Spelman Evans Downer, Stephen Jennings & Robert Morris

The first weekend of the Art Tours has come and gone, and we are gearing up for the final weekend.  Mike Lipsitz writes about one of the venues this coming weekend.

Turquoise South - Spelman Downer's studio.

Spelman Evans Downer sits at or very near the top of Morongo Basin’s art scene. This is true both figuratively and literally as anyone who’s ever had the good fortune to visit Turquoise South his hilltop studio on the Mesa will attest.  Downer traditionally exhibits a sampling of his most recent works for Hwy 62 Art Tours, and he taps one or two of the area’s most promising, newer artists to spotlight as well. Showing alongside Spelman Evans Downer at location #39 this year are Robert Morris and Stephen Jennings.

Spelman Evans Downer 

A visual artist, art educator, and mentor, Professor Downer is head of the Copper Mountain College Art Department. His creativity is expressed through his paintings, photography and large-scale earthworks; some pieces are a combination of these. They are priced between $100 and $4,000 with most pieces falling in the middle of that range.

To label his stunningly beautiful and original paintings “landscapes” would be misleading. Landscapes connote an interpretation of the world seen at ground level. Downer has spent more than 30 years studying and photographing geography and topography from the air and then expressing his impressions in poured enamel.

Spelman Downer.   Proto Colorado River, poured enamel.

The results are reminiscent of high altitude satellite images. They connote organic landforms that simultaneously appear both static and fluid. I am reminded of looking down from a passenger plane and experiencing the illusion that rivers, highways and cities appear both completely still and dynamic.

Downer spends summers at his studio and gallery, Turquoise North, on the banks of the Kenai River in Cooper Landing Alaska. Among the newer pieces he’ll show on the Hwy 62 Art Tours are poured enamel paintings inspired by running and fishing Alaskan rivers. They are studies of deep blue currents, cool and swift; so intense is their attraction, the waters seeming flow off and away from the medium. Among other recent work is a grouping inspired by the Transverse Ranges, coastal mountains of southern California than run from Santa Barbara to San Diego in an East-West orientation. They are part of what he envisions will one day be anchored by enormous, museum scale works.

Spelman Downer.  Southern California, poured enamel.

Spelman is also showing new pieces from his widely admired ‘Earth Mother’ body of work, photographic nudes in framed collages that encompass expressions of his earthwork techniques. Prolific, beautiful and technically superior, do not overlook this stop.

Stephen Jennings

Stephen Jennings is one of two guest artists showing this year at Downer’s Turquoise South. A recent student of Professor Downer and two-time winner of the Copper Mountain College Art Department’s RGB Multimedia Competition, photographer Stephen Jennings began exploiting his creative aspirations only last year.  He has never shown in the Hwy 62 Art Tours; aside from the college, he’s never exhibited his work at all.  He says he’s experiencing some pressure associated with this first exhibition.

The 58-year-old recalls his early artistic expressions, “I used to ditch high school to go down and paint the beach,” says Stephen, who was raised in Huntington Beach.  “I always wanted to be an artist,” he adds. 

A carpenter by trade, he moved his wife and daughters to Joshua Tree in 1981 and made a living working his craft mostly in the lower desert. The progressive effects of rheumatoid arthritis forced Jennings to retire a year ago.  He saw the sudden luxury of free time as an opportunity to explore his interest in art more deeply.

“I’ve always taken photographs,” Jennings explains. “But now I can concentrate on it.”

Steve Jennings.  "Duchamps."  Digital photography

He has completed two of Downer’s digital photography courses. He uses a Digital Nikon D80 and shoots nearly every day. He then uses Photoshop to stitch individual frames of nature into great panoramas, some of them in vertical format, an execution we’ve not seen before. "Photoshop amazes me,” says Jennings. “Part of the plan is not to be obvious.”

Among Stephen Jennings beautiful photographs is a mixed media collage he calls “Worn Tools.” It is hideous, fascinating and is in juxtaposition with his photographs. The piece incorporates a severed arm, construction hardhat, worn hand tools and other unfinished elements. He tries explaining the concept.

 “I want to capture natural beauty, but there’s so much baggage contaminating it,” he explains. “I can’t ignore that. The piece is an expression of the contamination I find in everything beautiful.” 

Steve Jennings "Worn Tools"  Assemblage.

At the time of our interview, his works had not yet been hung for the exhibit. Jennings tries again to explain the contamination theme. For me, the concept remains elusive; perhaps I am too thick to get it. The plan is to “contaminate the exhibit with other elements” prior to the studio tours. Perhaps you will “get it,” I remain quite content with the beauty of Stephen Jennings’ photography prior to contamination.

Robert Morris 

Robert Morris is the other guest artist invited to show this year at Spelman Downer’s Turquoise South. A lifelong resident of Santa Barbara, Morris relocated to Joshua Tree five years ago when he retired. He takes pictures in a standard medium format which he scans, adjusts using Photoshop, and prints at home on an Epson 2200.

Robert Morris.   Digital Photography.

His technical skills are self-taught; while his love of art and his degree in art history are reflected  in his photographs. Robert Morris has done some freelance work for publication, and has previously shown at The 29 Palms Inn and at the offices of the Hi-Desert Water District. This is his first time exhibiting on the Hwy 62 Art Tours; he will show two series all representing subjects photographed throughout California and Arizona over the last five years. All of his works are matted and framed in a 16 x 20 format and are offered for about $250 apiece.

The series he calls “Singular Structures” is a delightful collection of architectural oddities, mostly structures built between the 1930s and 1950s. The subjects include mostly exteriors of cocktail lounges, theaters, motels, and gas stations. Many are art deco style, all share brilliant, still and capture cool color motifs of the period.

Robert Morris second series are works that he calls collectively “Idiosyncratica Deserta.” Inspired by his regular hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, this is a series of composites.

His own description captures their essence quite well:

I see things that other people don’t. Not infrequently have I discovered artifacts such as stone temples, tombs, statues, pleasure palaces, or even industrial buildings, some of them intact and some in ruins. The sound of splashing water might lead me to a lovely fountain adorned with sculpture. Occasionally I’ll come upon a naked goddess in her glory, a nymph lurking amongst the rocks, or perhaps a priestess performing strange rites. Saints, angels, and other portentous personages peer down at me from their perches in grottos hewn from granite walls. ... Sometimes these desert visions recall myths of various cultures, or they bring to mind themes from well-known or obscure works of art or literature.

Robert Morris.  Digital Photography

 Morris goes on to explain how he sees it his social responsibility to expose these apparitions to others in hopes they will offer others “a modicum of edification, bewilderment, or amusement."  He says that "some are sublimely spiritual whilst others are supremely silly.” He stresses that he must leave it to the viewer to decide which ones are which.

Spelman Evans Downer, Stephen Jennings and Robert Morris will show their works on the second weekend of the Hwy 62 Art Tours, October 30^th & 31^st.  Don’t let the final weekend pass you by without treating yourself to the delights that hang in Turquoise South, stop # 39.

written by Mike Lipsitz

Cree Rivera & Joan Vangieri: Gourds, Jewelry, Acrylic Paintings

Cree Rivera and Joan Vangieri work out of their home studio a very short distance off Highway 247. The studio is a wonderful Southwest inspired structure nestled between giant rock formations and perched high above Yucca Valley. Drawing in the scenery that unfolds out and away from their workspace is likely as close as one can get to the world as seen through the eyes of some magnificent raptor.  It’s little wonder that so much of their creativity is expressed through organic materials.

They begin with gourds which, when selected, are covered in loose soil and loam.  Back at their workspace, they peel away the dirt and detritus to reveal fantastic shapes - from whimsical, silly or phallic to an earth mother engorged with natural beauty. 
“I’ll be cleaning a gourd,” says Joan. “And as I scrape away the layers ...”
Cree finishes, “Its shape begins to tell you what it wants to be.”

Rivera and Vangieri met 25 years ago. Their works of art are displayed in every part of their home, from which they also operate their business, Four Directions Printing.  In the fall and winter, Cree holds a yoga class there. Their nest is not at all cluttered. Their sculptural art pieces are separated not according to whose hands crafted them, but in groupings based on characteristics known only to them.  They operate quite naturally like birds of a feather; one need not ask if they are ‘together.’  They have been working with gourds for more than ten years. The impetus for their artistic passion came in the form of a gourd decorated for an anniversary gift.

Once a gourd has been preened and its aspirations revealed it is taken to its full potential. They use a multiplicity of materials ... horsehair, crushed turquoise, hawk and turkey feathers, leather, rabbit fur, beads and stones, denim and dyes, and they create intricate reliefs, carving designs into the skin of a piece, or distinguishing it through pyrography. The results are brilliant.

They do not work on individual pieces together. Each artist has her own style and unique vision. The differences are reflected in their works. Joan, who has created art and painted since childhood is accomplished with a brush. Visitors will find many fine examples of her talent painted on the gourds, but also on wonderful canvases exhibited throughout. She works mostly in acrylics, but is equally adept with oils. All of her work is freehand, some of it dreamlike, much of it intricate.

One of Vangieri's paintings.

Joan Vangieri.

Many of Cree’s pieces are more three-dimensional. She may marry a gourd with formed clay to conjure an image; many are feminine characters with indigenous features, a natural expression of her native Cree ancestry. The three-dimensional aspect of her work also manifests in her jewelry. She seems a free spirit ... open, expressive, warm and unedited. That she is a skilled and popular Hatha Yoga instructor somehow seems completely consistent with who Cree Rivera is. Joan Vangieri seems the perfect complement ... deliberate, complex, contained and kind.

Cree Rivera.

One of Cree Rivera's paintings

Rivera and Vangieri are #44 on the HWY 62 Art Tour, showing the second weekend, October 30th and 31st. This is their first time on the tours; in fact, their works have only ever shown during an annual art auction fundraiser they host. The gourds, which are offered from $5 to $300, have generated a lot of funds for the Humane Society. Visitors to their hi desert perch will want to add their name to the guest list for Joan & Cree’s Holiday Fundraiser.

written by Mike Lipsitz

Anahita King and Walter Lawson

Anahita King

This will be Anahita King's second year on the Hwy. 62 Art Tours.  She has also participated in an open studio tour in Topanga, California.  King works in watercolor and she is a gifted ceramicist.  We sat outside on a comfortable back porch while Anahita told me about her art.  A few chickens were eavesdropping, hoping for more of the table scraps they had been given shortly after my arrival.   King has been in Joshua Tree for two years.  She came here from Topanga to take care of her mother.  She and her husband still have a house in Topanga, so she often finds herself going back and forth between the two places. 

One of the chickens.

King says she has been an artist "forever."  Her family didn't have television when she was growing up.  Her mother had a strong design sense, and her father was an engineer and designer.  King's dad had a shop in the garage where he worked on cars and was always "tinkering" with something.  He was notorious for absconding kitchen utensils for his own purposes, driving her mother crazy.  Anahita remembers a teacher she had in the fourth grade who had the students do murals of the desert.  King had painted roadrunners as part of the mural.  It was this experience that made her realize that art was what she wanted.   King went to college in Flagstaff after picking the school out of a catalog.  Northern Arizona University had a great ceramics department.  They have a huge anagama, or wood - fired kiln.  King's college experience undoubtedly paved the way for her to study ceramics in Japan for three months.  She lived in a village called Shigaraki, where the entire population is centered around ceramics.  The anagama kilns there fired for three days continuously, and pine had to be fed into the fire every three minutes.  There is no glaze used in an anagama kiln.  The wood and ash creates the color and textures on the ceramics.

One of Anahita's slab-built teapots

King's Datura teapot with cups

One of the ceramic sinks created by King.

King's main focus in ceramics is slab building, where slabs of clay are used to form the vessels and objects.  In addition to beautiful sets of teapots and cups, Anahita also makes Joshua Tree plates, cups, sinks and ceramic shrines.  The shrines or altars Anahita creates are made so that a person can put candles or photos in them.  They were first inspired by King's meditation teacher.  Her teacher gave her dolls and these dolls have found their way into King's shrines.  Spirituality has become such a big part of King's life now that she wanted to create something to reflect its importance in her life.  Her shrines are the result.  The sinks Anahita creates are a wonderful way to customize a bathroom or kitchen.  She does take custom orders on sinks.  She and her husband have even collaborated on a shower in their Topanga house.  She created 900 ceramic tiles for the shower, and he installed the tiles. 

One of King's watercolors.  "Dally contemplates sneaking into the garage."

This year for the Hwy 62 Art Tours, Anahita King will be showing her ceramic teapots and teacups, her other ceramic wares, her shrines and a collection of watercolors featuring the above mentioned chickens.  You will have a chance to feed the chickens yourself, if you decide to make this a stop on your tour this year.  I highly recommend it.  Anahita is showing in Joshua Tree the second weekend of the Art Tours, October 30th and 31st.

Walter Lawson at his easel.

The next artist we visit this week is Walter Lawson.  Lawson is an oil painter who has been in Yucca Valley for twelve years.  He and his wife moved here to be near his son Ian.  Lawson's grandmother was an artist, and he remembers all his life he loved visiting galleries and museums.  His grandmother taught him to draw figures when he was young.  It wasn't until he turned 86 years old, when his wife bought him paint and a easel for his birthday, that he finally began his artistic journey.  He portraiture is his main passion, although he has painted a variety of other subjects, including seascapes, landscapes and local scenes.  

Lawson's oil painting of Water Canyon Coffee.

Lawson was actually born in California, but he was still an infant when his family moved to Canada, where he grew up.  His father was a pastor, and his grandfather had a printing business.  Walter learned the printing business from his grandfather.  It was the printing business that enabled Lawson to come to the US and finally move to California, the place of his birth.  Lawson's grandfather was also the person who introduced him to sailing, another of his passions.  Walter owned a 30 foot sailboat in Long Beach, which he finally had to give up because he no longer had the strength to wield the mast and sails.  Lawson is a citizen of three countries: the US, Canada and the UK.  He went to boarding school in Canada and England when he was growing up, and served in the British Army and fought with the Highlanders during WWII.  (He switched to the Highlanders because his grandmother wasn't happy that he was serving with the British Army.)  I could sense that there were stories in Lawson that were just waiting to be told.

A self portrait in oil.

Walter will be showing from 15 to 18 paintings for the Hwy 62 Art Tours this year.  There were paintings stacked against the wall and filling every inch of wall space in his studio, but he hopes to have a few more finished for the Art Tours.  Lawson is showing in St. Joseph Arimathea church in Yucca Valley, and whatever paintings sell during the tours, he plans to give the proceeds to the church.  Walter loves the feeling of accomplishment that painting gives.  He is always thrilled when people ask him to paint them.  Please do stop by St. Joseph's  church in Yucca Valley to meet this fascinating artist and see his oil paintings.  Lawson will be showing the second weekend of the Art Tours this year, October 30th and 31st.

written by Karine Swenson

Christy Anderson, Tami Wood, Mary Kinninger Walker and Judy Wishart

Christy Anderson in her well-organized studio.

Many know her as the "license plate lady," but there's more to Christy Anderson's art than just her license plate signs.  As we are discovering, most artists allow their creativity to lead them in many directions.  Anderson is no exception.  The thing that is so wonderful about Anderson is that everything she creates is  recycled.  She makes leather wrist bands out of old leather belts.  She makes larger sculptures out of old rusted metal and "junk" she finds.  She is currently working on a commissioned piece that includes "Old Chrome", a rearing horse made from a variety of found objects, including what appears to be the rear tire of a motorcycle.  Christy told me "Old Chrome" was fabricated entirely from things that had survived the fire in Pioneertown a few years ago.  Anderson also makes bird houses, which is something I didn't know until my visit to her Yucca Valley studio yesterday.

Anderson's "Trailer Tags" - signs made from old license plates.

Old Chrome

Wrist cuffs made from recycled belts.

Anderson is a native of the desert.  She was born in the low desert, and just "kept moving up."  She has been an artist for 15 years.  Before becoming an artist, Anderson ran heavy equipment.  She remembers digging up all kinds of amazing things at a dump site.  Finally, she could not resist the lure of picking up some of these treasures and making them into something else.  She started with bottles and glass.  When asked about a defining moment, she talked about an art challenge held by Coca Cola called "Waste to Wonders."  She entered a piece made of glass and copper tubing called "Cut my Eye."  Her piece won first place in her division, and she received a check for $1000.  It was at that moment that she knew she could make it as an artist.

Anderson's bird houses.

Anderson will have plenty of new work for the Open Studio Art Tours this year.  We can expect her license plate signs as well as larger metal sculpture, her leather wrist cuffs, bird houses, and bottle cap snakes.

This year, Christy Anderson has opened up her studio space to three other eclectic artists.  One of those artists is Mary Kinninger Walker.  Walker has been on the Art Tours for three years now.  Her vibrant paintings are often combined with intricate bead work and collage.  Walker has a strong interest in people, relationships, and symbols of society.  You will often see religious themes in her work.  She is always looking for the mother, because she was abandoned by her mother.  She has always worked in a variety of mediums, but one medium that seems to stay with her is acrylic paint.  Walker says she works quickly.  She likes to take chaos and re-organize it into what she likes.  Reflecting, she says she tries to do the same thing in her life:  take chaos and re-organize it. 

Mary Kinninger Walker with some of her paintings.

A "Madonna" painting with beads.

Kinninger Walker has been in the high desert since 2004.  She had lived in San Diego for 30 years prior to moving here.  It was a huge adjustment for her, going from a place where she had lived for so long and knew so many people to being in the desert, where she knew only one person.  She came here to recover from being the caretaker for both her mother and then her husband, both of whom passed away.   She told me she came out to Wonder Valley to "sit on her porch in her pajamas and recover."   Mary has been an artist since the forth grade, and has always had an interest in fine art, the healing arts and religion.  Those things remain the healthy practices that keep her from slipping into depression.   This year on the tours, Kinninger Walker will have jewelry in addition to her colorful paintings.  I am sure you will love meeting this lovely lady and seeing her art.

Two of Kinninger Walker's necklaces

Another amazing woman who will be showing with Christy this year is Tami Wood.  Wood is new to the Art Tours this year.  She lives in Morongo Valley, and has been there for five years.  She lived in the Coachella Valley prior to her stint in the high desert.  Tami uses acrylic paint to render her lively, joyful vision on wood.  She likes to use found wood for her paintings - things like old doors, ammunition boxes, etc.  She loves old wood.  Her paintings are not pre-meditated.  She told me that she used to "go against the grain" when she painted, and fought the images she saw in the natural grain in the wood surface.  Her more recent paintings use the grain of the wood to give her some of the forms and shapes visible in the finished painting.  Wood loves the outdoors and thinks American Pride is important.  You will see many playful versions of the American flag in her work. 

Tami Wood with her artwork.

Wood was born in Texas, and loves "everything country."  Her work is visible evidence of the things she loves and holds dear.  She uses colors that become 3-dimensional in her paintings, and if you buy a painting, you will receive a pair of 3-D glasses.  She has been known to paint on benches and stools, and is interested in commission work.  She says she drew a lot, growing up, and remembers a grandmother who painted.  In addition to participating in the studio tours, Tami has shown her work at the 29 Palms Inn, and has work at the Purple Agave in Morongo Valley.  You can also see some of Tami's work on her new website: tamiwoodcreations.com.  Make sure you walk over to this tall blonde, say hello and enjoy her playful paintings, while you visit Christy Anderson's studio.

A sampling of Wood's paintings.

The fourth artist showing with this light-hearted group is Judy Wishart.  Wishart paints on bowling balls and globes.  Acrylic paint comes alive on Wishart's bowling balls.  She told me it all got started when she went to a Lakota sweat lodge.  After the sweat, she saw a bowling ball in a thrift store and while looking at the ball, she began to see Hopi imagery.  She still uses Hopi imagery on most of her bowling balls.  She has been adopted by Shamens, and is inspired by Native American Imagery.  The painted globes are recent work for Wishart.  She said about a year ago, she suddenly just needed a globe.  She looked all over the high desert, and finally did find one.  Once she had painted her first globe, globes began to just come to her.  She also receives bowling paraphernalia as gifts.  She is not an avid bowler, although she has bowled.

Judy Wishart

Painted bowling balls by Judy Wishart

One of Wishart's globes.

Wishart has been in the High Desert for thirteen years.  She moved here from Orange County, where she worked on TV shows and managed music bands.  She came here to take care of her mother, and stayed after her mother passed away.  She and Christy met about six years ago at the Camper Van Beethoven annual camp-out at Pappy and Harriet's.  Judy says she likes to keep her art reasonably priced.  She just wants people to enjoy them.  This will be Judy's third or forth year on the Art Tours.  In addition to her painted globes and bowling balls, she will have mandalas painted on canvas, and hopefully a beaded bowling ball.

A close up of one of the bowling balls.

Four creative minds in one fantastic space!  Please do take the time to stop at Christy Anderson's studio this year.  These four will be showing the second weekend, October 30th and 31st.

written by Karine Swenson

Mike Fagan and Suzzann Macleod

Suzzann Macleod and Michael Fagan

Today's visit takes us to Magic on the Mesa, the studio of ceramicist Michael Fagan.  This year, Mike will be joined by photographer and sculptor Suzzann Macleod.  Mike and Suzzann will be showing the second weekend of the art tours.

Mike Fagan with a pot, still hot from the pit fire

Fagan is a southern California native, born in Englewood, CA.  He and his wife Cyndie lived in La Quinta before moving to Yucca Valley a year and a half ago.  As Fagan eloquently puts it, "we traded the high life and low country for low life and the high country and are the happier for it."  Fagan and his wife are avid collectors of American paintings and pottery from the first half of the 20th century.  It is Mike's love of the simplicity of the Arts and Crafts movement in the country that inspires him.  Fagan never thought he had talent to create art on his own.  In fact, his move to begin making pottery began when he found he couldn't afford to collect the pottery of the Arts and Crafts movement, so he decided to make one of his own.  That vase became the first in a long line of clay vessels.  Fagan has been making pottery for about 7 years.

When Mike and his wife moved up to the high desert, he was able to learn about traditional pottery making techniques from Tony Soares.  Even though Mike learned techniques from Soares, he has developed his own style.  He claims the pots tell him what they want to be.  Fagan digs his own clay, processes it at his studio and makes the vessels using traditional techniques:   by pinching and with a paddle and anvil.  The rock or anvil is on the inside and the stick is used to pound on the outside to shape the clay around the rock.  Once the pot is completely formed, Fagan will pit fire it.   The colors of the finished pottery come from different colored slips rather than glazes.  ("Slips" are just watered down versions of the same clay used to make the pottery, and the color comes from different minerals in the clay itself.)  I was fortunate enough to be there when Fagan removed two vessels from the pit fire.  This is always an exciting moment in the process of making pottery.

Mike, lifting the cover of his pit fire.

Hot out of the fire.

The straw bale studio

Fagan loves the process of making something using only earth, fire and water.  He considers playing in the dirt a zen experience.  He talks about coming full circle - he played in the dirt with toy cars and trucks as a boy, and now that he is retired he is once again playing in the dirt, making pottery.  To fire his pots, Mike will use dead Joshua Trees from his property, various hardwoods, and sometimes even charcoal.  Fagan adds caliche to the clay to get the red color many of his vessels have.  (For those of you unfamiliar with caliche, it is a desert gardener's bane - a concrete hard layer of calcium carbonate found in the desert that is nearly impossible to dig through.)  It is a pleasure to meet an artist who literally uses the desert to create art.

Suzzann Macleod, holding one of her sculptures.

Suzzann Macleod is another California native.  She was born in Redlands, while her family was visiting an aunt who lived there.  (They lived in Joshua Tree at the time.)  Her father, a civil engineer, worked in the Salt Mines, and liked to race cars on the salt flats.  Her family vacationed in Northern California, and in 1964, Macleod moved with her family from Joshua Tree to Smith River, California, which is near Redwoods National Park.    In Smith River, her family had a seven acre farm.  She learned how to can food from her mother, who was a nurse and a veteran of WWII.  Her father loved the fishing near Redwoods National Park, and she remembers he used to smoke the salmon that he caught.    Macleod is a descendant of the Keys family; her mother is the eldest Keys daughter.  Suzzann is writing a Keys Ranch cookbook, and she and her brother are in the process of creating a film documentary about the Keys Ranch.

When she was 12 years old, Suzzann was given a camera for a vacation the family was taking to Crater Lake and Yellowstone.  That was the beginning of her life as a photographer.  Most of Macleod's work is now digital, but she still uses film, especially for black and white photography.  Many of Macleod's photographs are of the rusted cars on the Keys Ranch.  She worked for Joshua Tree National Park for a while, giving tours of the Keys Ranch.  Many of her photographs from the Ranch and the park were taken while she worked there.  (Who better to give tours of the Keys Ranch than a descendant of Bill Keys himself?)   She continues to take photos in the Joshua Tree National Park and surrounding areas.  Macleod is also interested in macro shots.  She has a love of texture and patterns.  She photographs the designs found in peeling paint, rusted old cars, and in particular, the glass in old cars that have sat out in the intense desert sun.  The abstract qualities of this sun-baked glass hold her interest.

Suzzann is also a sculptor.  She has worked in bronze, copper and steel.  She had a friend up north who had a foundry, and the first time she saw the melted metal, she was hooked.   She loves to weld, and hopes to have some smaller metal vegetables for the art tours.  Suzzann uses recycled metal and found objects in her metal sculptures.  She is planning to have framed prints of her photographs along with note cards and unframed prints.  You will also be able to look through a catalog of her other photographs.

Macleod's bronze and copper pea pod.

This is the first year on the Art Tours for both Suzzann Macleod and Mike Fagan.  Your visit to Magic on the Mesa is sure to be a rewarding one.

written by Karine Swenson