Page 23 - the Noise October 2017

ARTSBRIEFS: OCTOBER2017
13TH ANNUAL SEDONA PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL
Arizona’s iconic creative event, the Sedona Plein Air Festival is a weeklong celebration of extraordinary landscapes, world-renowned artists, unique workshops, and wonderful free events from October 14 to 21. Sedona Arts Center invites the reader to get creative! ... And experience over two dozen master painters in action — making art on location in the beautiful red rocks and canyon divides that fame the town. Celebrate creativity and enjoy receptions, exhibitions, lectures, and opportunities to collect your next masterpiece!
On Saturday, October 14 at 7PM, the festival begins with an Opening Wine Reception in the Arts Center’s Historic Art Barn in Uptown, where 28 Festival Artists who have brought work with them from their own terrain across the US will showcase their diverse style and talent.
From 10AM to Noon on Wednesday, October 18, L’Auberge de Sedona hosts the Creek- side Paint Out, and the public is invited to this beautiful resort to watch artists as they depict the spectacular scenery of Oak Creek. Experience first-hand the flowing water, re- flections, sycamores, ducks, and stunning waterfalls, as artists paint begin painting at 10. At noon, awards will be presented and the works created at the event will be available for sale immediately following on the lawn. Attendees can park for free in the Arts Center lot and take the free public shuttle to and from the resort from 9:30AM to 1:30PM.
Then at 7PM, Joshua Been (pictured above) presents the Festival Keynote, “The Plein Air Adventure.” Born in 1974, Mr. Been had no shortage of outdoor adventures that cultivated his appreciation for the natural world. Join him as he shares his personal journey as a lead- ing plein air painter during a digital presentation in the Historic Art Barn. This talk is free and open to the public with a wine reception following in the Special Exhibition Gallery.
On Thursday, October 19, from 1 to 4PM, Seven Canyons Resort hosts a Paint-Out and aficionados are invited to watch artists paint the afternoon and evening light as it carves its way through majestic red rock profiles in an environment like no other. A rare jewel surrounded by protected national forest land, Seven Canyons is a local scenic treasure that spans 200 stunningly beautiful acres. Plein air artists will explore panoramic vistas from the clubhouse, water features on the golf course, and views from Rachel’s Knoll. Art sales, an award ceremony, and wine reception will follow at 4PM on the event lawn.
On Friday, October 20, from 9AM to 1PM, a Plein Air to Studio Demonstration with Joshua Been is scheduled, with this year’s Keynote Speaker in his last session of the three- day workshop, demonstrating how he works up a larger painting from plein air study. For artists of all calibers, the lesson is a wonderful overview, and a great opportunity to review and re-take notes on effective studio practices. To reserve your space, call 928-282-3809.
On Friday, October 20, from 5-8PM, indulge in fine wine, fine hors d’oeuvres and fine art in the company of festival artists, art collectors and art lovers during the Party and Awards Presentation. This is the “big event” where artists’ awards are bestowed throughout the evening, recognizing the best work created during the week, including Best of Show, Merit, Artists’Choice,andCollectors’ChoiceAwards.TheeventisheldatSedonaArtsCenter’sSpe- cial Exhibition Gallery in the Historic Art Barn and is free and open to the public.
The Main Street Paint Out will commence the festival on Saturday, October 21, from 10AM to Noon. The Main Street Paint Out is one of the Arts Center’s most popular events. It’ll be the final opportunity to mingle with world-renowned artists, view their take on local landscapes, and observe them in action on the streets of Uptown Sedona. The event will feature live painting along Highway 89A, from Sedona Arts Center to Pink Jeep Café. Sale of Main Street Paint Out works will be held from Noon to 2PM in front of the Arts Center’s Fine Art Gallery.
This Year’s Festival Artists are: Jill Banks, Richard Boyer, Betty Carr, Bill Cramer, Martin Dimitrov, Chris Finefrock, Tracey Frugoli, Scott Gellatly, Robert Goldman, Bruce Gomez, Lynn Heil, J. Brad Holt, Qiang Huang, Robert Impellizeri, Peter Jefferson, Gretchen Lopez, Andre Lucero, James McGrew, Kathie Odom, Susan Pitcairn, Patrick Saunders, Rachel Schlueter, Stock Schlueter, Matt Sterbenz, Gregory Stocks, Williamson Tapia, Melanie Thompson, and Jim Wodark.
JEROME BY MOONLIGHT
A fascination for painting dark art is inspired by Jason Voss’ daily life in the small old mining town of Jerome, a hauntingly fun historical escape from the mundane. Raised in Minnesota and Wisconsin, he remembers as a ten-year old pouring over horror films and books of monsters, which would later inspire him creatively. He continued his studies by attending and graduating from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, all the while exploring mythological female monsters, femme fatales, and various creatures of the night.
His interests moved him to Los Angeles, where he resided for over 20 years working as an art- ist, illustrator, model builder, photographer, and filmmaker for companies like Custom Replicas of North Hollywood, Grant McCune Designs (the model shop where R2-D2 was birthed), and the HP Lovecraft Historical Society. Some of Mr. Voss’ accomplishments while in LA include: a model of Battlestar Galactica on display at the Seattle Sci-Fi Museum, over 9 years of film festival poster design for Lovecraft, and card illustration for the role-playing game, Mythos.
When his family relocated to the Verde Valley, Jerome and its wickedly wild ghost history allured him whenever he vacationed, and he staked out a permanent place here in 2014. He quickly immersed himself in community history, absorbing the town’s sordid stories, and using his natural oratory skills to become a guide for a local tour company.
“Many of Jerome’s buildings I see at night, so my work reflects this unique subject matter,” Mr. Voss says, and his posters for the GhostWalk over the last few years have demonstrated his ability to depict the town’s haunting landscape in fantastic detail.
Citing Edvard Munch and Polish surrealist Z. Beksinski as inspirations, Mr. Voss says, “I view my surroundings through a unique filter. All of my interests in history — crumbling ruins, mysterious women, moonlight and the supernatural — manifest themselves in my work.” Firmly rooted in this fascination of these historical sites and legendary tales, he com- bines the frightening with the seductive and explores their alluring properties successfully.
In one of his most recent paintings, The Montana Hotel, he depicts Lady Fate in red, roll- ing the dice while “the finest and most ornate hostelry in the Arizona Territory” is set ablaze in the background. Upon closer inspection, varied dark and ominous overtones give even greater depth to the subject matter.
His current show, “Tales Of Jerome,” is featured at Cartwheels Gallery in Old Town Cot- tonwood, and he regularly shows at Dragonfly in Cottonwood and at Yester Day’s Fine Art
in Jerome. To reach the artist: jawbone66@gmail.com .
— Rella Rocha
— Kelli Klymenko
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