Charles Kurre Gallery in Scottsdale

Today I discovered a small gallery in downtown Scottsdale.  Charles Kurre, Selected Works, features some wonderful paintings and several medium sized sculptures.  The gallery is located at 7051 East Fifth Avenue Suite E, on the corner of Marshall Way and Fifth Avenue.  The gallery is new, and has a cool vibe, and is a must see while in the downtown area.  Charles Kurre’s work has been featured for years in The Perimeter Gallery in Chicago.  This is the first time Charles has shown his work in the Valley of the Sun.  Gallery hours are Thursday 11 am – 9 pm, Friday-Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, and Sunday Noon – 5 pm.  This is one of those rare times when you are actually greeted in the gallery by the artist himself.  Charles Kurre studied painting and sculpture at Purdue University.  When asked about his art influences, Charles had this to say:

“While certainly there are threads of influence from artists like Kandinsky and Miro, artists who's work I admire and who have had the most influence,  not necessarily in a pictorial sense, but in my approach to my work are painters Clyfford Still and Richard Diebenkorn, the sculpture of Rebecca Horn, and the photographer Minor White. As for living painters Thomas Nozkowski, tops the list.”

For more information you can visit his website at www.charleskurre.com or his blog at  ithappenseverytuesday.wordpress.com

This "pop up gallery" is now closed.  Thank you.  Feb. 14, 2013

Monsterland!

Monsterland ~ People are just dyin’ to get in!  For a “scary good time” visit Monsterland at 18 West Main Street in historic downtown Mesa, AZ. I had the great opportunity to meet and dine with a local celebrity Super Laundry Bag Lady!  Lunch was great!  I even had a nice chat with the chef.  There’s live music, a large dance floor, Skaraoke, trivia games, and themed costume events. A few weeks later I went back to take some photos for an on line magazine!  If you haven’t been to Monsterland, what are you waiting for, grab the kids, the spouse, get in your hearse and get over there! For more information see their website at www.monsterland.com.  Always free parking!

Thank you models: Beth Wood and Jenny Brundage!  You two (and your minions) were awesome!

Old Town Scottsdale

Yes, it's a dry heat, that's why it's a good idea to per-hydrate before walking outside in the 110+ degree heat.   Today I visited Old Town Scottsdale, didn’t stay long but visited two historical favorites: The Rusty Spur Saloon and Mexican Imports.  I moved to Scottsdale when I was 5 or 6, whenever out of town guests came to visit us in the desert, we always took them to Mexican Imports!  Great little shop, packed full of souvenirs!  I’ve only stopped in to see the Rusty Spur once or twice, once to check out the Western stage, where there’s always live music, and this time to take a few photos for my blog audience.  Stop in sometime, stay a while, enjoy some real music and maybe a drink or two.

Me and my red Coach purse!

Today’s blog entry will be a bit different from the rest.  I woke up on the morning of Friday, July 13^th and decided to have an adventure!  It is summer vacation after all!  I picked out a cute outfit.  I wore a layered black tank dress, sandals, a sparkly red dragonfly necklace, and carried a red Coach purse a friend gave me a few years ago.  I went to The Good Egg for a free breakfast.   When I left The Good Egg, it was raining!  It hasn’t rained in months!  I was so excited.  I was born in Portland, Oregon, where it rains often.  Friday was a Portland kind of day, lots of clouds, rain, wind, much cooler, especially for the middle of summer!  At one point it was raining so hard I just had to call my friend in Portland to have her listen to the sound of my windshield wipers! I did a few boring errands and will spare you the details, once those were out of the way, I visited some of my favorite places!  First, I visited Bloom Studios, a 24,000 square foot wellness center.  Bloom Studios, located in Gilbert, AZ, currently has some of my large paintings on the wall as well as a few of my artist friends, Dean Farrell, and Barbara Moore. I met my amazing husband, David (we’ve been married for 38 years) for an impromptu lunch at Wildflower Bread Company in North Scottsdale.  After lunch, we went for a drive near Camelback Mountain.  I might add it was still raining!  My red Coach purse and I decided it was time to visit one of the largest malls in the South West: Scottsdale Fashion Square!  I found a few things, but I wasn’t really in a shopping mood.  I know, by now, if you know me at all, you must be wondering if I was ill!  I LOVE shopping.  I have always enjoyed perusing the Fifth Avenue shops in Scottsdale.  I stopped at my favorite mixed media supply store: Frenzy Stamper.  This store is wonderful!  Please stop by if you’re an artist!  If you’re not an artist, something there will inspire you to get started!  I went home to relax for a few hours, then left again to go to Tempe Marketplace for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and to sit by the fireplace and listen to some live music by Barnes and Noble.  It was a delightful evening!  Well, as you can imagine, by the time I got home, I was worn out so a quick bubble bath, then off to bed to relax and recharge! 

Thank you for following my blog and my adventures.  Please check back, especially on rainy days…

Drawn to Comics

 

Forget Wednesday, it’s AWESOMEDAY at Drawn to Comics in Historic Downtown Glendale!

DTC opens early every “awesomeday” as new comics arrive each week.  A line of regulars gather outside the front door before 9 am with a steady stream of people following them in all day.  DTC is THE place to be on awesomeday or any day!

This is a family friendly shop!  There is a kids play area and racks of comics and books just for kids.

Their current location at 5801 W. Glendale Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85301 has been open since September 2011, but the shop has made a big impression on Glendale since 2004!  Ken Brown and his lovely family greet each customer by name, making them feel welcome and at home.  Some purchase their comics and head out, some stay and visit for a while.  There are so many cool things to see!

Yearly special events include:

• Free Comic Book Day in May
• Brightest Saturday in November

Weekly events include:

• Wednesday is AWESOME DAY, pick up your new comics on awesomeday
• Wednesday Drawing Sketch Cards in the evening with local artists
• Friday night art classes (first class is free, then a mere $10)

For more information check out their website at www.drawntocomics.com

Stop in and say hello.  Tell ‘em Judy sent ya…

Superstition Mountain Museum

These are a few photos I took during Spring Break! For more information please see their website:http://www.superstitionmountainmuseum.org/

They have a lovely exhibit and the grounds are exquisite! Save a little time to stop by the gift store, lots of books and trinkets to buy for yourself or a friend. My husband, David, and I co-wrote a poem, it's featured in a book called Arizona, 100 Years, 100 Poems, 100 Poets. You can find this book in the gift store.

All photos by Judy Wood

Michelle Penington - Local Artist

Michelle Penington is a talented artist, painting professionally since 2000. She is also free-spirited, confident, passionate, determined, and some call her crazy and stubborn. She has several collectors.

Michelle is passionate about painting. She uses all of her emotional life experiences to tell us her story. Her artwork is filled with hidden meanings, some she shares, some she keeps to herself.

Michelle is Italian and was a ballet dancer from the age of 2-16, performing in a dance company in California for several years. She comes from a talented family. Her favorite grandmother was a dress designer in Hollywood. Her brother, Patrick, plays piano and can draw anything! Michelle has no musical talent but loves to add instruments in her paintings, usually guitars and drums. Michelle paints only in oil and prefers natural light while working. She often works night and day to finish commissioned paintings.

Michelle is a crazy, hopeless romantic. She enjoys capturing ‘moments’ as seen in a bar scene painting titled “Ends and Beginnings”. Painting titles are often a collaborative effort between Michelle and her singer/songwriter friend Ashley Norton. Visit her website at www.ashleynortonmusic.com.

Michelle has completed several collaborative paintings including “Nothing But Steam”, “Juliet” and most recently a painting to accompany a poem called “Sometimes I’m Cinderella, today I am the Princess”.

Street scenes are very important to her work. One recent painting has hundreds of windows, all meticulously planned and applied to the canvas.

Michelle moved from California to Arizona in 1997. This was a life changing move.

Michelle lives in Cave Creek, Arizona, a scenic, mountainous suburb of Phoenix. She has two children, two dogs, one tortoise, and a snake. She has never painted animals, but is considering it now. Her daughter plays piano and her son would like to play football someday.

Michelle’s favorite artists include Kahlo, Van Gogh, and Picasso. Michelle is inspired by many things, including what she calls her muse; someone who’s story intertwines with hers and makes her paintings sing.

Someday Michelle would like to own a vineyard, and would love to paint original artwork for wine bottle labels.

Michelle’s artwork can be seen in her private studio (by appointment only), or on line. Visit www.michellepenington.com and www.lulugracephotography.smugmug.com . Michelle donates an original painting to local charities each year, charities include The Desert Foothills Community Theatre and The Arizona Children’s Heart Association.

You can reach Michelle at mmpenington@cox.net. If you’re in the Cave Creek area, make an appointment to stop by and see this wonderfully creative artist at work!

Written by Judy Wood Artist/Poet/Writer (For more information see http://aztreasures.blogspot.com)