BY STEPHANIE LOUGH
PHOTOS BY MARK MORGAN
ARTFUL
MUSINGS
FIVE LOCAL ARTISTS BLENDING
THE CREATIVE CULTURES OF
PHOENIX AND SCOTTSDALE
T
he Valley’s art scene has long been viewed as two separate
cultures: Scottsdale with its traditional Western art, conjuring
images of cowboys and turquoise associated with the Southwest,
versus Phoenix’s contemporary, urban aesthetic focused in the
downtown districts.
Both are respected in their own right, with Scottsdale’s longrunning Thursday ArtWalk and Phoenix’s popular First Fridays,
and both have an important place in the Valley’s arts culture. But
recently, the communities have started to overlap, with a growing
sophistication in Phoenix and cultural expansion to Uptown, and a
more relaxed and abstract influence percolating to Scottsdale.
SEPTEMBER 2016 |
33
| UPTOWN
John Gleason
We spoke with five local artists who are embracing the everdeveloping art scene. They shared how the Valley inspires them
and what they envision regarding the future of the area’s culture.
Self-taught sculptor John Gleason’s career has spanned
more than 20 years, giving him firsthand insight to how the
Valley’s art scene has grown over time.
“Arizona, like the rest of the U. S., is seeing great changes in
the art world right now, from where and how we see art to how
and where we buy it,” Gleason says. “Phoenix and Scottsdale
have a thriving art community, and I see a growth of the arts
throughout the Valley every year.”
As co-founder of Quan’tum Art, Inc., a contemporary art gallery in the heart of the Scottsdale Art District, Gleason has seen
the shift away from Scottsdale’s more traditional Western art to
include more diverse and contemporary imagery.
“In Arizona, collectors of Western art are changing. The
population of the Valley is more national and international, and
we are losing the Western art galleries,” Gleason says. “Younger
generations are seeking more diverse and sophisticated imagery
that speaks to a renewed interest in art and sculptures.”
It is this sophisticated, contemporary aesthetic that is reflective in Gleason’s work. Primarily a manipulator of copper, his
pieces incorporate other contrasting materials including glass,
clay, wood and stone.
UPTOWN |
34
“I love the versatility which can be changed through the processes of heat, patina and acid,” says Gleason, who has created
both two- and three-dimensional pieces. “My copper and glass
wall sculptures have been collected by art lovers, municipalities,
and are in private and corporate collections.”
And while he sees Western art fading in the traditional
sense, he is still heavily influenced by the natural beauty of the
Southwest, particularly inspired by the colorful geology and landscapes in the Four Corners region.
“I have spent much time creating sculptures in and around
the El Morro National Monument in Ramah, New Mexico,” says
Gleason, adding that some of his personal favorite installations
can be found at the national park as well as nearby it. “I find the
area inspiring, both creatively and spiritually.”
| SEPTEMBER 2016
Frank Ybarra
Gleason is also adamant that he doesn’t take his work too
seriously and recognizes art is a luxury meant for enjoyment. The
sentiment conveyed by his work resonates with the attitude of the
emerging local art community: “Happy. Hopefully though provoking. Contemporary.”
But what Gleason does take seriously is the role art plays in
our culture and the legacy it leaves for posterity.
“Over time, history has shown us that in the end, all we leave
behind is art and architecture. Artists document our existence.”
Even with the shift away from more traditional Western
imagery, the influence the genre has on local artists is a lasting
one. Such is the case for neo-Cubist illustrator Frank Ybarra,
whose iconic images of the Southwest have made him one of the
Valley’s most sought-after artists.
The Phoenix native frequently pulls imagery from the desert’s
physical landmarks and depicts colorful scenes of American family life with Southwest influences. As a Mexican-American, his cultural heritage is apparent in his subject matter, while the familiar
images invoke a pop-art quality that differentiates his work from
his Western artist predecessors.
“I find inspiration from the images in our desert environment
and my Mexican culture and family memories,” Ybarra says, adding that one of his favorite pieces is a tribute to his father called
Fanfare for the Common Trabajador.
Because of his embodiment of Southwestern roots, five
of Ybarra’s images were selected to appear on the Arizona
Centennial advertising campaign in 2012 and used on banners,
SEPTEMBER 2016 |
35
| UPTOWN
Christine Cassano
UPTOWN |
36
| SEPTEMBER 2016
billboards, print ads and more. His work was also nominated for
the Governor’s Art Award this year.
Active in Xico Inc., an arts organization that features Mexican
and Native American artists, Ybarra believes it is crucial for the
Valley to support artists who represent the foundations of our culture saying, “We grew up here and have experienced our desert
environment as well as the fact that Phoenix has grown tremendously in recent decades.”
Art enthusiasts can view Ybarra’s current exhibit at Casa
de Artistas in Old Town Scottsdale, which is part of Thursday
ArtWalk events, however, Ybarra notes that the Valley’s artistic
growth is most apparent in the downtown district.
“It’s great to see the activity on First Fridays in Downtown
Phoenix. Lots of new galleries and art spaces are popping up
there. With the general interest in the events that are happening
downtown, I feel that it can only get better.”
For some creative types, the Valley is a source of inspiration
that’s actively sought out, rather than ingrained in their upbringing. For mixed-media sculptor and installation artist Christine
Cassano, the appeal of our desert’s unique and “harsh beauty”
brought her to the Valley from the east coast a decade ago.
“Living in the desert, I’m constantly reminded of nature’s
ability to adapt and our desert environment,” Cassano says. “The
landscape, plants and animals are the most stunning examples
of that. They all have this harsh beauty reflected in their patterns,
textures and armors, each offering deep secrets of pure adaptation and survival. It is that harsh beauty that very much influences
aspects within my work.”
Cassano’s general style is a hybrid of industrial and organic
elements, resulting in art that some may consider, “like the desert
itself, both harsh and beautiful.” She works with a multitude of
contrasting materials, including clay, wood, stone, plastic, concrete, circuitry, metal and found objects to create her large-scale
installations, assemblage pieces and sculptures.
A perfect example of her contrasting vision is Jawbreaker, a
mixed-media sculpture composed of horse jaw bone, cast metal,
concrete and moss, which was recently awarded first place in
Scottsdale’s Tilt Gallery’s “Infinite Possibility: Art of Tomorrow”
international juried exhibition.
From her shared warehouse studio, Cassano is able to
connect with like-minded individuals and keep a finger on the
pulse of the local art scene. She cites the economic downturn as
changing the gallery business model and the way we consume
art, with many artists transforming their once traditional exhibition
galleries to multi-use, shared art spaces to cover overhead.
“It’s on the shoulders of emerging and established artists to
continue to be resourceful, find places to exhibit their work, and
stay on top of exhibit and marketing opportunities.”
Much like becoming an artist isn’t neccessarily a straigtforward path, the journey into art itself isn’t as straightforward
for some. As is the case for Kevin Coran, an “accidental artist”
who developed his passion by building decorative fountains from
scraps leftover from house projects – and then gaining the attention of friends. After half a decade of truck driving during the day
and creating at night, he became a full-time artist 10 years ago.
“My work could be called abstract expressionism, but I usually just call it contemporary abstract,” says Coran, adding that
SEPTEMBER 2016 |
Kevin Coran
37
| UPTOWN
Sara Becker
UPTOWN |
38
| SEPTEMBER 2016
he’s not particularly fond of labels, as neither description communicates the whimsical illusions and balance his pieces create.
His visions are heavily influenced from his experience working
on cars and driving trucks, and he continues to repurpose mechanical parts to give his work an “post-industrial” feel. Also an avid science fiction reader, he is driven by imagination and his own curiosity.
“I often want to dig in and see how something works, how I
can build it, what makes it look and feel right and, ultimately, how
to give it life,” Coran says. “Creating art is not an intellectual pursuit for me but one of communicating in ways that words cannot.”
Coran’s creations are highly sought after all over the country,
with one of this favorite pieces, Knot Me, recently being sold to a
company Washington D.C. The sculpture captured the imaginations of many, including the City of Surprise, which recently commissioned a larger version. Other pieces can be seen around the
state, including Pearson & Company in the Scottsdale Art District
and galleries in Chandler, Avondale and Prescott.
In addition to his own artistic endeavors, Coran is passionate
about supporting other local artist and strengthening the Valley’s
art community though his involvement in the Arizona Artists Guild,
Phoenix Art Museum’s Contemporary Forum, Scottsdale Museum of
Contemporary Art and 5 Arts Circle. As a way to give back, he also
holds events for mid-career artists, groups from Mesa Community
College’s Sculptural Welding classes and for 3-D printing.
“Artists are the most vibrant part of any community. They
generally know no bounds and are able to see the ‘same old
things’ in brand-new ways.”
As for the growth of the Valley’s art scene, Coran says it’s
been fun to experience firsthand.
“The local art scene is absolutely amazing. Downtown
Phoenix was not even on the art radar 10-plus years ago, and
now it may well be the center of the Valley’s art culture,” Coran
says. “As it’s grown, the art being exhibited has gotten more
SEPTEMBER 2016 |
sophisticated and professional. Almost every city in the Valley
now has a public art program – people everywhere recognize the
value and importance of art to our quality of life.”
Another fan of Downtown Phoenix’s artistic growth is
graphic designer-turned-artist, Sara Becker, who began painting
15 years ago. A self-described “expressive colorist” she creates
her artistic vision by layering paints, sanding and reapplying the
paint for deep texture and luminous colors. Inspired by the natural
palette and textures of the Valley’s mountain preserves, her work
is reminiscent of the Southwest’s sunsets juxtaposed with minimalist symbols and modern text.
“I find inspiration in the act of artistic creation itself, in the
serenity of yoga and in certain words and symbols that act as a
portal to those places for me,” Becker says. “Sometimes the paint
itself takes me where I want to go.”
As a yoga enthusiast, the practice is commonplace both in
Becker’s work and life, with pieces currently on display at Modern
Yoga in Scottsdale. No longer limited to traditional galleries or art
shows, more and more artists are connecting with like-minded
businesses to showcase their work, or turning to more collaborative, shared spaces.
“The arts always have the potential to reflect the local culture. It’s important that Phoenix sees itself through the eyes of
many different artists. Amazingly, no two are ever the same.”
An avid supporter of Scottsdale’s ArtWalk and Phoenix’s
Frist Fridays — where she has upcoming shows at First Studio
and Olney Gallery on Roosevelt – Becker sees the most growth
in artists’ willingness to share their creativity and opening their
studios to broader audiences.
“I love that artists here are so supportive of each other and
there is a diversity of visual expression. The art scene is always
changing, as new artists, styles and imagery are put out there,
and their influences ripple through our community.”
39
| UPTOWN
Published online & in print 09/2016
http://www.uptownphoenix.com
https://issuu.com/richmanmediagroup/docs/ut-0916
page 33 - 39