Sedona Arts Center update for Feb. 26 — Two Expansive Exhibitions

Artists Receptions March 1, from 5 to 8pm

Sedona Arts Center proudly presents two brilliant exhibitions this spring. The March collection of artists in the Fine Art Gallery features bronze sculptures by Deanne McKeown, finely-crafted knives by husband Byron McKeown and the stunning Jewelry creations of their daughter Lesley Aine McKeown, plus oil paintings by long-time artist and instructor Gretchen Lopez, and unique fiber sculpture on manzanita wood by Mary Flaisig from March 1 to April 30. In the Theatre Gallery the 39^th Annual Juried Members’ Exhibition and Sale will be showing from March 1–31 and features works by over 75 artists exhibiting over 100 works! 9 Creativity Awards will announced at 6:00 pm Visit Sedona Arts Center on Friday, March 1 from 5 to 8 pm for two opening receptions, where you can meet and mingle with the artists, and enjoy a wonderful watercolor demonstration by Gretchen Lopez starting at 6:30 pm.

Known for her creative bronze sculptures and beautiful jewelry, Deanne has led a storied career in the arts. She often looks at the world in a three-dimensional fashion featuring Ravens, Shamans and fanciful critters combined with antique objects such as type writers, roller skates and old books.

“None of us perceive the world in exactly the same way. Our oneness lies in a yearning to touch and to understand. My work is an endeavor to share my thoughts and vision through form and color and relationships, hoping to charge my images with meaning which will reach across the spaces between us. However, in the long run, it’s all about making art – great if there’s communication, but if not, I’d still do it anyway. In looking back over a lifetime of working and exploring ideas, I realize that I have never created art, art has been, and is now, creating me.”

As equally creative as his wife, Byron delights with his handmade knives and walking sticks. Some of the finest craftsmanship available. Handcrafted Damask Steel blades accompany handles made from antler, lapis and stone to name a few items. The walking sticks are as beautifully crafted while being a functional accessory.

“I met Deanne, the girl who was to become my friend, my wife and my life partner. We were all comrades on the ship as we sailed through exciting times. We pretended to be what we weren’t while we searched for what we wanted to be. We shared the joy when we occasionally caught a glimpse of what our future could be.”

“When people ask how I became an artist, I often laugh and say, “it’s genetic.” I was raised in art. My parents met and married while they were students at the Art Institute in Kansas City. I was born shortly after they graduated and began their careers as professional artists. My father made jewelry in the 1960s and ’70, and worked for Hallmark while my mother painted, sculpted and illustrated medical textbooks until 1979, when we moved to Sedona, Arizona. In 1982 the jewelry bug bit me. As an apprentice I learned traditional native American silversmithing techniques. In 1984 I launched my career as a jeweler, and I’ve never looked up since. It’s always been the challenges of metal-smithing that I crave.”

Gretchen’s works are inspired, not only by her love of painting, but from her ethnic heritage, teaching, and the world around her. As a tenth generation Native of California, Gretchen is a descendant of the First Spanish Settlers and the California Rancheros, with roots stemming from the Chumash and Apache, her work is inspired by this rich Ethnic Heritage.  Vibrant color and spontaneity are expressed in the gentle beauty of the Native and Hispanic people she paints, and by combining the traditional with the contemporary, she is able to paint with freedom. Gretchen typically works from life with a model to guide her brushwork across the canvas. Of late Gretchen has taken her easel outdoors to paint en plein air the beauty of the landscape or the architecture of an old mission.

From her beginnings as a tapestry weaver and a basket weaver Mary Flaisig creates her three-dimensional fiber sculptures by weaving on a structure of rattan that she builds on branches which are often Manzanita wood. For the weft in her weaving Flaisig uses yarns in wool, mohair, sild, rayon and other unique fibers often collected on her travels.

“I use the play of light on the varied surfaces, colors and textures of a fiber piece to create beauty. The years I wove intricate tapestries sharpened my color sense. Now I find the movement in sculpture more personally satisfying than weaving flat tapestry. The challenge of the fiber artist is to create a piece which can only be successfully interpreted in fiber. Using the contrast of traditional wool and contemporary man-made fibers adds excitement to my woven work.”

Sedona’s largest and longest-running group exhibition of visual art, the 39^th Annual Juried Members Exhibition, will be on view from March 1 to 31 in the Historic Art Barn as well, and is free to the public. “This exhibition will feature emerging and well-established artists of all varieties,” said Gallery Director Cyndi Thau, “It’s an excellent opportunity to see a wide-range of creativity and talent of artists in Northern Arizona.”

Visitors will find everything from painting and watercolor to wood, jewelry, and fiber art. A focus is also placed on drawing, mixed-media, photography and digital art, and ceramics. The Members’ Show is steeped in tradition and remains open to all current Arts Center members, whether seasoned professionals or new and emerging artists. Awards will be announced at 6 pm. Pictured above “El Patio” by Jeffery L. Neumann