Page 17 - the Noise March 2017 Edition

jan bruso’s funky side movin’ on up
If Dr. Seuss drank too much absinthe, accidentally spilt the remains on the floor only to be consumed by his cat, and if the end result was captured on canvas, it might look like the work of Jerome’s Jan A. Bruso. The Funky Side Studio, formerly located in Sedona, is re- locating to Jerome’s UVX building, sharing a patio with Smokin Jerome’s. The Funky Side Studio has been owned and operated solely by Miss Bruso since she opened the Village of Oak Creek location in 2013.
A dual grand opening party (along with Smokin Jerome’s) will be held on the patio that connects the neighboring businesses. “The Grand Opening is a party to celebrate my new space with everyone. There will be live music, food, beverages, coffee tasting, card reading, and live glass blowing, all from local artists and businesses.”
Self-described as originally an “east coast Masshole*,” Miss Bruso moved to the Verde Val- ley in 2004 for no other reason than it felt good when she drove through Sedona. Her formal education is in business and photography but she had private art lessons growing up.
“Around first grade, there was this special room in my house that was a designated area for me. There was a table with all kinds of art supplies, glue, scissors, construction paper, paints ... I had friends over and we would sit around dancing, listening to music, and painting. There was also a couch — I remember always making a fort and camping out in it. In this room I was allowed to do what ever I wanted, and I realized recently that I have been doing what I want all my life. I want the new studio space to reflect that room I had growing up.”
Miss Bruso started her professional career as a makeup artist, then worked as a photogra- pher, shooting portraits and weddings. She started selling her pieces of artwork profession- ally in 2003, at a series of shows in Boston. “I was asked by gift shops, restaurants, cafés, and other locations if they could sell my work and I acquired a following.”
By 2009, clients began to ask her to design images for tattoos, so Miss Bruso decided to start tattooing. Within months her schedule began to fill with appointments. Today, she even has regular customers that travel as far as Canada and Germany among many other places. Her tattoo designs reflect the line work she uses in her paintings, which translates well onto skin. “My tattoo machines are handmade by Jim Martini — a retired tattoo artist in Milan, Italy. They’re hot machines, I love his work.”
If every artist has a cause, Miss Bruso’s heart is with rescue animals. “I enjoy working with and supporting rescue facilities. A significant portion of what I do is designing custom pet portraits on canvas. Requesting a piece is as simple as texting me an image of your pet. Cats, dogs, flamingos, giraffes, whatever.” A serial animal rescuer herself, her 14-year old Chihua- hua is a muse that appears in many of her images.
Miss Bruso sights human interaction as one of her biggest inspirations. “I get super high from conversations that inspire my imagination and can then translate them into visual con- cepts.
“I like to try new things and reinvent my work. I have embraced the fact that I can try anything with my art, not just paint on canvas and skin. I like cutting out shapes in wood, painting on guitars, skateboards, skulls and bones, — chalkboard signs have been big lately, designing tiki mugs ... pretty much anything I want to tackle.”
While unpacking boxes in her new studio this past month, Miss Bruso reviewed her old work. “It was more simplistic. Now my lines are more stylized to my free flow and how I manipulate my brushes. Thirteen to 14 years ago, my black outlines were much more rigid.
by Hank eriwin
I have dialed in my flow. My lines are my signature.”
Her favorite work of her own includes a recently finished dog with a top hat and bicycle
gear as a monocle, and another painting of a skull with horns. Her favorite work of other people’s includes Dr. Seuss’s taxidermy and his adult images. “I have many different random pieces of bones, horns, and antlers that I have been collecting to create my own taxidermy when I get around to it.”
“I have been residing in Jerome, an artist community with the most supportive creative friends I could ever imagine and I love supporting their work also. I opened The Funky Side Studio four years ago in Sedona, and just moved it up to Jerome as of this month to have it closer to home. I get to be creative in my home life and daily work. I feel that I am playing while I am at work, and playtime is what I do for work. There is no separation from work and play. Nothing has changed since first grade.”
Miss Bruso currently has work displayed and sold at Hilltop Deli, The Bordello of Jerome, Wicked City Brew, Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, and Page Springs Cellars. “I enjoy trav- eling to art festivals throughout the year, and guest spots at other tattoo studios. In addition to my Arizona shows, this year’s focus will be San Diego and New Orleans.”
Local additions to Miss Bruso’s schedule include her hosting a guided painting party on the deck of Page Springs Cellars in Cornville on March 23. “Attendees can hang out on the beautiful deck and have wine, food, and social time for a few hours while painting along with me.
“I like collaborating with, supporting, and promoting other artists. My dream project is in the works. I’m hoping other local artists will join in the ArtWalk here in the UVX building, bringing more support to all our businesses up here. I want to see this place crawling with people.”
The “Royal Patio” that connects The Funky Side Studio and Smokin Jerome’s will continue to host events for Jerome’s ArtWalk on the first Saturday of every month from 5 to 8PM. Mu- sic, food, and others artists will be invited to display and sell their work.
The historic UVX building is rumored to have been the living quarters for hospital staff in Jerome’s mining days. After the mountain collapsed and fires ravished the city, the mining companies pulled out and the building fell into a state of disrepair along with most of the city. The newly renovated UVX building is now the fastest growing district in Jerome, home to many new businesses.
Among the many amazing pieces already hung on the walls of the studio lives a charred length of 1” x 6” board that was salvaged from the UVX structure fire that occurred last year. On the early hours of June 16, 2016, residents were awakened by the racket of an alarm that some would later describe as “disorienting.” After the sun rose and the fire department left, a pile of scorched wreckage began to grow around the dumpster. Miss Bruso salvaged a piece, added her signature touch with acrylic paint, and covered it with a clear varnish. It now hangs just inside the front door of The Funky Side Studio’s new location at 403 Clark Street Unit B4, Jerome. Come see it yourself at the Grand Opening on March 4th, 5 to 8PM.
* Officially added to the roster of the Oxford English Dictionary in June, 2015 (along with 500 other words, including “fo’ shizzle”), “Masshole” is defined as “a term of contempt for a native or inhabitant of the state of Massachusetts.”
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