Thriving art scene emerges in Greater Phoenix

Published: 04/13/2018
Updated: 04/17/2023

In Greater Phoenix, you can discover a renaissance of creativity and inspiration nearly anywhere you look across the region. In fact, the region is so rife with innovation and remarkable talent, it has transformed into an art hub.

To highlight the beauty and diversity of Greater Phoenix, GPEC is currently featuring an art exhibition in our offices showcasing locally sourced art through the five C’s of Arizona: cattle, citrus, climate, copper and cotton. All artwork is available for purchase with 100% of the sale price going directly to the artist.

Meet the 16 local artists that creatively express what makes this an amazing place to live, work and play.

Margarete Beeson, Phoenix, AZ
Blurring the lines between nature and fantasy with vividly original art, Margarete Beeson, also known as, Felt Phoenix, is a local Arizona artist and curator. Margarete has a variety of artistic interests such as pyrography, felted wool fiber art, toy and found object collage and more.

Moo Love
Pyrography and acrylic artwork, 6×6
Moo Love touches on the belief of sacred cows and has symbols of heart-shaped love prickly pear cactus.

Raina Bowers, Tempe, AZ
An Arizona-based artist, Raina studied filmmaking at Arizona State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Herberger School in 2017. She grew up performing music, studying theatre and painting. Raina reflects her lifestyle in her photography; traveling, thrifting, supporting local businesses, and collaborating with other young local artists.

Natural
Photography, 16×20
Natural is a photograph praising the southwest for what it shares with us.

Andy Brown, Phoenix, AZ
Andy is an artist working mostly with large scale mural work in Phoenix (where his studio is located), San Francisco, Las Vegas, Houston, and more. The natural world and everyday-life inspire him to keep creating. Andy teaches in between large projects and is the founder of Megaphone PHX, a multi-dimensional art space that hosts poetry slams, summer art camps, events and more.

Arriving
Acrylic and aerosol
Arriving is one out of a four painting series entitled, “Saguaros Watching Us”, where the artist uses the concept of time. The painting is the result of loosening up, combining relaxed and fast strokes with spray paint, working at different levels of speed.

Stefanie Carson, Mesa, AZ
Born and raised in Southern California, Stefanie developed an affection for art as a young girl. She was often found with a sketchpad and pack of colored pencils in hand, creating – what she was sure to be – the next big trend in fashion. As Stefanie grew, so did her love of art. It’s really no surprise that her drive and passion for the creative world led her to a career as a Senior Graphic Designer and Photographer.

Arizona Fresh
Acrylic on watercolor paper, 9×12
Arizona Fresh is a painting honoring the early citrus farmers of the east valley, mainly Mesa.

Rose Colored Nostalgia (sold)
Cow skull, rose gold paint, white acrylic, rhinestones, silk flowers
Rose Colored Nostalgia is a representation of the tales about heroic cowboys pioneering the American Southwest tales, which are often viewed through the rose-colored lens of Hollywood Western cinema.

Tara Gamel, San Tan Valley, AZ
Tara grew up in the beautiful mountains of Colorado and always had a passion for art, even at a young age. She attended the Milan Art Institute mastery program to elevate her skills and discover her artistic voice. Tara hopes to continue to create art that communicates her ideas and humor while still creating a sense of pleasing aesthetics to her collectors.

Be Happy
Oil on canvas, 24×24
Be Happy is painting that reminds us to rejoice in the little things.

Sabrina Hernandez, Avondale City, AZ
Granddaughter of migrant workers who settled in Arizona, Sabrina is an active member of her church and its children’s ministry. A self-taught artist, she began painting and selling her art pieces locally to fundraise the children’s ministry. In the last few years, her work has been showcased beyond her small hometown and throughout Phoenix.

Virginia Smiles in Arizona (sold)
Acrylic on canvas, 18×24
Virginia Smiles in Arizona represents the story of Sabrina’s grandmother, Virginia. In 1952, after finding herself a young widow, Virginia bravely packed up her six children, left Texas and migrated to Arizona. She worked in local farms, fields and ranches along the way. Virginia’s love for her family will always be remembered in the sacrifices she made.

Ryan Lowry, Phoenix, AZ
Ryan is an artist and a designer hailing from Phoenix, Arizona. He is inspired by the contrast he experiences from living in the city, while finding his retreat in nature. Hiking and exploring Arizona’s natural beauty is a big part of his life and fuels his inspiration. In his work, Ryan strives to bring life to the core values and stories behind characters, locations and brands.

PHX—SMMR
Digital prints, limited run, 10×10
PHX—SMMR represents the intense beauty that can be seen in Phoenix with cacti, sunsets, monsoons and city elements. The ligature of the ‘O’ and ‘E’ in Phoenix is a tribute to older Arizona advertising that took advantage of the æthel character of typesetting.

PHX—AZ represents the juxtaposition of desert and city landscapes seen in Phoenix. All of these elements are wrapped within intense, purple monsoon clouds.

Jeffrey Luth, Scottsdale, AZ
As a communications professional and executive recruiter, Jeffrey uses language to fashion and deliver messages. As a photographer, he tells stories using a visual language based on the interplay between subject and light. After relocating from the east coast to Arizona, Jeffrey became interested in landscape photography. Much of his recent work reflects a desire to create artistic images to engage the viewer on multiple levels.

Harvest
Photography, 12×18/18×24
Set against the backdrop of a brilliant sunset, Harvest is a subtle and colorful tribute to Arizona’s vibrant agriculture economy.

Daniel Porter, Peoria, AZ
Dan was born and raised in Southern New Jersey before moving to Phoenix in 2016. He Attended college at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. For 27 years, Dan has been working in the screen printing and sign industry as a Graphic Artist. Eight years later, he re-introduced himself to airbrush and automotive mural painting for fun. Now living in Arizona, Dan has been studying the southwest art and culture more in depth. His style is constantly evolving along with its imagery and subject matter that is influenced by architecture, and the art that surrounds us in everyday-life and culture.

Great Plain
Steer skull painted with automotive urethanes, acrylic metallic and urethane pearls, backed by reclaimed barn wood.

Lydia Quinones, Phoenix, AZ
A Yaqui-Filipino artist and an art instructor, Lydia has been residing in Phoenix since 2015. Prior to living in Phoenix, she resided in China where she taught and studied Chinese art. Lydia’s art works reflect aspects of Yaqui and Asian culture in contexts, which relate to Arizona’s history. Her pieces can be found at The Grotto Gallery and The Millet House Artist Collective.

Perfect Climate for Persimmons (sold)
Oil on canvas, 60×36
Persimmons, a red-brown or orange fruits that grow on trees like plums, can be found in Asian and Native American folklore and symbolize wisdom and perseverance. As persimmons require well drained soil and a lot of sun, Arizona climate is perfect for growing these delightful fruits.

Niladri Sarker, Phoenix, AZ
A university professor and a planetary scientist, Niladri currently resides in Phoenix. When he is not teaching, he is traveling the world, writing, and creating art and photography. Niladri’s art is characterized by its bold strokes and colorful motifs. The gaze of a diverse series of animals is what he draws his viewers to. Ultimately, his art is captured as a celebration of life everywhere.

Fractured Valley/Arizona Desert
Oil on canvas, 20×24

Coyote
Watercolor and color pencil on paper, 12×14

Calen Sink, Chandler, AZ
A 6th grader from Chandler, AZ, Calen Sink developed a passion for art at a very early age by watching and learning from his artistic grandfather (Opa), Bruce Sink. Calen enjoys sketching, cartooning, watercolor and acrylic mediums. He has won multiple art contests including his school yearbook cover contest and the Lion’s Club/Intel Peace Poster contest for the state of Arizona. Cal enjoys sharing his passion and artistic talents with anyone who is interested in learning.

The 5 C’s of Arizona
Watercolor, 22×28
The 5 C’s of Arizona incorporates cattle, copper, climate, cotton and citrus in a single scene to show the beauty of Arizona.

Marilyn Szabo, Phoenix, AZ
A Norfolk, VA native, Marilyn Szabo began a lifelong interest in history and photography. She received a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Photography from Virginia Commonwealth University and has worked as a photographer for 25 years. Her photographic subjects vary from people to architecture to landscape, and the work has been praised for its depth, craftsmanship and versatility. She has received five arts commission awards and has had numerous one person shows.

Sanctuary of Camelback Mountain
Photograph, 20×20
The Sanctuary of Camelback Mountain depicts the recreation and relaxed atmosphere of Arizona’s hotel industry and was featured in the “At Work in Arizona” photographic collection.

Lucretia Torva, Phoenix, AZ
Born in central Illinois, Lucretia grew up in Scotland and France. Because her family traveled extensively, she experienced many great landmarks and artworks in person which influenced her love of art and history. After receiving her M.F.A. from the University of Illinois, Lucretia taught college art and art history. In 1997, she moved to Phoenix and have been a self-employed “artist” since 2000. She uses the term loosely since making a living at painting entails a lot of faux finishing and murals in kids’ rooms.

Afternoon Breeze, oil on canvas, 15×30
Afternoon Breeze is a painting simply depicting a nice afternoon.

Robert Varela, Phoenix, AZ
Robert has been creating art all his life – from coloring on walls as a toddler to a career in graphic design, spanning over four decades. He recently became a painter and has fallen in love with the magic that happens when paint meets canvas. While he respects and admires all styles of painting, he’s drawn to abstract, an intuitive and instinctive form of expression. People see different things in his paintings and it becomes their painting too.

Sonoran Sandstorm
Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 48×30

Steve Weiss, Phoenix, AZ
A Phoenix native, Steve was exposed to photography in high school. He received a B.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute and Arizona State University. In the early 1980s, he began his fine arts photography company, Candid Landscapes, with the intention of looking at natural and urban scenes with a fresh and uncontrived approach. His work is in the fine art collections of Del Webb Corporation, Salt River Project, the Gallagher Kennedy and Streich Lang law firms and many other private collections.

Cotton Field
Spectra polaroid

Orange Stand
Spectra polaroid

Haybales
Spectra polaroid

John D. Yanke, Phoenix, AZ
Originally from Wisconsin, John received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Milwaukee Institute of Arts and Design and is expecting a Master’s of Fine Arts from Azusa Pacific University in July 2019. He has designed seats and saddlebags for Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, operated a mural and faux painting business and remodeled homes. John currently teaches all levels of art at The Odyssey Institute for Advanced and International Studies.

Processing a Date – Out of Date
Steel rod, coil springs, spiral wire, copper spray paint

Greater Phoenix’s thriving art scene makes it an attractive place to live, work and play in, as well as a breeding ground for exciting new talent. Learn how you too, can thrive thanks to our region’s high quality of life. If you’re interested in purchasing the artwork pieces, contact us for more information.