traditional means, focus on the image itself must not be lost. I feel that art is a communicative device that should convey, and even at times, create emotion.

peterbklein@cox.net www.kleinphotographic.com

Mueller Mausoleum, Chicago, 2002 Photography, 35mm HIE B&W Infrared 10” x 7” (print), 20” x 17” (framed) $250

Constance McBride

I am on a renewed search for purpose and meaning in life within the cultural and social confines of our postmodern age. Today’s world seems much smaller and easier to navigate thanks to technology. Social and political global change is frightening but exciting. It opens up new opportunities to convey shared experiences, become more aware of challenges people face and to make real change happen. But, social media and a 24/7 news and entertainment cycle leaves little room for originality and imagination. A lot of it tends to desensitize people to the ravages of war and cruelty inflicted on our fellow human beings.

I am intrigued by how rapid change impacts the human condition and I use the body as a site for exploring it. In my current series, a gendered issue of dementia is engaged from a female point of view. My mother’s countenance emerges through representation in multiples, mentally and physically aging over time. These themes of preservation and destruction are visited as the life cycle's affect on flesh. I’m witnessing this first hand as my mother learns to navigate living with Alzheimer’s disease.

I am dedicated to learning more about technique to make my work aesthetically the best it can be. At the same time, I am committed to forcing an excavation of self to understand what it is that needs to be articulated creatively and intellectually while producing a solid body of work.

constance.mcbride.artist@gmail.com www.cmcbride.fineartstudioonline.com/about

Lonely Girl Room 122, 2013 Sculpture (paperclay/electrical wire) 14" x 10" x 6"

Lonely Girl Room 502, 2013 Sculpture (paperclay/electrical wire) 14" x 10" x 6"

Lacey Shelton

“If you get simple beauty and nought else, You get about the best thing God invents.”

Robert Browning “Fra Lippo Lippi”

My work is inspired by nature, particularly birds and other delicate creatures, as well as things man has made: bikes, typewriters, street lights, chairs, et cetera. I enjoy bringing these elements together by thoughtfully balancing them as the foreground subjects in a painting. The subjects appear to float and are showcased apart from their natural setting to simplify their formal beauty, along with communicating a conceptual theme. My abstract backgrounds allow the foreground subjects to breathe, in that they are not tightly rendered, nor realistic, but they set a stage for another kind of environment. Juxtaposing the realistic subjects with the abstract backgrounds gives the work a modern tone on a colorful, vivid plane. Acrylic & Oil lends itself to the quick and spontaneous backgrounds I enjoy.

The conceptual ideas behind my work range from fun and whimsical to thought provoking and spiritual. Inner beauty, character, hope, faith, and living life abundantly all characterize the underlying meanings. Birds represent this element of abundant life to me because these simple beauties are around us all of the time; if we pay attention, these little gifts given can brighten a day, and a lifetime. I appreciate painting common things, sparrows and wrens, to highlight their sometimes overlooked beauty. Adding an element of life, a butterfly, a person, a bird, makes the painting come alive. My vision is to bring the viewer to this deeper sense of beauty all around, even in things seen everyday, and uncover true beauty within.

lacey@laceyshelton.com www.laceyshelton.com

Birds in My Commute, 2007 Acrylic on Canvas 30” x 30” x 1.5” $1500

Ray Skeet

Ray grew up in New Mexico in his early years.

He attended the Southwest Indian School in Peoria Arizona.

While attending Oklahoma Wesleyan University, he was offered a scholarship to attend a Fine Arts College of his choice. He later chose the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He spent approximately 3 years at IAIA where he obtained an Associates of Fine Arts Degree in two-­‐dimensional Arts.

In 1984 to 1987, he worked for Grand Canyon National Park as a Park Ranger. Ray and his wife Rita have two kids, Brian and Melissa Skeet whom he is very proud of and are following their dad’s artistic traits.

From 1989 to 1997, he worked at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Most of it was spent at Phantom Ranch and some at Indian Gardens as a Utility Systems Operator.

“Living at the bottom of the Canyon gave me a very unique insight on the flow and rhythm of the canyon”.

1998 to 2001, he continued working for the Park Service at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon as a Utility Systems Operator.

2002 to the early part of 2005; he spent working on the North Side of the Grand Canyon.

In March of 2005, Ray and his wife moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to pursue a career in fine arts.

Ray and his wife currently reside in Ash Fork, Arizona to continue his Art.

rrskeet@centurylink.net

NA Portrait Print from Pencil Drawing 12” x 16”

Ken Steimle

Born in 1975 in Summit New Jersey, I grew up in a modest middle class family in the Hudson Valley NY. My earliest memory of drawing happened as a young child. I took a baby picture of my brother Joseph off the wall, then painted a mustache on it.

That was the beginning of my creativity. Ever since that moment, I have been pushing the boundaries of drawing and painting. My paintings are of raw emotional stories filled with loss, love, and humanity. I studied drawing and painting in 1994 at Orange County Community College for two years. My studio is currently in Arizona where the color-­‐drenched sunsets have inspired my work greatly.

In my paintings, I want to communicate basic human emotions and experiences, such as love, tragedy, life, and death. I believe art should evoke an emotional reaction in the viewer. I feel a sense of responsibility as an artist to make my mark in art history.

As an artist, I push the boundaries within my own work to strategically create new techniques. I want to create work that is new, exciting, and has never been seen before. I want to take what I have learned from art history, and bring those concepts and ideas into the 21st century. As I look to the future of my work, I am constantly striving to grow and achieve an even higher standard within my own vision.

I am currently involved in a series of work called The Message Home series. I am an abstract artist working with the color influences of the Arizona Sonoran Desert. My focus is on the landscape, sunset, and sunrise against the backdrop of the desert, in order to create a wonderful dynamic contrast of color, and beautiful expressive works. The inspiration behind Light Barrier is Arizona's beautiful night sky. It reflects time and space through which all life travels.

kjsteimle@yahoo.com www.kennethsteimle.com/index.html

Light Barrier, 2013 Acrylic on Canvas 48” x 60” $1800

Rossitza Todorova

I’m interested in the space between destinations and the experience of navigating highway systems. My intent is to capture the visceral sense of movement while in transit. In my mixed media drawings I present the complexity of infrastructure as seen from the road. I attain a sense of motion within each piece by layering lithography, graphite, colored pencils and gouache on paper.

To construct the experience of travel, I reference physical locations, manmade structures and looping paths, and intermix them with psychological and emotional journeys. Each drawing has visual intersections that can be navigated in multiple ways.

I invite the viewer to traverse each composition’s many paths, on their own personal journey.

rossitza@ymail.com www.rossitza.net

Arizona Drive, 2012 Lithography, Gouache, Graphite, Pencil on Paper Mounted on Panel 22”x 22” not for sale

Linked Distance, 2013 Lithography, Gouache, Graphite, Pencil on Paper Mounted on Panel 22” x 22” $400

Mohan Toopal

I am a practitioner of traditional oil painting in a contemporary style. I enjoy the challenge of painting from life and with natural light – a true approach to representational art.

I love to capture the effects of light on the draped human figure. While I try to maintain a traditional approach to my paintings, I also present them with a twist, in terms of lighting, mood and perspective. I strive to achieve glow and luminosity through the spontaneity and boldness of my strokes.

Long live fine art!

lmn2rs@yahoo.com

The Gymnast Oil on Canvas 30” x 40”

Carol Ann Wagner

Art has always been a part of my life. Growing up in Ohio Farm Country provided an endless source of inspirations for paintings.

My collages are created from recycled paper and acrylics. The paper is color coordinated for the composition in the same way I would lay paint out on a palette.

The small paper shapes are torn or cut by hand and fixed into place, creating patterns and texture. Acrylic paint is then applied to bring out definition, and dimension to the piece.

The enjoyment of working with this medium comes from the process of “puzzling” together all the bits of paper into a work of art. While I visualize what I want the finished piece to look like before I start it, it’s always a bit of a surprise to see how it all comes together in the final creation.

I try to continue to stretch my imagination and vision as the creative process continues in both my paintings and my collages.

clwagner@cox.net

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1. Gamble Quail in Cacti Recycled Paper & Acrylics 4 1/2" x 4 1/2", mounted in 12" x 12" glassed frame $100

2. Los Burros Ranger Station Structure Recycled Paper & Acrylics 4 1/2" x 4 1/2", mounted in 12" x 12" glassed frame $100

3. Old Scottsdale Mission Recycled Paper & Acrylics 4 1/2" x 4 1/2", mounted in 12" x 12" glassed frame $100

Acknowledgments:

Coordinators and Curators Sally Russell Pamela Householder

Artlink Board of Directors Nancy Hill Catrina Kahler Mike Oleskow Jill Bernstein Robert Deihl Hugo Medina Joseph Benesh Phil Jones Laura Dragon