DON’T MISS THIS ARTIST AT OPEN STUDIOS !
by Charles Spillar on Nov. 14, 2009, under arts, Tucson Art
Full of It by Art Toones
Award winning artist Art Toones is opening her studios this weekend as part of the TPAC Open Studios Tour this Saturday 11/15 and Sunday 11/16. There are over 167 artists this year opening their studios to the public.
On Thursday, November 12, I attended the Open Studios exhibition at Gallery 801 Main St. put on by the Tucson Pima Arts Council. Art professor, Alfred Quiroz, of the University of Arizona was chosen as judge to pick the “best of show.” Art Toones , ceramic creation was selected for first place and receives a check for $500. Out of all the great art at this exhibition this piece really stood out as exceptional.
The winning ceramic sculpture titled ” Beneath” is the creation of professional Tucson artist Art Toones. I was so impressed with her work I immediately called her and received information for this article and recommend art patrons to visit her at her studio called Reality Check Studios. Her location and that of the other artists participating this weekend can be seen at at: http://www.tucsonopenstudios.com/ost/ost-online-program-2009.pdf
Ceramic Sculpture BENEATH by Art Toones
Side view Ceramic Sculpture BENEATH by Art Toones
ArtToones started her career many years ago doing paintings through college and graduate school and got involved in figurative sculpture working on her MFA thesis. The cohesive element in her work has not been the medium but the “narrative” and the narrative has dictated the medium. She consistently works in series thinking of each piece as a chapter in a book.
After moving from the East coast to Tucson her new series dictated sculpture and she is now working in porcelain paper clay and bronze. Some of her new pieces include both mediums in the same work of art. She told me “ I only have a vague idea as I begin each piece and the story evolves as I work.” Her latest creations have been influenced from her reading Alice in Wonderland and 1984 again. The children in her narrative sculptures she thinks of as Hummels with attitudes and for some unexplained reason she stated the pieces need a nest as evidenced in Beneath.
Ceramic Sculpture Egghead in the Company of the Muse by Art Toones
Egghead in the Company of the Muse (close view) by Art Toones
A professional artist for over 40 years, her unusual narrative type art has received many awards and museum exhibitions. Her “Narrative Sculpture” will be on exhibition at the Las Cruces Museum of Art, Las Cruces, New Mexico, Sept-November 2010. To see more of her work online please visit her web site: http;//www.arttoones.com
The fastest way to find the studio of Art Toones is to put the address 2871 N. Lone Dove Trail, Tucson, AZ 85749 in Google maps with your address and you will get precise instructions. Isn’t the internet amazing?
