Artists Currently Showing at The Loft

Pamela Black - VIEW MY ARTWORK

The stark but often playful primitivism of Pamela Black's art combines influences of ancient civilizations from three continents. Most striking are themes that reflect the artist's studies in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon, ancestral home of the Anasazi culture. Under Ms. Black's touch, totemic snakes, spirits, and other creatures manage in their primal energy to imply a universal link between past and present.

Pamela Black was trained in production pottery at Hammersmith College of Art in London. She studied at the University of Florence, Italy and did documentary restoration there following the1966 flood. She maintained a studioand retail shop at her home for 35 years called Paradise Pottery on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Since moving to Arizona, Pamela Black has been studying and making jewelry with precious metal clay. Although related to her previous clay experiences, creating with this medium has opened her imagination and allowed her a whole new way of thinking expressing her ideas.

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Geri Colgrove - VIEW MY ARTWORK

Geri Sekanooyeoma Colgrove is a Hopi artist born and raised in Northern Arizona. She revels in the Precious Metal Clay medium and enjoys creating jewelry adornments with a desire to further bless and enhance ones given beauty. Masequaymana is Geri's Hopi first namegiven to her at a 20 day baby naming celebration. It means Grey Eagle Maiden.

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Terry Cook - VIEW MY ARTWORK

After retirement from the City of Phoenix, I studied metalsmithing at Northern Arizona University, Penland School of Crafts and the Phoenix Center for the Arts. I create jewelry with the essence of mid-century costume jewelry: fun, spontaneous, and unique. When making jewelry my preference is to combine sterling silver with pearls and semi-precious stones to make pieces that may move, have a soothing sound, or is put together in an interesting way. I also enjoy making silver, pewter, copper and brass tableware. The techniques I use in my works are lost wax casting; forming and raising; enameling; fabrication; kumbo bo; and etching.

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Kathleen Doherty - VIEW MY ARTWORK

It's difficult to decide what someone might want to know about me - to myself, I seem rather mundane, but here are the essentials:

I studied design in college before I switched my major to secondary education and I taught high school in Michigan for several years. I also have a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Teaching. I've been obsessively making things ever since I was nine when I tried to recreate a favorite dress I'd outgrown. Today, my art is strongly influenced by the idea of a meeting between two seemingly opposing ideas like order and chaos, or materialism and spirituality. My designs attempt to find a pleasing cohesion of opposites as I believe that Truth exists at this nexus. I love working in glass because the mere fact that it can be manipulated when it seems so rigid is in itself an expression of this idea. I am very interested in all interpretations of spirituality and my process of looking for amarriage of opposites stems from my belief that as humans we should celebrate and value ourdifferences while remembering that deep down inside we are all the same.

My guiding principle is Love and I attmpt to infuse Love and Joy into everything I do.

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Julia Harmon - VIEW MY ARTWORK

Although I sold my first painting at 16 and my jewelry at 13, I’ve never considered myself an artist. Having professional artists in the family listed in “Who’s Who in American Art” with paintings at the
Smithsonian and other well known places helped me decide to find my own way in other areas. I always was much more interested in music & science, hence thought of myself as a dabbler and crafter. Also in my teens I voluntarily taught a craft class at Albuquerque’s YMCA, and tutored in various schools.

I attended New Mexico Tech with the intention of getting a degree in Environmental Engineering, but was sidetracked with raising my family. When my children were in school & we lived in LA County, I found myself as a Teacher’s Aid for several years, but got tired of being laid-off every year since the State of CA didn’t have a budget for the upcoming school year. So, starting in the early 1980s I became more interested in the jewelry making process, and have taken many classes
in various metal-smithing techniques over the years. I volunteered & showed in a gallery on the Redondo Beach Pier for a couple of years, which helped re-ignite my creativity.

After we moved to Arizona, I joined the Sonoran Arts League and Scottsdale Artist League. When a League jeweler had a customer needing repairs on Viking weave earrings, I stepped in to help since I already knew the technique. I always seem to have more ideas & supplies than the time to create finished product; teaching classes helps keep me focused & on track.

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Susan Falcon-Hargraves - VIEW MY ARTWORK

I've always been fascinated with the unsolvable mysteries that certain very old photos present, particularly those that seem to hint at an unspoken social or emotional dynamic among several figures, or a subtext of thought within a single figure. These castoff moments of real or imagined drama provide the inspirational starting point for most of my work. I strive, through the subtleties of gesture, posture, facial expression and color to generate some sort of private narrative in the viewer's mind. My goal has always been to take the viewer beyond the image to reveal
something of the unique spiritual essence of the subject, to expose something of the extraordinary within the ordinary. More and more often lately I find that these essential elements insist on manifesting themselves in the form of stray wildlife or totem animals.

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Mary Heldenbrand - VIEW MY ARTWORK

In my younger years, creativity was never a focal point for me. I was always interested in sports, anything that was physically challenging. But, as my years progressed, I realized I would not be able to keep that up forever.When I volunteered to be the Chairman of my church festival, I needed to come up with projects for the ladies to make during the year. I found that I actually could come up with creative ideas, and the ladies enjoyed the projects I found for them. It was now time to broaden my horizons,especially because my physical activity was curtailed due to two hip replacements. A friend was telling me about a beading class she was taking, and since I had always wanted to do beading, this was a good time to start. I took one class, followed by another, then anotherâ you can see the patternâ I was hooked. The beading classes were followed by Precious Metal Clay classes, whichwere followed by classes in making dichroic glass cabochons to put into the PMC. The dichroic glass classes segued into making lampwork beads, which led to glass fusingâlots of chances to work in many different colorsâI love colors. I started doing chainmaille in copper, brass and silver, and am nowincorporating colored niobium rings into my chainmaille pieces.

I find that I am able to combine all the mediums I've learned, beading, PMC, glass fusing, chainmaille, wire twisting, and fashion unique designs. I take great pride in each piece I make and revel in the notion that I have creativity within me; I just need tolet it out. I know there are many doors I have yet to open in my art, and I look forward to my continued enrichment.

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Debra McKee - VIEW MY ARTWORK

My jewelry design began with a workshop on twisted wire bangle bracelets. This workshop launched me on a path that has gone in many directions. After six months of designing jewelry with beads made by other artists, I decided it was time to have my pieces made entirely by me so I began classes in lampwork bead design. My instructor, Laurie Nessel, lead glass instructor at the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona, excels as one of the top in her field. With her instruction, I have learned and continue learning the fine art of lampwork bead design.Next came the medium of Precious Metal Clay (PMC). PMC is a fairly new medium. It originates in clay form with tiny particles of silver. When fired in a kiln, the clay burns away and the pure silver remains.Most recently I have been delving into the world of soldering, resin and found object jewelry. I loveanything old and unusual. To incorporate that into my jewelry design is very exciting. It is very important to me for each of my designs to reflect my personality and love of art.

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Victioria Monize - VIEW MY ARTWORK

Truth: Art is a communication from the heart of the artist to the heart of the viewer.
Truth: Beauty is a universal language that speaks to everyone.
Truth: Truth sees the beauty in all things.

I dedicate my paintings to these truths.

I see the world through the eyes of an artist, in wonder and awe of the beauty of nature, people and the creations of the world. By allowing myheart to communicate through my eyes and paintbrush, I live the joy of expressing color and light on canvas. Using vibrant strokes of paint I create paintings as a communication of the joy of living, of the appreciation of beauty that surrounds us and a celebration of the uniqueness of all sources of inspiration. My greatest desire is that the viewer will feel that joy, appreciation or celebration as an enhancement of their environment in the language of truth that speaks to their heart.

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Marg Nelssen - VIEW MY ARTWORK

I can be described as a folk artist and innovator when it comes to the mosaic integration of remembered treasures. My vision is to see how discarded items may become transformed and recycled , weaving old,new, commonplace or abandoned materials into my art forms and oftencomplementing my mosaics with original oil or acrylic paintings. My success is due to the unique and non-traditional mosaic process I developed in the 1990 s. My style incorporates dense compositions of various metals with international art, aged hardware, spiritual treasures, southwestern icons, and other mixed media components. I call my medium "Mixed Metal Mosaics". Bailing wire, bullet casings, bones, vintage jewelry, natural gems and stones, cowboy gear, and horseshoes from our Redbird ranch are recycled to create a true mixed media folk
art all with an authentic Arizona twist. Woven into paintings, frames, mirrors, tables, and religious objects, my art ingredients take on a sculptural quality with 3 dimensional textures and varied whimsical themes. Born in Rochester, New York in 1960, I always had a passion for art: exploring drawing, painting,sculpture and ceramics. My artistic quest and appreciation of the Sonoran desert took me to Arizona State University where I earned a Bachelor of Architecture and worked in the field of Architecture for several years. After graduation my family and I settled in Scottsdale, AZ. In this beautiful desert environment we designed and hand-built our home naming it Redbird Ranch. Always a work in progress inspiration for my art is as easy as a walk around the Ranch. Here, we have joyfully raised our son and daughter, four mules, one horse, and for now, four energetic dogs. After moving to our desert home, I prioritized my children s education, co-founding our school district s first Parent Teacher Organization. Years of classroom and District volunteering led me to obtain my Post-Baccalaureate in Education from Rio Salado College and AZ State certification. I then taught art for the Cave Creek Unified School District at the elementary and secondary levels. In 2006, I transitioned into a full time art career so that I could concentrate on throwing my own creative lasso.

I enjoy sharing my love of all things artistic so I continue teaching. I currently teach art and hold workshops at Brio Fine Arts Center and The Loft Art Studios and Gallery in Scottsdale.

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Jacqueline Roliardi - VIEW MY ARTWORK

Creating art is a form of active meditation for me. It empties my mind and focuses my attention, making room for whatever is trying to find its way to me. As a writer and performing artist from an early age, theexpressive arts have always provided the context for my life. It is my"go to" place.

Life, for me, is about people, and our connection to each other. Many of my paintings are of contemplative figures, which reflect my ongoing
curiosity with people, their stories, and the philosophical and spiritual dimensions of life. Inspiration for my paintings comes from family, from
friends, from strangers, and from models all who are fascinating to me.

My art is a reflection of my experience, sometimes consciously, but very often unconsciously. As I am learning to move through life without trying to coax things into happening, my art has taken on this same perspective and process. I am currently working in pastel, both soft and oil. It is the medium
that frees me the most, and as a result is radically changing my approach to the canvas. It allows me to play with color and shapes, and see what forms want to emerge. I am noticing in my art, and in my life, that what falls away is as important as what emerges anew.

With a Masters in Education, I have been both a student and a teacher all of my life, in many different settings and places. The classroom for me now is without walls, without boundaries of any kind, and everyone is my teacher.

My art is dedicated to my husband, with whom I have learned that all things are possible, and to my dear father, who was my greatest teacher, and who I know is teaching me still.

“I look for the form things want to come as, from the black wells of possibility how a thing will unfold…not so much looking for the shape, as being available to any shape that may be summoning itself through me, from the self, not mine, but ours.”
~Excerpt from Poetics A.R. Ammons

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Karen Scoggins - VIEW MY ARTWORK

I began taking pictures with my grandparents' Polaroid camera enjoying watching the pictures come to life before my eyes. I have always loved taking pictures of animals, capturing what many felt to be difficult I found to be very rewarding. I am the type of person who learns from doing, preferring to learn as I go and trusting my guidance from within to capture the essence of what I am shooting whether it is an animal, person or landscape. With the development of digital photography I continue to get the instant results I didwith my grandparents' Polaroid yet with unmatched quality. Utilizing digital photography allows me the artistic license to enhance the final product with my own style. My goal when I shoot is to capture the essence of the subject, the personality and/or inspiration of the scene. I tend to see life from a different perspective and my photographs reflect that. I prefer my work to look unique and to connect with and inspire people the way I am inspired when shooting.

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Les Smutz - VIEW MY ARTWORK

Hello, I am Les E. Smutz, a self-taught professional artist, muralist, and an architectural embellishment artisan and owner of an interior design business. Having explored several avenues of art, I am also a woodcrafter, writer, musician andsongwriter and maybe more...I'm still exploring.

My oil paintings and drawings are mostly about beauty and romance and usually include one or more of the following: clouds, water, female figure(s). I'm not about making statements, just about appreciation of the beauty of the world around us and the images to which my eye is drawn or my imagination wanders.

Although I am primarily self-taught and have drawn and painted most of my life to one degree or another, my mentoring with regard to serious pursuit of art as a career began with a couple of talented high school friends and was further nurtured by studying the works of the great Victorian romanticists: WJ Waterhouse, WA Bouguereau, Sir Francis Dicksee, Godward and many others. In 1998 I decided to learn portraiture and practiced drawing faces from magazines,friends and family until I could produce a pretty fair likeness. When people began asking me to draw their family members I decided it was time to go to the next level. I opened a studio in Exeter, CA in 2003, then moved it to Visalia, CA in 2004, where I was represented by Easelheads Gallery. In 2005, personal reasons prompted a move to Phoenix, AZ, where I now liveand work.

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Bryan Treguboff - VIEW MY ARTWORK
 
My work is an expression of what I see. I am especially drawn to things with rough or fluid textures. I paint acrylic on canvas and am compelled to use texture to give visual appeal in a three dimensional state. I am a self taught painter and I teach myself something new with every painting I do. I only create art that I want or am willing to put into my own house. Something I can look at and feel amazed at how it looks. When my paintings wash away all of my troubles and leave me with a sense of desire to look at them over and over I know that I have completed something I can be proud of.

My belief is that when I am free of anger, sadness, depression, fear or any other negative thoughts or feelings that good things occur in my life. When I look at a piece of metal that is oxidizing or a rock with lots of mineral deposits in it, I lose all my thoughts and feelings of troubles in my life and think only about the way the object looks. I become calm and relaxed even if only for a moment, but it is those moments in my life that are precious to me. Creating those moments is my goal. I want to be able to stop and look at my paintings, reflect on the way they look and briefly lose my stresses. My hope is that if it works for me it will also work for others as well.