Welcome back!

We are almost half way through the 2009 season of the Celebration of Fine Art! It is hard to believe how fast time goes by. We have been enjoying great weather, great crowds and lots of great art. Everyday brings something new and inspiring. I’ve attached a new video for you to watch! The positive comments keep coming from our visitors and collectors. We are humbled by the amazing art work that the artists brought to the show this year and by the reaction of our guests. It truly is a delight to “go to work” everyday and be surrounded by creativity and positive energy! We hope that you will have the opportunity to visit us in person this year. In the meantime, enjoy the virtual tour! We are located in Scottsdale, Arizona on the south east corner of Scottsdale Rd and Mayo Blvd. Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm through March 29, 2009.

Please excuse the “um’s”, “ah’s” and pauses in the commentary! I’m still learning to use my new “Flip” video – sometimes, walking, talking, commentating and navigating around people all at the same time is a little challenging! I’ll be shooting some more so you can experience different views of the Celebration! I’m sure they’ll get better!

If you want to see previous postings, please click on “January 2009″ under archives and scroll down the page. You’ll see some photo images and a video tour of the Celebration of Fine Art the night before opening! Or, click on February 2009 and watch the video of Joseph Woodford firing a Raku ceramic vessel.

Enjoy!

One of the greatest things about visiting the Celebration of Fine Art is watching the artists in action! Everyday there is something new and exciting being created. Painters mixing paint on palettes and transforming blank canvases into masterful works of art, sculptors working lumps of clay into realistic representations of animals or moments in history and much more. The other day I captured this video of one of our ceramic artists, Joseph Woodford, firing a massive vessel and pulling it from the kiln. There are two videos to watch the entire process. It will take a few moments, but I think you’ll enjoy it. It will give you a little bit of an idea of what it’s like to be right here at the Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, AZ. We are open everyday through March 29, 2009. Come on by and be a part of the creativity in action!

Part 2

Debbie Edgers Sturges’ larger than life wildlife paintings have graced the Celebration of Fine Art since 2004. Each year brings new subject matter as she travels the world to research the animals in their natural habitat.

In 2007 Debbie traveled to Alaska spending time in Kukak and Halo Bays to observe Alaskan Coastal Grizzly Bears. She was able to take over 6000 photographs of bear behavior. Her first hand observations have translated themselves into passionate and realistic paintings that made viewers want to reach out and touch. Many of these works of art were on display at last year’s show until they were scooped up by excited collectors. In 2008 she fulfilled another lifelong dream as she traveled to Churchill to study and photograph Polar Bears in their natural setting. Visitors to the Celebration of Fine Art can expect to see these images come to life in Debbie’s studio this year! She has already ordered a 4’ x 6’ canvas for one such painting. You can expect to see other animals as well – buffalos, fox, cougars, rabbits, elk, birds, bobcats and more!

Debbie’s work truly reflects her passion for the western wildlife and landscape. Her paintings have been inspired by her summers as a child exploring the beaches of Washington State and her current adopted home of Idaho in the Rocky Mountains as well as the winters she now spends in the Arizona desert. Debbie lives in a log cabin in the shadow of a mountain next to a river. When she is not painting she is enjoys hiking, observing and photographing the animals and landscape that live in the desert rocks and mountain forests. Many of the animals you see in her paintings are truly her neighbors! One of Debbie’s avid collectors, T. Schupp of Tempe, says “Debbie’s paintings have a way of bringing the animal and its surroundings to life. You can feel the presence in the room where you hang the work.” Debbie hopes to inspire others to examine with a curious heart all that surrounds in the natural world.

With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Washington and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston, MA, Debbie is well trained in the technicalities of art. Perhaps, more importantly, Debbie has an innate ability to translate what she sees into phenomenal works of art that leave a lasting and positive impression on anyone who sees her work. Be sure to stop and say hello to Debbie when you visit the Celebration of Fine Art January 16 through March 29, 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona.