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On the Wall
A cosmic alignment of creativity
By Penelope Bass
Published on 12/31/2009

[ view additional photos ]
 

Photo by Brandon Oberhardt

It’s not often that the First Friday Art Walk happens to fall on the first day of the month. It’s even rarer when that Friday happens to be the first day of a new year, and exceedingly unlikely that it would also be the first day of a whole new decade. But this month’s Art Walk just happens to be on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. So barring any unforeseen cosmic phenomena, get out there and celebrate a new month, a new year and a new decade of community, creativity and beauty.

Artists’ Coalition of Flagstaff As a huge supporter of local artists, both established and up-and- coming, the Artists’ Coalition of Flagstaff always has a wide assortment of media and styles on display by its 200-plus members. Pop into their gallery space to check out a new winter group exhibit and drop your name into the free art raffle. That’s right, free. Pull down the boughs of holly and deck the halls with some quality local art. 13 N. San Francisco, Ste. 103. Call 522-6969 or visit www.flagstaff-arts.org for more info.

Brandy’s Restaurant Although it may be a slight deviation from the typical art walk route, Brandy’s restaurant is always worth a visit for the stunning art work that adorns their walls (and their tasty eggs benedict).
Up this month is a new show by local photographer Brandon Oberhardt, who captures the drama of summertime monsoon lighting storms and resultant wild fires in what he calls “The Quest for Light.” 1500 E. Cedar. To know more, call 779-2187 or visit www.brophotography.com.

Criollo Latin Kitchen Occupying the space formerly inhabited by the beloved Café Espress, Criollo is carrying on the tradition of supporting local artists by debuting new work each month. This Friday check out paintings by Sherri Urann—colorful portraits, each with a different style that appears to mirror their subject. While there, why not take the opportunity to sample some of the tasty offerings from the Latin Kitchen. 16 N. San Francisco. To get more info, call 774-0541 or visit www.thesimplegoods.com.

Flagstaff Coffee Co. Escape the icy winds and slippery streets (at least in your mind) by gazing at the lush, colorful photographs by Craig Marsino taken in Maui and on the Big Island of Hawaii on display at the Flag Coffee Co. Grab yourself a hot beverage with a little Kahlua and you’re half way there. But don’t worry, there’ll be some local landscape shots in there as well to bring you back to reality. 16 E. Rte. 66. 773-1442.

Fratelli Pizza At this point you may be thinking that we only pick our Art Walk destinations based on where we can get food and/or beverages. But we assure you, the fact that Fratelli happens to serve pizza and beer is only a coincidence (a delicious one). Swing by to check out the other-worldly and amazingly detailed spray paint landscapes by local artist and musician Neight Hardman. He’ll also be giving a demo of his techniques at sunset. 119 W. Phoenix. For more info, call 774-9200 or visit www.myspace.com/w akingplanet.

Grandon Art Gallery We love the Grandon Gallery because, beyond the general merriment, there is usually something really weird going on. This month, check out some great new paintings by local artist Molly Holland. Her surreal settings and vibrant colors will bring out the kid in you, and then scare you under your bed. Since you’ll be hiding later anyway, you might as well check out the creepy-yet-intriguing ceramic heads by phenomenal artist James Coquia. Enjoy the weirdness, and ask Grandon if he knows who the guerrilla artist is (we have a hunch). 20 N. Leroux. For more, call 380-4915 or see www.mollyholland.com or www.jamescoquia.com.

La Bellavia If you haven’t yet gotten your fill of stunning photography, head down to La Bellavia to see a new show by photographer Laurent Weichberger, “Portals of Peace: East meets West.” The selected photographs represent Weichberger’s travels through India, Greece and along the Oregon coast. 18 S. Beaver. For more info, call 774- 8301 or visit www.jaibaba.com/ar ts/laurent.html.

Wil McNabb Fine Jewelry Studio Southwest artist Charlie Aldrich has dabbled in various mediums from relief carvings to watercolors, and has most recently been working with acrylic paintings exploring religion and nostalgic still life. Catch his new show, “Meditations and Reflections,” at the Wil McNabb studio focusing on “the space between perception and reality, formality and entropy.” See the show and meet the artist at the opening reception, just don’t get lost in the ether. 18 N. Leroux. To know more, call 213-1572 or visit www.aldrichgalleries.com .

Viola Awards Feeling inspired by all the creativity happening around us? Help the Flagstaff Cultural Partners celebrate local arts by nominating your favorite artist, musician, gallery, writer, organization and more for the second annual Viola Awards to honor excellence in the arts. Nominations must be submitted by Thu, Jan. 7, so hurry! To fill out the form or get more info, visit www.culturalpartners.org .

Additional photos for this story:


"Girl" by Sherri Urann



"The Writer" by Sherri Urann



"When I Walked on Rainbows" by Molly Holland



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