Live artist demos during Tubac’s Spring ArtWalk
Please join us at our live artist event Saturday and Sunday March 11th and 12th, 2017
Come see Gretchen Lopez and David Flitner paint from 1-4 pm each day.
We will be hosting collector favorite artists Gretchen Lopez and David Flitner during Tubac’s annual Spring Art Walk. You can meet the artists, see their newest work, and enjoy the village festivities. Light refreshments will be served on Saturday.
We invite you to join us and meet these talented artists:
Gretchen Lopez, Painter
Collector note: Gretchen will be painting from a live model on Saturday, March 11th.
Dress Rehearsal by Gretchen Lopez
Gretchen Lopez‘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.
Gretchen lives in Northern Arizona, where she continues to pursue her love of painting, and has taught at the Sedona Arts Center for over 15 years.
David Flitner, Painter
Jewel of the Desert by David Flitner
David Flitner obtained a degree at the University of Arizona and went on to continue his formal training at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Although he studied figurative drawing and painting, landscapes have always been his first artistic love and the desert Southwest has never failed to inspire him.
David has been a backpacker, so as others stick to the hiking trails, David follows the land to find the exact spot which captures the essence of what he senses for his canvas. When he finally sets up his easel, he paints the light and depth that surround him, the changing shadows falling over the desert vistas. He strives to paint the peaceful feeling and the mystery of the landscape in view.
Please join us March 11th and 12th from 1 to 4pm daily to meet the artists and watch them paint. Light refreshments will be served on Saturday. Please contact the gallery with any questions you may have.
Join us for the FOUR ARTIST Cowboys & Indians show
We are delighted to invite you the hottest Southwestern art show this spring
Please join us for our Cowboys & Indians show featuring four painters who are thrilling the art world with their dynamic work.
The show runs February 25th & 26th from 1 to 4 each day, with light appetizers, cowboy cosmos, beer, and wine served on Saturday, February 25th.
All of the artists will be present and on-hand to discuss their newest paintings. We know you will enjoy meeting these talented men and hearing their stories:
Eric Tippeconnic
Moonlight Drive, Eric Tippeconnic
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas – Size: 30 x 48
Eric is a new artist here at Rogoway Gallery, and we are pleased to be able to offer his work to our discerning collectors.
Comanche artist Eric Tippeconnic is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation on his father’s side and his mother hails from Copenhagen, Denmark.
Using bright, rich and vibrant color combinations, Eric utilizes his artwork to capture movement that serves as a metaphor for the viewer which boldly states that Indigenous American cultures while intimately connected to their history are in fact contemporary, alive, and constantly evolving.
Brandon Bailey
Monsoon Season by Brandon Bailey
Medium: Oil on Canvas – Size: 30 x 60
From as early as he can remember Brandon Bailey has had an immense interest in art. From doing pencil drawings as a child and teenager, Brandon built a foundation which would lead into to a career as a fine artist.
In his work, Bailey tries to harmonize bold, loose brushstrokes with detailed focal points. He paints subjects that he knows firsthand-whether it is a close encounter with a bull elk or being flung into the air by a cantankerous rodeo bull, those life experiences grant him the knowledge needed to render his subjects with the utmost integrity.
Del Curfman
Vanishing Series: Parade, Del Curfman
Medium: Oil on Canvas – Size: 16″ x 20″
Emerging Artist Del Curfman is an enrolled member of the Crow Nation of Montana. He is currently enrolled and obtaining his BFA in Studio Arts with a focus on painting at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Curfman’s culture has been a constant influence in his life and work. His work represents techniques and styles of Impressionism. With loose brushwork and semi-abstraction he captures the essence of nature.
David K. John
Coming into Spring, David K. John
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas – Size: 20″ x 16″
David K. John has lived his own words, working from his own inspiration, creating paintings based on Navajo mythology and stories. Communicating a quiet spirituality that speaks universally, his unique expressions are becoming more widely recognized and admired.
Raised by his great grandfather, David grew up hearing the stories and teachings of his homeland. In his art, John expresses his own interpretations of his childhood learning with the utmost care and respect.
John spent much of his childhood attending healing events-from seasonal rituals to sand painting ceremonies where he often participated and was instructed by the most revered members of his culture. Making no excuses for his spirituality, John is specific about his use of color. Like most native American tribes, the Dine associate particular colors with the four directions: yellow-the west, white- the east, turquoise-the south, and black- the north.
Please join us February 25th and 26th from 1 to 4pm to meet the artists and see their latest work. Appetizers, beer, wine, and cowboy cosmos will be served on Saturday. Please contact the gallery with any questions you may have.
January 2017 featured artist: Felicia
Announcing! One-woman sculpture show featuring bronze artist Felicia
January 14th from 11 am to 4 pm – Come see her newest work and meet this talented artist!
Acclaimed sculptor Felicia is known for her graceful bronzes featuring Native American women and children. But if it hadn’t been for a vacation from her New York home to Santa Fe three decades ago, the artist might not have found her calling.
Big Sister by Felicia – bronze
Winter is Approaching by Felicia – bronze
Sculptor Felicia in the studio
“I didn’t even know Santa Fe was on the map,” Felicia says. “The inspiration I felt there of the Native American people and culture opened up a whole new world for me creatively.”
Felicia was so inspired by the region and the people that she eventually left the east coast, moving to the Vail Valley of Colorado just a few short hours away from her beloved Santa Fe.
The artist works from live models, using the likeness of her subjects to spark her creative vision. She uses the “lost wax” method to create her works, an ancient technique that requires 12 laborious steps in both the studio and the foundry to create the final work.
While many artists might find the rigors of working with bronze to be confining, Felicia finds the precision required to take her art from concept to finished work to be stimulating. “I love the challenge of bronze,” the artist says, “If one step goes wrong, you have to start over.”
Her art ranges in size from miniatures to monumental installations and graces collections worldwide. Collectors appreciate the exclusivity of Felicia’s work (with only 18 total sculptures in each of her editions) as well as her willingness to do commissions to scale smaller sculpture to much larger pieces.
Felicia is an award-winning artist who has been featured in publications and selected for many juried invitational shows, including shows at the Gilcrease Art Museum in Tulsa, the Tucson Museum of Art in Tucson, the Charles Allis Art Museum in Milwaukee, the Old West Museum in Cheyenne, the National Arts Club in New York City, and the Mountain Oyster Club in Tucson. She was inducted into the National Association of Women Artists and has work displayed in in private and corporate collections throughout the world.
Looking to add a Felicia sculpture to your collection? Please join us February 14th from 11am to 4pm to meet the artist and see her newest work! Please contact the gallery with any questions you may have.
December 2016 featured artist: Walter Porter
Now through December 31, 2016 – All Walter Porter paintings are 15% off
What makes a painting extraordinary?
Coffeepot Samba – plein air
oil – 14″ x 11″
$700 framed
Dry Creek Trailhead #1– plein air
oil – 8″ x 10″
$600 framed
Below The Rim
oil – 24″ x 30″
$2700 framed
Plein aire painter and art teacher Walter Porter believes that for an image to be truly remarkable, it must have more than just an attractive subject. For him, the composition – the underlying structure – of the painting is where the magic happens.
In fact, Walter is so convinced that the underlying composition of a painting is what speaks to the viewer that he chooses his images based primarily on that criterion. “I no longer choose a ‘thing’ to paint,” Walter says. “Instead, I search for shapes and an interplay between light and shadow before I ever pick up a brush.”
The realization that good composition was the key to exceptional art came to Walter in 2004, when he switched from painting watercolors in the studio to working in oils out-of-doors. Painting this way, (called en plein aire, meaning painting outside, directly from life) necessitates rapid decision making on the part of the artist to capture a scene before the light changes and everything looks different.
It was this need for fast decisions that forced Walter to rediscover the core concepts of painting composition, determining how to construct an image that would engage the viewer on a visceral level.
“I worked as a professional illustrator and watercolor painter for years, so I knew about using color, temperature, and value but mostly on an instinctual level,” Walter says. “But around the same time I started exploring oils, I began studying the technical aspects of art and that was when these principles and the ‘why’ behind them became real to me.”
The artist also credits teaching for giving him a heightened insight into his painting. “In order to explain a concept or a technique, you have to really understand it or you can’t communicate to others,” says Walter. “I learn as much from teaching my students as they do from me.”
Walter was born in 1952 in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Ripon College, The Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Arizona. During his years as a commercial illustrator, his clients included America West Airlines, Arizona Highways Magazine, AT&T, IBM, Park Hyatt Hotels, U.S. West Communications and the U.S. State Department. Today, Walter lives with his wife Betsy in the mountains just outside of Tucson, Arizona.
Looking to add a Walter Porter landscape to your collection? All purchases of Walter’s work made from December 1 – 31, 2016, will receive a 15% discount. Please contact the gallery with any questions you may have.
November 2016 featured artist: Wolfgang Vaatz
Through November 30, all Wolfgang Vaatz jewelry is 15% off
For 30 years, Wolfgang Vaatz focused his talents on paintings and sculpture. But four years ago, this celebrated artist began combining painterly and three-dimensional design to create a line of jewelry that is nothing short of wearable fine art.
Aspen pendant by Wolfgang Vaatz Carved & engraved pendant with gold nuggets, 22k, 18k rose, & 14k yellow gold on argentium silver.
“I use modified techniques, drawing from my experience in painting and sculpture, adjusted to the new media of multiple precious metals and gemstones,” Wolfgang says. “In doing so, I keep the same artistic language which is solely inspired by the natural landscape, its elements, texture, and light.”
The artist uses all manner of inspiration for his work: sunlight in the trees, landscapes, the ocean, or even the stones themselves. “Everything that is happening around me when I am in nature, sparks a creative process,” he says.
Wolfgang Vaatz sterling silver pendant oxidized with14k fused gold and 8mm concave-cut natural topaz. Oxidized sterling silver chain 16″ long with 3.5″ extension.
The end results are exquisite miniature works of art that we are pleased to share with you.
We are delighted to have Wolfgang as our Featured Artist for November, 2016. You can meet Wolfgang in person at his trunk show during the Fall ArtWalk Friday, November 25th and Saturday November 26th from 1 to 4 pm.
For information about Wolfgang’s work, please contact the gallery.
We’re Open All Summer! Plus Hi-Art Scholarship Results
Our doors are open from 10AM to 4PM every day this summer! Be sure to stop in.
We’ve had a great season this past year and welcomed great new artists into our gallery. We’re proud to provide our patrons such meaningful art from such talented artists.
If you are in Tubac this summer (or never left!) we invite you to come by and see what’s new. And to get you started, check out the folded-paper art of our newest artist, C. A. Santa Maria.
“Summer” by Annie Santa Maria – cut and folded paper – 21″ x 19″
Hi Art show and scholarship results
Every year in December, we throw our Tubac village-wide party, Cowboy Christmas, as a thank you to all our patrons and the community that we love.
With the money we raise from the event, we sponsor a scholarships and several awards for the “Hi-Art,” a Tubac Center of the Arts program which encourages and supports area high school students interested in exploring fine art.
Grand prize
The largest scholarship of $3,000 went to Dillon Riling, a senior at Rio Rico High School for his painting of “Attempt” (oil on canvas). His plans are to attend Grand Canyon University, majoring in Biology. He hopes to become a medical illustrator.
Hi-Art scholarship winner Dillon Riling with his winning painting
Other Awards
- $300 Best in Show: “Garcia of Wealth” (Mixed Media) by Justine Rivera, Esmeralda Ramos and Megan Trejo of Walden Grove High School
- $200 Sponsor’s Award: “Black Sparrow” (Watercolor) by Lia Hernandez of Walden Grove High School
- $150 Award of Excellence: “Less Than Air” (Inkjet Print) by Bei Di Gulino of Walden Grove High School
- $100 Award of Merit: “My Future in My Hands” (Ceramic) by Yamiley Ramirez of Rio Rico High School
- $50 Honorable Mention: “Dave Grohl” (Graphite) by Erik Amaya of Rio Rico High School
- $50 Honorable Mention: “Lion” (Scratchboard) by Vance Weavers of Rio Rico High School
On Friday April 29th, the Center hosted a Hi-Art show, exhibiting works from students in the Santa Cruz Valley high schools from Sahuarita to Nogales. We are so glad we have the opportunity to give back to young artists.
Questions about gallery hours, Annie Santa Maria’s work, the High-Art scholarships, or anything else? Please contact the gallery. We look forward to hearing from you!
April 2016 featured artist: Annie Santa Maria
Meet Annie Santa Maria
We invite you to explore Annie’s dimensional cut-and-folded paper art
We are pleased to introduce you to Annie Santa Maria, our featured artist for April, 2016. Annie’s cut-and-folded paper artwork is a collector favorite, and we know you will enjoy learning about this talented woman and her fascinating journey to the fine art world.
“Summer” by Annie Santa Maria – cut and folded paper – 21″ x 19″
First stop: the Peace Corp
After Annie earned a master’s degree in anthropology from Dartmouth University, the new graduate devoted herself to teaching in economically disadvantaged communities, first as a Peace Corp volunteer in Africa and then as an English teacher in Mexico.
But Annie soon discovered that her pupils had much to teach her in return – powerful lessons about the value of friendship and community.
“I learned how to be an anthropologist at Dartmouth, but Africa and Mexico taught me how to be a human being,” Annie says.
Discovering fine art
But how did Annie go from teacher to artist? It all started with wanting to tell a story to children.
18 years ago, after returning from Mexico, Annie decided to write and illustrate a children’s book about the Huichol Indians, an indigenous group in Mexico with whom she had become close. She wanted to illustrate the book in a way that would both engage the young readers and also be reminiscent of the Huichol’s traditional bead and yarn art forms, eventually choosing cut paper craft to fulfill her vision.
Once she discovered cut-and-folded paper, Annie kept exploring the medium, along the way creating a unique art form that borrows from collage, origami, and kirigami – but is greater than the sum of these parts when the work is taken as a whole.
The artwork today
Annie uses her artistic talents to pay homage to the people she met abroad, creating her works from her studio in Tubac, the community she now calls home.
Her signature images feature African and Mexican women, dresses flowing as they engage in their daily work. Although difficult to discern from photos, Annie’s images are highly dimensional – the paper elements providing both depth and height. Almost all the images are created with paper alone – even the fluffy clouds floating across the sky are paper, not paint.
Keeping with her global aesthetic, Annie sources her papers from all over the world, including Nepal, India, Mexico, and Japan. She uses only archival glues and finishes each work with framing under UV-protectant glass.
Though Annie has been successful in fine art for almost two decades, she is still thankful for the reaction to her work. “I am humbled that people like the images I create,” she says. “It is still delightful to me how much people love the art.”
We invite you to come by the gallery to see Annie’s work. We think you will be as enchanted by the images as much as we are. For information about any of Annie’s work, please contact the gallery.
“Esperanza” by Annie Santa Maria – cut and folded paper – 10″ x 14″
March 2016 featured artist: Del Curfman
Meet our newest artist, Del Curfman
New to Rogoway Turquoise Tortoise – contemporary Native American painting
Painter Del Curfman
We are pleased to introduce you to Del Curfman, our featured artist for March 2015.
Del is an extraordinary emerging artist who blends his Crow heritage, lessons from the French Impressionists, and contemporary Native American culture into an exciting body of work. Even this early into his fine art career, Del’s fluid images delight collectors through the marriage of ancient culture and a contemporary vibe.
“My biggest inspiration is my culture,” says Del. “All my work starts with family and connects to my home and my people.”
Del, a registered member of the Crow tribe, is a student at the elite Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe where he is working on a double major in Fine Art and Museum Studies. His educational pursuits help guide his work:
“Working with museum items connects history for me in time and space,” Del says. “Interacting with artifacts hundreds of years old helps shape how I communicate with my art.”
After he receives his bachelor’s degree in 2017, Del intends to pursue a graduate degree while growing his fine art career. Eventually, Del hopes to return to the Crow Agency reservation in Montana to start a community art program. Regardless of where he is on his career path, we believe that Del is an artist to watch.
“That people are responding to my work is really a credit to all the people who came before me and who influence me now,” Del says. “I feel like I am just an outlet for my people’s expression.”
We invite you to come by the gallery to see Del’s work. We think you will be as excited by this young talent as much as we are. For information about any of Del’s work, please contact the gallery.
Del Curfman painting
Del Curfman with Vice President Joe Biden in 2015
February 2016 featured artist: David K. John
Meet our newest artist, David K. John
New to Rogoway Turquoise Tortoise – renowned for contemporary Navajo painting
David K. John is an award-winning Navajo artist who began to paint in earnest in high school. Since then, he has thrilled collectors with his highly symbolic Native American imagery based upon Navajo mythology and stories.
David was raised by his great-grandfather, who imparted to the young artist the the stories and teachings of his people, the Dine. He spent much of his childhood attending and participating in healing events-from seasonal rituals to sand painting ceremonies.
One of David’s iconic images is the Yei Be Chei, an ethereal messenger to the Dine. Since exact replication of the sacred icon is taboo, David modifies the image to the satisfaction of his tribe’s spiritual leaders.
“Paint from your heart; don’t just go along with the latest fad. Your art will last longer then.” ~David K. John
David has won awards for his paintings and masks, including awards at the Inter-tribal Ceremonial in Gallup and the Santa Fe Indian Market.
“Sun Carrier” by David K. John – acrylic on canvas – 24″ x 30″
We are pleased to have David as our Featured Artist for February, 2016. You can also meet David in person and see his latest works at the gallery Friday, February 12 – Sunday, February 14.
Are you ready to add a David K. John original painting to your collection? Please contact the gallery with any questions you may have.
January 2016 featured artist: Albert Dreher
Come see Albert Dreher’s “New Life Art”
“Midheaven Lure” by Albert Dreher – oil wash – 24″ x 38″
We are pleased to present our January 2016 featured artist: Albert Dreher.
The last time we checked in with Albert Dreher he was post-op from a heart transplant. Now, one year later Albert is doing well and loving life. And his art? Never better.
“I was back to the easel as soon as I could get there – I live for my art and work,” says Albert. “I’m determined to live the best life I can in honor of my donor – and that means continuing to paint.”
As homage to the donor of his life-saving gift, Albert puts “a moon event” in each painting. This gesture is his way of putting a thank you in every image.
We are pleased to have Albert as our Featured Artist for January, 2016. We invite you to come see Albert’s latest creations.
You can also see Albert paint, in person, in our live artist demo event on January 16, 2015.
“Mountain Shadows” – oil wash – 35″ x 30″
Are you ready to add an Albert Dreher original oil to your collection? Please contact the gallery with any questions you may have.
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