Big Blend Radio
Camp Verde Artists Group in Central Arizona
This episode of Big Blend Radio's TOAST TO THE ARTS Show focuses on the new artists group in Camp Verde, Arizona. Spearheaded by artist Mary Rush, this initiative not only connects local artists as a community (so far over 40 artists), but is also working to add original art as part of the region's greater tourism experience with exhibits, studio tours, and public art projects.
LINKS TO FOLLOW:
- Camp Verde Artists Group: https://www.facebook.com/campverdeartistsgroup
- Artist Mary Rush: https://wildfeatherfineart.com/
- Artist Sylvia Strobel: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080324948779
- Artist Jen O'Callaghan: https://www.facebook.com/jocdgr8
This episode is also featured on Big Blend Radio's "Women Making History" Podcast Channel.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Duration:
- 27m
- Broadcast on:
- 25 Jun 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
Welcome to Big Blend Radio's Toast to the Art Show, where we celebrate books, music, visual, and the performing arts. Today, we're excited to go to Arizona, kind of central Arizona, to Camp Verde. It's a little south of Sedona, and we're going to be talking about the brand new Camp Verde artist group, and this was started by Mary Rush. She's been on our show over the years. I'm going to go, I think, at the beginning of our podcasting. So I think it's going to be like 15 years ago or something. You can keep up with her at her website, wildfeatherfindart.com. All the links we talk about on the show today will be in the episode notes, so you can click right from there, including the Camp Verde artist group on Facebook. That link will be there. So welcome back, Mary. How are you? Thank you, Lisa. Thank you. Yeah, it has been a long time, and we were really doing it old school. Yeah, back in the day. But, yeah, all the wires, and we were actually all of us there in person. Oh, that's right, because I was thinking back when Silver City, and then, yeah, that was in Tucson and the Grazier Gallery. Yeah, yeah, right. But in Silver City, we did them, too. Yeah, because you used to call in when we were even living in 29 poms outside Joshua Tree. Man, we've been traveling, haven't we? Yeah, well, especially you. It's nonstop here. So, yeah, but we get to come back to Arizona soon. So this is exciting. And we love to talk about the Southwest and, you know, looking at the three of your, all of your art, the three of you, it seems that you're very connected to Mother Nature. So I want to bring on Jenny O'Callaghan on the show. How are you? Hey, there, I'm doing well, having a good day staying inside near conditioning. Yeah, I bet. It's a good day to do art, right? Good day. Yeah, I've got a deadline on one project. So I, well, think about that. Yeah, oh, yeah. So Jenny is an artist and is part of the new group. And so is Sylvia Strobel. Sylvia, welcome. How are you? Hi, good. Thank you so much for having me. Oh, it's awesome. So Mary, how long have you been in Camp Verde? Oh, about 2017. So seven years. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So it is about south of Sedona, right? Yeah, I'm trying to think back for years since we've been there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I guess it's out a little bit south. Yeah. So yeah. Oh, Sedona, just trying to give people an idea of where Camp Verde is. And Sylvia, it's north of Florence. I remember going, I don't know now I'm getting all twirled around. Don't listen to me. Do not listen to me. I would say it's between Flagstaff and Phoenix. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. In the geographical center of Arizona, there we go. So don't throw a dart because it might land on one of the ladies and we don't want that. Jenny, how long have you been there? Have you always been there in Camp Verde? I've lived in Camp Verde since 2008, but I've been coming to the property we live on since 1963 when my grandfather bought it. Oh, wow. Wow. So you're connected. Where did you move from? Well, I most recently moved from Benson, Arizona. Oh, okay. I grew up in Phoenix. Oh, okay. So not far. And then Sylvia, you're from upstate New York, right? Seneca Falls region. Yes. Yes. For the Finger Lakes region. And we've been out here about 25 years. Oh, wow. Wow. With a couple of trips for a year or so back to New York state, but it's beautiful there. We've been in the Verde Valley. Yeah. We love it. And Mary, you've got roots back in Indiana, right? As I recall. Yeah, Indiana is where I grew up. And then I moved to Connecticut. So I was in Indiana and Connecticut about 30 years each. Oh, wow. There it is. And here I am in Arizona moved here in 2006. Wow. Tell us why you decided to start the organization. And right now you have an exhibit of artists in the group at the library, right? That people can go see until like early July. Yeah, July 15th, the show would be coming down at the Camp Verde library. And that that's really exciting to me anyway. It's a show of 10 artists in Camp Verde who never knew each other. We never even met. And our art just hangs so well together. I had no idea what to expect because I didn't know the artist. I didn't know their art. But it all hangs really well together. And yeah, I've been in Camp Verde for seven years, but I didn't know any of the artists. And there's absolutely no art scene here. So I've tried to move a couple of times from Camp Verde. And for some reason, Camp Verde just has got a hold on me. So the last time I tried to move was December. And it didn't work out. So I'm like, okay, God, you got me. What do you want me to do? You know, because I said, I'm trying to get to an art scene. I don't know. I'm an artist. I want to be around artists and be in the art scene. So pretty much immediately the idea came to, oh, you can't go to one. You better create one. So that's kind of how it happened. Oh, I really feel like God had me on my knees. Like, you need to start an art script there. Because I put a call out on Facebook in one of the groups. And I had like 24 artists within like 48 hours. Wow. Yeah. So it was like, okay, I guess this is it. So, yeah, we're so here it is June. So we're over six months old. And we've gone through little growing pains and other groups have started as a result. And, you know, it's like, the art scene in Camp Spiritie is going to blow up pretty soon. Because it was right. From what I understand, the art scene that there was here kind of died out like seven years ago, which is kind of ironic that I've moved here seven years ago. So it's like you do. Well, I look at it as like, God's been waiting for me for seven years to do this to get it started. So it's time. So you've got you've got everyone together. So you're going to be doing exhibits around the areas that the main goal is to do exhibits and events. Well, yeah, my main goal is number one, for the Camp Birdie artists to to understand that there are other artists out there and to get together and meet each other. Because once we can meet each other and know each other, we can help each other out. And it's, you know, it's a small community. And there's really not that much going on here, but it's absolutely stunning. The landscape is stunning and beautiful. So it's, it's a rural. Sorry, I haven't told you know, it's rural. So we, we don't really get out much. We have festivals and stuff. But to gather the artists and then kind of mastermind, you know, I don't know. Pauline Hill has these mastermind groups. So that's kind of my idea. And then in the meantime, trying to build up something. So someone will build us a gallery where we can show our art. But right now we're trying to scrap around like the library really is the only place that has walls. And so now I'm in the middle of looking at local businesses to hang our stuff on their walls. And that's cool. And bring stuff together and do like art walks and things. Jenny, tell us a little bit about your insight to the group and, and you know, how you feel about the art scene growing. I'm excited about the art scene growing. Campford is a small rural community in somewhat odd in some ways. But you know, I'm in it to bond with other artists and make my art accessible to regular people. I feel it's very important to have original art in your home. Yeah, you know, that's the thing too. If you can't display, you know, there's not everything should be online. Besides AI want to steal, they want to steal. I don't know, Sylvia, you're painting on other, you know, you're painting on wooden things. So maybe AI won't steal you. But you never know, you know, but I think, you know, having actual people being able to experience art in person is like a huge deal, you know. But Sylvia, tell us your insight for the group. What do you want from it and what you see could happen? Well, I remember when Mary put out the call to the Camp Verde artists, it was like, yes, you know, I've been waiting for this group in Camp Verde. And it was just exactly what I was looking for. I always say, I'm looking for my people, you know, someone that people that we can talk to about our artwork and our creative process and, you know, meet with each other in our studios. And it's just, and Mary says, we're only six months old. And I think the group has done an amazing job in that short amount of time. And I too, like Mary would love to see a gallery on our main street in Camp Verde. We have this beautiful historical main street that's underutilized in my opinion. And we have the most fabulous restaurants in Camp Verde. We have like four really nice restaurants, each different. But to have people walk to a shop and then to a gallery and then to lunch, I would love to see that. But as Jenny faults were an interesting town, aren't we, Jenny? So it will be nice if we can do that. Yeah, I think the city is trying to do that. Don't you have a fort? You have a fort. That's the park. The star for Verde. Yes, maybe they can work with you too. You never know. You know, we'll have to come see you guys since you guys have a fort. It's part of our parks, our parks and public lands, you know, once we have the Yavapai Apache nation. So we've got all of this history, this ancient pueblo in history. We have what how ladies for national parks. We've got our here. We've got Vbar, V Ranch. We have Tousy, I mean, we have we're just wonderful area of history. So if you've got all of this, you know, Mary, so it is a travel destination. So if there's a travel, if people are traveling, art can be part of it. Yes, exactly. So and, you know, we are different than Sedona, but Sedona, you know, Sedona is so different and everything, but Camperty is even different from that. So people do come here to Camperty because the area is just gorgeous. And, you know, we do have all that history and people go to like Montezuma's castle and the river here. And yeah, it is a travel destination and the restaurants, we do have some fabulous restaurants. So well, that ends to me that it goes with art. Yeah. And to get them here to see to see our art is fabulous. And that is my focus is to focus on the local artists because I think that is that is so important. It's a treasure to every town to have the local art and tourists want to see the local art. So that is that is one of my my real main points is I want the town and the community to really value their local artists because many times you go visit and there's no local artists being shown in the galleries because the galleries are so excited to show other art, you know, or the local art is such a treasure. So let's talk about the local artists. You said you've got like over 20 people already that, you know, immediately, you know, jumped on the wagon. Let's talk about your art. So Jenny, tell us a little bit about your art. I will, as I said earlier before we got on camera, I said my mother was an artist as was my grandmother, great grandmother. So it's always kind of been part of me. And my mother, as I was telling Sylvia painted on wood. And I usually paint on metal, but I've also been doing a lot of pen work recently too. But the metal, even I will take a piece of metal and with a plasma cutter, put an image into it and then clean it up and paint on that paint the image on that. And most of my stuff desert Southwest, there's some of my art behind me that's not really desert Southwest, or birds, but nonetheless, it's there. Ask me another question I can ask. But you've also done it on canvas and you painted on canvas and textiles, right? I've painted on canvas, but you know, nine times out of 10, I choose an odd surface. Like I was showing the art group on Facebook, a piece I did on, I thought I had it at my fingertips, a piece I did on some handmade paper. In fact, I've got another one, this is handmade paper. And it's interesting paper. I like the texture and difference of things like that. Well, and you're on Facebook under J-O-C-D-G-R-A. And that link is in the episode notes as well. So I want to go over to Sylvia, her Facebook group is Sylvia's a place to create. So Facebook is going to be the main hub for all of you. I know Mary, you've got your site, but Sylvia, tell us a little bit about your art because it looks like you do a lot on wood and whatever you feel like. I do. It's been, you know, quite a journey for me. I started out in high school wanting to be an artist and go to art school. And my parents, of course, wouldn't support that because they said I'd never make any money. And both my grandmothers were artists. My parents were not. So life got in the way. And then I taught biology and chemistry for 25 years. And then I came out here and taught science at the Orm School. It's a boarding school that's just south of here. And I retired in 2021. And at Orm, we have what's called a Fine Arts Festival. And the students are immersed in art for an entire week with artists from around the country. It's awesome. So I got back into my oil painting that I had done in high school. And then when I retired, I started my oil painting in earnest and painting on wood. And I love painting the petroglyphs and the ancient bubblow and ruins of the Southwest. I love all of that. And then last year, I was asked to teach art at Orm. So I came out of retirement. And now I'm back teaching again. And doing my art and teaching one class three days a week, which I love. So yeah, it's been quite a journey. I never, if you had told me I'd be doing this five years ago and actually selling art, I would have told you you're crazy. You never know what life is going to throw at you. You really don't. And what you got to be open for it though. You got to be open for it. Yeah. So yes. So some of my art behind me, if you can see. Beautiful. Yeah. There's a couple pieces on wood. And then I've got deep pastels. And there's some of the bubbling ruins that I've done on pastel. Yeah. I'm in an oil painting phase now. So I put the pastels away for a couple months. But I'll go back to them. Cool. Cool. Mary, tell everyone about your work because you do a lot of abstract. You're always such vibrant. Her colors are always like, Hey, wake up everyone. Yeah. That is one thing that people say about my art. You know, it's like your use of color is different. So yeah, I love color. And I love the landscape. I started painting the Southwest landscape when I came in 2006 because it was just it just blew my mind up. I was painting abstract before that. And so I've been painting the landscape ever since. And what I really love now is getting out on the land and painting plein air painting what I see. And it's just like a full immersion experience to to be out in the land and try to as best I can make some sort of expression that looks like the land. I'm starting to go more abstract even with my landscapes. So when there is there's a there's a certain energy to the land because the mountains and the land sort of flows in ways. And I love to use a palette and I can just sort of boom, just go capture the way the mountain is flowing or the directions that everything is like truly the land. So sounds like more in the present moment too. Yeah, yeah, that's that's what I really love. It's more in the present moment. Before I was I was a painting landscape from photographs that I took while I was hiking. And it's just a whole different experience. It is quicker. It's more spontaneous. And yeah, I love that. And so I do paint abstract paintings that is my dream is to paint these huge abstract paintings. And about the largest I've painted so far is like six feet by seven feet. Oh, that's pretty good. And yeah, but I mean, I see these guys on Instagram and they're painting these humongous, you know, 10 and 20 feet canvases. And it's like, oh, that just would be such a dream to me. You might have to do murals. That's right. Yeah, well, yeah, maybe. But murals usually have some sort of a theme or something. The abstract that I want to do is just just no holds barred splish and splash and throw that paint and move it around, you know, just just play with color. Yeah, lands. So this can't pretty have any public art. Does anybody got sculptures? And oh, good. See, that's a start is to showcase what you have is, you know, public art. If you have murals sculptures, Jenny, tell us a little bit. There's murals over, not murals, sculptures over at Rosatica Park. It looks like I'll buy the same artist. I'm not sure who I haven't looked yet. And then there's a couple different murals in town as you drive down Main Street. So that helps becoming a destination is, you know, having the public art too, don't you think, Mary? Well, those sculptures, Jenny, I thought you know, that's part of our library show. Oh, seriously. That's one of our artists. Yeah, Joshua, he's. Oh, yeah. But that, I love that because that is somebody who didn't know. And they saw it, Jenny. And it's just kind of wild by it. Yeah. Awesome. And what about the murals? So you have a few murals too in town? That's cool. There's, there's one that I know of on the side of Thanks a Latte. And then there was a ceramic artist that did, I don't think she ever completed it because she started it during COVID. And she was trying to get everybody to help her with the squares or something. I'm a don't know. Those being too. Yeah, I don't think there's much more. But I, I think the artists in the Canverty artists group. Anyway, that is one of their things. I know some of them have come forward and said they wanted to do murals and paint this town, get this town color. Yeah, there's an event. Yeah. And we have a lot of wall space that I see when you drive down Main Street, it's like, Oh, that could be in parallel. We could do one in there. So yeah, I think it's, I think it is doable. And I think it's something we will probably get into. Oh, this is exciting. New projects are good. It gets people to think, even if you don't all agree on something, which, you know, the world doesn't agree on things these days. But art is a good, you know, art makes us feel better and makes us feel things and think about just kind of slow down in life. So I think this is fantastic what you're doing. And hopefully you have a visitor bureau, right? Like a visitor center, chamber of commerce, welcome center. Yeah, so they should be working with you too, hopefully. Yeah. Well, yeah, that's a good point. It's a small, small visitor center, but it's very quaint. I do want to mention that we do have 46 members now. Wow. So, so it's growing. I mean, it's artists come and go, but it's, it's remains around 45, 46 at this point. That's fantastic. Yeah. That's credit to you, Mary. Yes. Yeah. Well done. Oh, thank you. This is awesome. Mary is organized. We're doing a studio tour of Jenny's and my studio in July. So our, our, some of our artists are coming to that and Mary has organized that. And I would love to see more of that. That's great. Yeah. Yeah. Do a follow on. Yeah, that's cool. So, so Mary, the best thing is the Facebook page for, you know, people traveling through or living in Arizona to, to know, does that the best place for people to keep up with and follow? Yeah, I just kind of started that Facebook page because we are a private Facebook group, is where the artists meet. And I started that page because, but I haven't quite figured out, I think I have to, I have to make all of the artists and editor or contributor to something so they can post on it. But the idea is for the public to find our Facebook page. Yeah. Okay. No. No. And, and learn more about the local artists. So cool. Very cool. Yeah. That's the place everyone. It is Camp Verde artist and that's V-E-R-D-E, Camp Verde. In other words, it's green art. So excuse me, Camp Verde artist group. That's the place to go to and on Facebook and I'll link that in the show notes. But congratulations. It's a start. And next time we talk, it's going to be like, Oh, we've got this event. We've got that event. There's going to be more and more. It just grows, right? So it's the only way is up. So thank you all for joining us. Thank you. Thank you, Lisa. It was nice meeting you. Thank you. You too. Nice to meet you both. And good to see you again, Mary. Yeah. Thank you so much, Lisa. This was so fun and so great to be able to talk about the Camp Verde artist and and meet Sylvie and Jenny. Yeah, because you guys have been talking on Facebook, right? So now it's good to actually see each other. Awesome. Always so good to hear you and see your face, Lisa. You did such a fantastic job of these. Thank you. Do it. Keep traveling and keep talking, right? Keep telling your thing. You're doing it great. Yes. So thank you. Thank you. Thanks for listening to Big Blend Radio's Toast to The Art Show. Please keep up with us at bigblendradio.com and keep up with Big Blend magazines at blendradio and tv.com.