Tucson Examiner: 'As Is' Art Yard Sale at Central Arts Gallery's new location

Central Arts Gallery moved out of its Congress street location last weekend. This weekend, it will reopen at its new location in the Citizen's Warehouse. Here is a link to an Examiner article about CAG's first event in its new home-- "As Is Art Yard Sale."

Tucson Examiner: What Is Our Shared Vision for Downtown Tucson?

Downtown Tucson has gone through several boom and bust cycles since I moved here in 1981. In the past week, three galleries on Congress Street closed their doors--Dinnerware Artspace, Central Arts Gallery, and Rocket Gallery. A sign of a bad economy? No, they were all viable art enterprises. These three galleries, Tooley's coffee shop, and three other businesses are closing their storefronts on Congress to make way for a sports bar. To read more, check out my story in the Tucson Examiner.

Wind Dancer Design One-Day Sale - Central Arts Gallery

On Saturday, November 21, I will be having a one-woman special show at Central Arts Gallery from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. The exhibit will feature my jewelry and mosaic designs. All earrings will be buy-one-get-one-free.

Central Arts Gallery is located at 274 E. Congress St. There is free parking on the street and in back of the gallery. Come on down! Buy local this holiday season.

Put on Your Art Walkin' Shoes

Put on your art walkin' shoes for two major art walks this weekend-- The Glow in Oracle and The Big Picture in Tucson.

The Glow is a lighted art walk by the full moon. Artists primarily from Oracle and Tucson exhibited lighted sculpture for the walk. In addition to the art, there will be outdoor music venues. Check out the website like for photos from past years, including my La Mano Mas Poderosa mosaic shrine from last year. The Glow is Friday and Saturday night from 7 - 11 p.m. at the Triangle L Ranch. Two of my shrines-- Letting Go and Here Comes the Sun-- will be shown in the Adobe Gallery. I also have a number of pieces in the Triangle L Gift Shop.

The Big Picture is Saturday night from 6-10p.m. in downtown Tucson. More than a dozen Central Tucson Gallery Association member galleries will be open-- including Central Arts Gallery, where my work will be showing. Check out the CTGA website link for a list of member galleries. Now that the 4th Avenue underpass is open, it's much easier and safer to visit the galleries along 6th Street, as well as those along Congress Street.

Be aware that Club Crawl is also happening downtown on Saturday night. For those of you who like art and music-- this is a perfect. For people who want to bypass the music, some galleries on Congress may have their back doors, allowing access from the parking lots south of Congress.

True Stories Opens at Central Arts Gallery

True Stories, the latest exhibit at the Central Arts Gallery, opens this Saturday, October 3, with an artists' reception from 6-9 p.m.

It will be a big night in downtown Tucson with the Club Crawl and the Central Tucson Gallery Association gallery tour. If you don't want to buy a wrist band for the music, come early for the gallery scene. Or, if you're into music and art, downtown is the place to be this Saturday night with multiple art galleries and multiple music venues.

At Central Arts Gallery, I am exhibiting a collage of 10 environmental photos entitled True Stories from Earth. Sunset on the Andes (above) and other images from Hawaii, Colombia, Colorado, and Arizona are included. The Earth's true story is one of diversity, survival, interdependence, resilience, death, and renewal. It's our responsibility to teach this story to future generations.

Tucson Examiner: Art in downtown Tucson this weekend

There are several great art events happening in downtown Tucson this weekend (September 11-12). Here is a link to an article I wrote for the Tucson Examiner.

I recently joined the staff of Examiner.com, a national citizen journalism project. Look for more Examiner posts on Muse Views in the future.

Celebrate the Underpass with Underground Art

It seems as if the 4th Avenue underpass has been under construction forever!

This Thursday, August 20, hundreds of Tucsonans will celebrate the opening of the wider, brighter underpass which will reconnect 4th Avenue and Congress Street.

The Central Arts Gallery invites everyone to celebrate the opening of the underpass with Underground Art.

Express yourself by creating your own underground art. Central Arts Gallery will set up tables on the sidewalk in front of the gallery at 274 E. Congress St. from 3:30 - 7 p.m. The gallery is providing paper, markers, crayons, poster paint, and sidewalk chalk; you provide your creativity and ideas.

How do you feel about the 4th Avenue underpass finally opening? How do you feel about downtown? About art downtown? About construction downtown? How is all of this change affecting your life? This is your opportunity to express your joy, sadness, frustration, fear, excitement, whatever in words or pictures.

Underground Art created at this event will be hung in a special display at Central Arts Gallery through September 5. It will be displayed concurrently with Erotic Stimulus Package, the gallery’s latest show. Underground Art created by Central Arts Gallery members also will be exhibited.

Trash Can in Paradise, Pahoa, Hawaii (above) is one of my photographs which will be in the Underground Art exhibit.

Renewal and Evolution

Saturday, June 6 marked the one year anniversary of the Central Arts Gallery, a cooperative gallery in downtown Tucson. The new exhibit, Renewal, marks the culmination of a year of ups and downs. Although the gallery membership has changed several times during the year, a core group of artists--who are now friends-- has kept the gallery alive and fostered its evolution. I'm proud to say that I am a member of that core group and proud of what Central Arts Gallery has accomplished this year. It hasn't always been easy-- far from it-- but it has been rewarding.

I have three photographs in the Renewal show: "Watercourse Way, Playa Blanca, Colombia,""Still Live on the Beach, Playa Blanca, Colombia" (above), and "Abundance, Pinos Altos, New Mexico." I also have a few pieces on the Small Works Wall: "Bano en Paraiso, Playa Blanca, Colombia"(at right), "Wandering, San Carlos, Mexico," and "Flow with Me."

Renewal will be at Central Arts Gallery, 274 E. Congress, in Tucson from June 6 - July 25, 2009. (My apologies to Spanish speakers. I couldn't figure out how to do a tilde on blogger.)

Downtown: The Same Story But Not the Same OLD Story

Downtown will be hopping tomorrow night, with many galleries will be open for the Central Tucson Gallery Association's First Saturday event.

Here are a few gallery highlights for Saturday evening, April 4.

The Same Story opens at the Central Arts Gallery, on Congress St., tomorrow with an artists' reception from 6-9 p.m. I have three threesomes (photos, not performance art pieces-- tee hee) in this show: Wild Thing, I Think You Move Me is dance in motion; Caution: Drummers warns of the perils of dating drummers; and Downtown is a funky tribute to downtown Tucson.

I peeked at the show before it was hung, and there is a wide range of art, as usual. A few artists have chosen this theme to make political statements. Carlos Encinas' Dollar Store Art display presents a sarcastic view of the cheap-is-good mentality. Patrick McCardle's portrait of President Obama being threatened by a snarling bulldog is thought-provoking when you consider the pervasive in-fighting in Washington, DC. The Central Arts Gallery show will also feature an art raffle.

Pollos de Pueblo continues at Dinnerware Artspace on Congress St.. If you were too cheap to pay $5 to see the chickens last Saturday, you can check out this fun show for free on April 4, the closing day. This is a fun show with many eclectic interpretations of the theme.

Fuerte continues at Raices Taller 222, on 6th Street. This show commemorates Cesar Chavez's birthday, which was March 31. The Raices event starts at 5 p.m. with a "Pay the Rent" potluck.

Many of Tucson's galleries are struggling to keep their doors open these days. Please help Tucson's artists keep our art scene alive by buying art, attending events that request a modest entry fee, or simply throwing a few bucks in a donation jar. Every little bit helps.

This is only a small sample of exhibits that will be open. I hope you will take a stroll downtown-- along Congress and 6th Streets-- to enjoy our lovely spring weather and Tucson's vibrant art scene.

Wandering Through Dreams: on Congress Street

Spirit's Journey, the latest exhibit at the Central Arts Gallery, will open this coming Saturday, February 7, 2009, with an artists' reception from 6-9 p.m.

Two of my pieces will be included in this show: Wandering Through Dreams (pictured here) and La Mano Mas Poderosa mosaic shrine. I'm proud to say that both of them are on display in the windows of the gallery. I'm also exhibiting jewelry and smaller clay pieces at the gallery for this show, which runs through March 28.

The Central Arts Gallery opening is just one of many scheduled for this Saturday downtown. Many galleries along Congress Street and 6th Street will be open this weekend as part of the Art Safari, organized by the Central Tucson Gallery Association. So, if you missed seeing Bound for Love at the opening of the Amores Perros erotic art show two weeks ago, you can catch it on Saturday at Raices Gallery.

Come downtown and support the arts in Tucson! Here is a list of participating galleries from the Tucson Citizen and a very thorough write-up in the Tucson Weekly.

Central Arts Gallery: Born Again

As many of you know, I have been a member of the Central Arts Gallery (CAG) since it began in May 2008. CAG is a cooperative gallery whose membership has fluctuated during the past 8 months. As with all cooperative ventures, it has not always been very cooperative. One of the inherent problems (or benefits, depending upon how you see it) with cooperatives is that everyone has a voice, and there is really no strong leader, no boss, who has the final say-- just members. Unfortunately, this means that some people always speak louder and longer, and the meek don't always speak.

Yesterday, CAG had a membership meeting which was a delight. The gallery has several new members, and with this new blood, the group has turned a corner, in my opinion, and become a truly cooperative venture. Many, many new ideas were bandied about yesterday. Look for announcements here of upcoming events.

The next show-- Spirit's Journey-- starts this coming Saturday-- more on that later in the week. This exhibit will be a little different from the others because member artists will be showing more pieces. In addition, the gallery has added a Small Works Wall, which displays art that is being sold for $100 and under. There are also prints and jewelry (including some of mine) for sale at the gallery.

El Dia de los Muertos

One of the most unique holidays in Tucson is El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Historically, November 1, the Day of the Dead, has been a day where primarily Hispanics honor loved ones who have passed on. They bring food, drinks, music, flowers, and momentos to local cemetaries and have parties or picnics graveside.

Several years ago, a band of local artists started the All Souls Procession in Tucson to honor the dead. What was once a small rag-tag procession around downtown has turned into two weeks of events, with a huge procession as the finale. The link here goes to the main website and calendar for this year's events. The procession itself is November 9, 2008.

Last year, I walked in the procession (in costume, at right) and took tons of pictures with my Nikon Cool Pix. That camera has a "party" setting which allows for two flashes within one long time exposure. I used this setting for most of my procession pictures. At top is "Danny Boy, the Pipes Are Calling"; this photo will be hanging in the Go Boldly Exhibit at Central Arts Gallery in November. There are some here and more on my Flickr site. I'm looking forward to seeing how my new Nikon digital SLR does at the procession this year.

On the weekend, my daughter and I shopped around on 4th Avenue for costume accessories for this year's procession. I bought a red petticoat and long red satin elbow-length gloves. What fun! Stay tuned for 2008 DOD pictures.

'Tis the Season to Forsake the Chinese Children and Buy Local

It's almost Halloween in the US, which means it's time to start shopping for the holidays! :-)

Seriously, folks, with all of the economic doom and gloom, retailers around the world are quaking in their fur-trimmed Santa boots for fear that we will cut back our holiday spending this year. Although I agree that prudent shopping is a good idea, I'd like to suggest that you forget about buying cheap goods made in the world's sweat shops and instead shop locally for your holiday presents.

Tucson has many fine artists, crafters, galleries, and gift shops, which all have one-of-a-kind locally handcrafted goods that would make memorable holiday presents.

Besides shopping the local galleries and gift shops that have regular business hours, there are art openings and arts/crafts shopping opportunities in the coming weeks-- including the Tucson Pima Arts Council Studio Tour, the Tucson Museum of Art Holiday Craft Market, the 4th Avenue Street Fair, and the Cascabel Christmas Fair.

Here is a list of art openings where you can buy or view my work:

- My studio will be open for the Tucson Pima Arts Council Studio Tour, November 8-9, noon to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday. I have several new mosaic pieces and lots of jewelry for sale. I will be offering a studio sale special on jewelry and beaded wall hangings-- buy one piece at the regular price and get the second piece (of equal or lesser value) at half price! Such a deal. You know what I always say, "You can never have too much jewelry!"

- Celebrate Life mosaic wall hanging at the Tucson Pima Arts Council Studio Tour Preview Exhibit, October 23 - November 6 at Galeria Mistica, 2318 S. 4th Avenue. Artists' reception on November 6, 6-8 pm.

- Dove of Peace mosaic shrine at the Artists for Obama Exhibit and silent auction, Saturday, October 25, 6-9pm at Representative Raul Grijalva's Campaign Office, 452 S. Stone Ave.

- Danny Boy, the Pipes Are Calling digital photograph in the Go Boldly Exhibit at the Central Arts Gallery, 274 E. Congress St., November 8 - 28. Artists' reception on November 8, 6-9 pm.

- Mi Corazon, Mi Vida mosaic wall hanging currently showing in the Basically Simple Exhibit at the Central Arts Gallery, 274 E. Congress St.

- I also will be participating in the Cascabel Holiday Fair again this year, December 6-7.

As the dates approach, there will be more details on these future shows.

In addition to these special events, I have a number of mosaics at the Bohemia, Tucson Museum of Art Gift Shop, and the Triangle L Gift Shop.

So with all of these opportunites, I urge you to forsake the Chinese children this holiday season and buy local!

New Work, New Show

Basically Simple, the new show at the Central Arts Gallery will open Saturday, October 4. The artists' reception will be from 6-9pm. This is a special evening because the Central Tucson Gallery Association is holding an art walk that evening. Several galleries along Congress Street and 6th Street will be open for the art walk. I have contributed Mi Corazon, Mi Vida to the show. Stop by at 274 E. Congress to view the new work, enjoy eclectic conversation, and have a glass of wine.

On a personal note, I have been very busy in the studio. I finished several new pieces last weekend and have been busy distributing them to galleries and shops around town. Bohemia, the Triangle L Ranch Gift Shop , and the Tucson Museum of Art all have a whole new set of mosaics. Here is a photo of new work in the final stages.

Acts of Self-Confrontation: Opening August 23

The latest exhibit for the Central Arts Gallery is Acts of Self-Confrontation. This eclectic show will open on Saturday, August 23. The reception is 6-10 p.m. Tucson blues master, Tom Wallbank, will perform an acoustic set from 6:30 - 7 p.m. My latest shrine Letting Go will be included in the show. Stop by for some art, music, wine, cheese, and conversation.

Central Arts Gallery Opening: Life on the Edge Exhibit

The Life on the Edge Exhibit will open at the Central Arts Gallery on Saturday, July 26, 2008. My photograph "Braodway: On the Edge of Fame" (above) will be included in the exhibit. Centrals Arts is at 274 E. Congress St. in Tucson. The free opening reception is 6-9 pm.

Central Arts Gallery is a cooperative arts project featuring the work of more than 40 Tucson artists and is a member of the Central Tucson Gallery Association.