Page 16 - the NOISE November 2013

16 • NOVEMBER 2013 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us
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not only in photography, but because I had worked for Northern Arizona University. We had similar ideas of where we thought the SAGA organization could grow and how we might implement some educational work- shops for artists in the Sedona area. I was juried into the organization in July of 2012, and won Best of Show for my photograph titled, Canyon Columbines at the SAGA 2012 Annual Fall Exhibition. I have served on the SAGA Board of Directors as the Secretary for the past year, and am currently the SAGA Vice President.”
“It has been an honor and an educational ex- perience for me to be associated with the Se- dona Area Guild of Artists as a Charter Mem- ber,” Ms. Michalicek continues. “The organiza- tion has provided me with many opportuni- ties as a professional artist that are beyond anything I had imagined were possible when I decided it was time to become more serious about my new career. I have met many other professional artists who have encouraged me to continue expanding my reputation as a fine art photographer, and I have been rewarded for it.”
Luke Metz tells me how he first became interested in working with clay. “In the mid-
1970s while living in Denver, I took a pottery class at a community college, and fell in love with the medium.”
“For me the creative process brings about a Zen-like concentration that I find peaceful and nurturing,” Mr. Metz says of his art. “There seems to be a delicate merging of patience, precision, the unexpected, and spontaneity. I find this dance exhilarating. I am an explorer. I often do research to find new ideas and tech- niques. Then I play with these ideas and tech- niques and make them my own. I am critical of defects in my work that many people would not notice. In looking to produce a form that satisfies my aesthetic sensibilities, I will often push a piece to the point of collapse. At this point many ceramic artists would discard the
Dune and Santuary by Csaba Martonyi can be found at the SAGA: Visions of Fine Art Show
piece. However, I often will explore the possi- bilities of the “disaster” and play with the piece to see what comes forth. This has resulted in some pieces of which I am very fond. Breath of Clay, a raku piece, which will be in the show, is an example of this creative process.”
“I was born in Budapest, spent 6 years in Ger- many after the war, arrived Ellis Island June 1, 1951,” Csaba L. Martonyi tells me. “I Spent most years in Michigan at the U of M, and now am a Professor Emeritus, retired to Sedona for the obvious reasons.”
Mr. Martonyi began woodcarving at age 7 and exploring photography at 14. “I imagine designs for my carvings and sketch them to see if they will fly,” he tells me. “The keepers I transfer to wood and begin the carving pro- cess. For my photography I go to sites that I think will be of interest and see what happens at sunrise and at sunset. Nature’s flowing lines and the exquisite surprises one encounters at times inspires.”
The pieces Mr. Martonyi will be showing at the SAGA show will be photographs. “The black and white image is of the lone tree that was a blur the day we went past it on the free- way on our way to Carson City, NV, is the im- age that was stuck in my mind,” he tells me of a photograph. “Two days later we traveled back to take a closer look. It was raining lightly and the sky was dark with clouds. Nevertheless I took several images as I was fascinated with this tree among the rocks, standing strong in what may seem a hostile environment but was probably a very safe place for it to grow with- out competition. I named the image “Sanctu- ary,” for the rock formation reminded me of a castle with secure walls keeping the tree safe from harm. The Black and White treatment was in keeping with the mood of the day and emphasizes the stark nature of the scene.”
The other image I preview is of a pristine sand dune, standing boldly against a blue sky. “The color image of the sand dune was taken at
Great Dunes National Park shortly after sunrise