How many times have we all said we wish our Dr. would listen to us more? How many times have we thought that we deserve more than 7.5 minutes with our doctor? Many of us I have no doubt have thought that. So today Tucson Retroflection would like to salute Dr. DeeAnn Grimes Saber NMD. Saber practices Naturopathic medicine.  Which means she spends quality time with her patients and makes sure they are getting the best kind of medical attention.

Dr. Saber has been into natural medicine since her childhood. She says, “My mother was into health and nutrition and she and my father introduced us kids to and insisted on having us do gardening, sprouting, baking and learning about vitamins and organic foods.” She was fascinated with natural health in high school she met a chiropractor who helped her clear up her back and headaches. Saber says, “She taught me about the power of touch and how soft tissue injuries can impact a body’s bones and muscles. Then I loved the local health food store where my mom shopped, it was interesting, funky, and seemed mysterious. I wanted to know what were these products from herbs and why would people use them and how did they get made.”

DeeAnn, who grew up in Seattle which was filled with alternative healers, met Bill Mitchell, ND, one of the founders of Bastyr University. He was her doctor for a while and she loved the fact that he knew so much about plants and herbs. After studying at the University of Washington she left with a Theater degree and made a go at acting but the call of nature, or shall I say natural, was calling her and she wanted to learn more varieties of natural medicine. Off to Russia she went to learn about mud baths, moxabustion, water therapies, massage, acupuncture, herbs and the Russian bath spas called Banya.

“For 10 years I traveled and worked extensively in the former Soviet Union, finally I decided to shift gears and began studying bodywork at Brenneke School of Massage in Seattle,” says Saber. “It was a year of eye-opening healing and beauty. While at Brenneke I was re-introduced to Natural Medicine via a cadaver class held at Bastyr University. I decided while in Massage school that I wanted more tools for healing so after I finished massage school I started in pre-med studies.”

She knew that going back to school would be challenging but in 2000, she was accepted into Bastyr University and started medical school. “It was the toughest thing and the most rewarding thing I have ever done – it brought me to my knees a few times but I persevered.” So after getting a BA from the UW and an LMP from Brenneke and her associate degree from NSCC and her ND from Bastyr she felt it was time to put what she had learned to work.

Dr Saber says she loves to hear people’s stories and then matching up what they tell her with their physical issues. This is why she offers her patients more than just 7.5 minutes. She takes the time to get to know them and offers the appropriate physical exams plus looking at the science through blood work and/or saliva testing. “This complete picture helps me help my patient find answers toward their optimal healing.”

When asked what were some of the most common health issues she said, “Thyroid issues, hormone imbalances, food allergies, and adrenal dysfunction. I also see folks with liver issues, blood sugar regulation concerns like Diabetes, and the common cold.”  She emphasizes the importance of treating the whole person and not just the dis-ease.

I have known Dr Saber both on a personal as well as professional level for several years. She is a warm, friendly, and very comprehensive and complete with every person she sees. When I say complete, I really mean complete. She really goes out of her way to  go through all of her patients records and because of her functional medicine training she can  find possible medical issues through evaluating the lab work before they become a big problem. She works with her patients as if each patient meant something to her. Perhaps that is because each patient does mean something to her. She takes medicine back to its original form, and that is caring for the patient, not the insurance company.

Dr. DeeAnn Grimes Saber NMD cares enough for her patients that she has earned herself one tall and proud salute from Tucson Biz Beat. It is wonderful when a doctor really does take the time to care about their patients and the Tucson community should  be excited to have such a caring physician.  Dr. DeeAnn Grimes Saber NMD.

I had surgery on my foot this week. I had a bad achilles tendon. It means I am stuck in a “bootcast” for the next month. The thought of this does not make me a happy camper, however, it could be summer and that would be worse. I took a picture of my bootcast and showed it off on Facebook. Of course, I had many comments that stated I needed to bling it. What is a bling? After searching for the meaning of bling, Tucson Biz Beat proudly presents our youngest local business owner Amelia Gillette.

Amelia is the proud owner and founder of Magic Buttons. Young Amelia may only be eleven-years-old, she thinks like a thirty-year-old businesswoman. I first saw her in action when she was selling Girl Scout cookies like a pro. How could anyone resist her sales pitch? She really had a pitch going and it seemed impossible to turn her down. She sold more cookies than anyone I met.

Her mother, Lynne Gillette, says Amelia was doing marketing research in kindergarten when she was trying to sell her potential fashion designs. She asked her friends who would purchase different outfits. The teacher was so impressed she reported this to the mother, she was five at the time.

Fast forward to today, this slick young businesswomen went to the Shoppe at Civano at 5312 S Civano Blvd and presented them with a “pitch.” She took her zipper pulls, pin buttons, and magnet buttons and gave the store owners a pitch they could not refuse. She gave them a bottom line price and the store was impressed and is now setting up a display with her buttons for sale.

Young Gillette custom makes these wonderful pins and magnets buttons to suit the customer’s needs. I found out first hand when I decided to have her make a custom design for me. With the help of her mother, the two of them designed something I needed just for my business. It was a magnet button that had a peace symbol and my business saying, “walk in peace” along with my phone number. I have to say I was very impressed with the product.

“Yes once I get going I can make a button in like 30 seconds.” That she can as I sat in her studio and watched her make some. Of course, it takes her a while to make the design and get it cut out, but she has professional tools that help make the job much easier and a very patient mother.  She looks forward to paying off some of the machinery and tools so she can see a bigger profit.

I asked Amelia if it is hard to get a business going. Amelia, who understands profit and loss said, “Yeah it’s hard and if you want to make it you have to have a backer like mom.” She stated she finds time between after school activities and watching TV to do her business.

What is the next step for this young business entrepreneur? Well, she would like to see her Magic Buttons in a few more shops and she will be working on a web page to sell them online. I have not seen a young person with such a flair for business. Today, Tucson Biz Beat proudly salutes Amelia for her outstanding sense of business and her product Magic Buttons. Good Job Amelia Gillette! You can write to her at amerliagillette@aol.com and put your order in.

Tucson Biz Beat likes to take the opportunity to look at small local business and introduce Tucsonans to them. Each business owned by private individuals is the very core that helps shape Tucson as the eclectic community that it is. That is why this week Tucson Biz Beat is honored to salute Kris Schaefer at Tucson Zen Shiatsu.

Schaefer has practiced Zen Shiatsu since graduating from the Chicago School of Massage Therapy in 1987. She has been practicing here in Tucson for the past 20 years offering her community wonderful ways to heal the body tend to the spirit and release the mind. In fact, she does so well that she has taught this technique at many of the Tucson massage schools.

For those who might not know Zen Shiatsu literally means “meditative finger pressure” in Japanese. It is a modality that is used to relieve a variety of problems including back pain, neck and shoulder problems, stress, insomnia and depression. Zen Shiatsu holds that all health problems are related to imbalances in yin and yang, or disharmonies between the internal organs and blockages to the circulation of energy. It is important to note that this is not just a massage that you get at a spa, rather a complete process that aids in health and healing.

Schaefer believes there are a variety of natural life transitions such as menopause, birth, postpartum, and other issues that block energies. These blocks can interrupt the peaceful state we all deserve to be in and she works diligently to make sure there is balance. Kris uses a technique called hot stones. She discovered them through her own postpartum process. She realized she needed to “ramp up” her energy but she felt like she needed to do things while she was resting. She discovered that using warm stones on the belly created rejuvenation and a healing process that lead her into helping not only herself but others as well.

“I really consider what I do is not just healing, but giving people general information that can help them. I am a person that is more helping people with tuning in with a deeper awareness.” This awareness has helped her business grow as she and her business partner Jeff Rogers, who is a cranial sacral therapist for the past 22 years do so well. They both look forward to teaching worldwide their forms of body work and healing. Both are renowned at teaching these forms of therapies.

Tucson Biz Beat is always happy to salute private businesses and even happier when it comes time to fine-tune the mind the body and the spirit. Therefore hats off  Kris Schaefer and Jeff Rogers for helping educate our community and help people with keeping energy balanced so their physical and mental health shines. Visit them at www.ZenShiatsuTucson.com

If there is one thing I love about writing Tucson Biz beat is the fact that it looks at the local scene that helps shape not only my home town, but my community. Normally I like to say Tucson Biz Beat salutes–fill in the blank, but this week, our local business is so amazing and run by such amazing people that I cannot salute them as much as stand and give them an ovation for what they have done for our community.

Tucson Biz beat does a standing ovation for Fed By Threads which is the master mind of the loving team of Alok Appadurai and Jade Beall. Together, loaded with an idea and a compassion for people and community, the two of them started a small clothing shop for their dance studio and turned it into a humanitarian project that last year provided over 24,000 meals for needy people.

Not only have they mastered how to feed 12 people with each purchase, they have mastered the fine skill of supporting US job creations because of the services they use. Alok and Jade discovered by using biodegradable hangers and mailers they could help the environment, while making sure all business is kept in the US. Yes, it does come with a price tag, but it is important to them to keep it made in America while protecting the environment.

Alok said that there are four reasons people come to their clothing shop. First, he said for some people it is important that it is indeed made in the USA. Second, he stated was their products help protect the environment and they are helping nurse mother earth back to health and people honor that. Another reason people purchase their line of clothing is that with each purchase, they are feeding the hungry and they want to contribute to that effort. Finally, he stated some people like the fact that they are “no leather, no feather.”

Whatever reason people come to Fed By Threads, they are coming and in fact coming and or ordering enough that some of their items are out of stock and they continue to increase their inventory. I personally love the idea that when I purchase an item, each item will feed 12 people. Well, that is for now. I have no doubt that this dynamic duo will come up with other ideas that will probably feed more people and change the world.

Jade, who is a dance instructor and photographer said, she likes to “get high on dreams” because the two of them are always thinking of ways they can better themselves as humanitarian entrepreneurs and reach out to the community. I call them spiritual entrepreneurs because it takes spiritual people like this, to start a business that helps feed the needy. Now ask them if they know what they are doing and Jade will say “We fake it till we make it” and they both are making it happen!

On my way home from interviewing them today I kept thinking, what if everyone of us just donated a few bucks a day to help feed the needy? I certainly am going to put aside two bucks for each client I see and donate it at the end of the month to the Food Bank as well as the National Hunger Relief Organization just as they do. I can’t help but think that perhaps there will be a ripple effect, and what Alok and Jade are doing can reach across not only our community but other communities throughout the nation.

Then I thought, these two are thinking bigger than they ever thought when they decided, while walking in the park looking at ducks to come up with Fed By Threads, just how important their idea really is. So I  want to encourage people to go to their web site Fed By Threads and even look for their email addresses and drop them a line to see what else happens at their place of business or simply say thank you. Their place of business is more than just Fed By Threads, It is a yoga, dance studio, and photography studio, and when I walked in today I discovered it was a place where energy and magic meet creating hope and opportunity.

So today, I ask Tucson to give a standing ovation to these two and their wonderful project Fed By Threads and the wonderful humanitarian efforts they are putting directly into the Tucson community. It is people like this that make Tucson such an outstanding community and I applauded Fed By Thread and the founders for their hard work and diligence to provide such a wonderful local business.

Tucson Biz beat looks for local businesses and artist that help shape our community. I have had the honor of tasting great foods at restaurants, talking to wonderful musicians and artists. I have interviewed massage therapists, acupuncturists, martial art masters, CPA’S, photographers and clubs.  It has been an honor to get to know the Tucson community. The honor becomes much larger when I look at community projects and businesses that promote awareness and wellness and so today Tucson Biz Beat proudly salutes Plant Based Nation.

Plant Based Nation is a nonprofit organization whose intention is education, community service, and economic development of plant based businesses. The term plant based means a diet mainly of plants such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, beans, legumes. Why is the so important? Founder Jared Keen says, “Many studies show that a diet high in fruits and vegetables is health promoting and can prevent and even reverse the effects of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more.” Keen explains other benefits. “For people on a budget, eating a plant based diet is highly economical.”

 Plant Based Nation had an incredible start. Jared said, “In the span of 14 months, I lost 120 lbs.” Keen stated, “It transformed me emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.” It was Jared’s journey of transformation that ignited the creation of his nonprofit organization, Plant Based Nation and reaching out to his community.

Reaching out is what Jared and his board of directors are doing. Their organization does wonderful things such as create a produce and organic food buying club to provide affordable options for low income residents. Support local farmers markets and community gardens and provide free educational events in libraries or bookstores and are currently looking for volunteers to help provide plant based meals to the homeless and hungry in Tucson. as well as reaching out into Latino and Native communities to educate about plant based diets

Currently their big project is collaborating with The Tuller School to bring plant based lunches in to their school lunch program. They bring in lunches from Urban Fresh, a new plant based restaurant downtown, and provide the students with a plant based diet. Keen said, “We offer cooking and educational classes to the parents, staff and children at the school.”  In talking with him I could hear the excitement and pride in his voice. He has a real goal. “Our goal is to improve the health of everyone involved in the school.”

Keen’s organization does not stop there. They host a monthly vegan potluck where the curious can come try a wide range of plant based dishes and connect with people living this lifestyle.  In addition, they offer one-on-one coaching for people interested in making the switch who need assistance. Jared is very excited about another new project and that is they have partnered with The Loft Cinema to start a farmer’s market on Saturdays starting March 16.  They are focusing local growers and expect to have about 20 local vendors each week.

If you, the local community want to know more about this inspiriting organization and how it reaches out to the Tucson community, they are having an all-day conference that is scheduled for Saturday, March 2nd – the lineup features local physicians, chefs, health care professionals, fitness experts and more. That information is on Plant Based Nation webpage.

This grassroots organization not only deserves a salute, it deserves a standing ovation for reaching out to make the Tucson community healthier and happier. Through their outreach program, their education, and their community service, Tucson has become a much better community. Thank you Plant Based Nation!

Tucson Biz Beat not only salutes local business I like to include local talent because these local talents, whether it is musicians, photographers, directors, film makers, artists,  all can bring business and attention to our fine city. With that said, today Tucson Biz Beat would like to salute Film director and writer Edgar Alejandro Ybarra and his production company ECUAEA Productions.

Egar is a 2-time Emmy winner. His first was for was for an immigration relate news piece with KOLD reporter Mark Stine called “Border Patrol After Dark”. His second Emmy was in the “Photographer – News – No time limit” category in the 2011-2012 Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards for a combination of news stories called “Mexican Medicine” and “Kids and Caffeine”. This is not what makes him stick out as an artist, it is his love and passion for film making that makes him stand out.

Ybarra got his start and has been making short video skits and short films and feature films since 1994, the age of 14.  He began he said by “goofing around with my father’s Panasonic VHS video camera and friends in high school.” He said he did that until 2002 when he made my first short film called One Sunday Afternoon which landed him a job in Telemundo.  Since then it has been a almost ten year career as a photojournalist/editor in local Tucson, AZ news.

In-between his work Edgar spends time writing, filming directing and producing films and shorts for his production company ECUAEA Productions. “What I love about the production side of film and video productions is the taking of things in this world to slowly piece by piece together another world.” Edgar says, “I love the creativity that goes on when people and a camera get together.”

Ybarra has strong Latino roots in his work. He says, ” Latino heritage is a rich and long spanning one that I can personally recount going back three generations to my great grand parents in Central Mexico, to the streets and neighborhoods of inner city LA from the 1950′s onward to the present day.”

I asked Edgar if there are many very qualified Latinos in the visual arts he said, “yeah, but very few that are given opportunities to develop full and successful careers.”  He states, “I would like to say that I use my work not only to express my culture and heritage, but more importantly to integrate its presence in the world of cinematic storytelling, whether it be in the commercial mainstream or the grassroots indie underground arena.”

So Today, Tucson Biz Beat salutes two time Emmy award winner Edgar Alejandro Ybarra for his contribution to the arts, to his Latino culture and for his desire to integrate his culture with modern film making.

I love to eat and shop local as often as possible. I love listening to local music, and being part of the local scene whenever possible. I used to love the variety of locally owned bookstores Tucson once had. What I love about local business is they have personality. Local businesses to me are the very vein of a city.

Local business is unlike chain stores where they all carry the same things and they all look alike. There is zero personality with chains. I see more and more local businesses in Tucson disappearing and it leaves a social and economic void. That is why Tucson Biz beat is so important to me to write. It is because we are failing to look at the local businesses and artists. No one thinks about it but small businesses contribute to local economies. They do so by bringing growth and innovation, personality so to speak. In addition, these small businesses help stimulate economic growth by providing employment opportunities to people who may not be employable.

Who knew that a popular photographer, Jade Beall, could take images of nursing, pregnant or plump women and turn it into masterpieces and that Cafe 54 employees people recovering from mental illness? Who knew that Create Cafe has some of the best live acoustic music in town free or that Mosaic Cafe offers a great Mexican breakfast or that Stephanie Nelson is one of the best acupuncturists in Tucson? We overlook our local businesses and people that make Tucson the eclectic place that it really is. So today, Tucson Biz beats attempts to look at some of the great businesses over the past year.

Free Acoustic Music

Create Cafe  http://www.createcafe.com/

Arizona Ranch Haven www.azranchhaven.com

Best Variety of Live Music

Boondocks Lounge http://www.boondockslounge.com/

Best local Radio Station

KXCI http://www.kxci.org/

Musician that Does Charity for Tucson

LeeAnne Savage https://www.facebook.com/LeeAnneSavageFans

Best Female Blues Guitarist

Mitzi Cowell http://www.mitzicowell.com/

Best Pancakes

Franks  http://www.franksrestaurant.com/

Mexican Breakfast

Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe http://www.mosaiccafes.com

Unique Mexican Food

Little Poca Cosa http://www.littlepocacosa.com/

Non-profit Cafe

Cafe Cafe 54 http://www.cafe54.org/

Great local Pizza and Environmentalist   

Brooklyn Pizza Company http://www.brooklynpizzacompany.com/

Best burger and Fries TIE!

Hotrods Old Vail http://www.hotrodsoldvail.com/
Lindys on 4th Best tatter tots as well!  http://www.lo4th.com/

Best Italian Bakery

Viros http://www.virosbakery.com/

Best Special Interest Photography

Jade Beall http://jadebeall.com/photography-2/

Best Wellness Center

3861 WellnessFirst  http://3861wellnessfirst.com/

Best Acupuncture

Stephanie Nelson Lion Acupuncture http://lionacupuncture.com/

Best Taekwondo

Victory Taekwondo South  http://www.victorytkdsouth.com/

Best Pho Soup and Milk Tea

Miss Saigon http://misssaigon-tucson.com/

Best Small Market

Time Market http://timemarket.lbu.com/

Best Gelato

Allegro http://gelatoallegro.com/

Best Online Newspaper

Tucson Citizen http://tucsoncitizen.com/

Tucson Biz Beat is always trying to find businesses and people, artists and healers that help out our community. Today Tucson Biz Beat catches up with Zach Saberand salutes him and his ability to help people free them from pain.

Zach began his career and studying myofascial work since 1995. His extensive education began with a BSME and a BA in Business Administration. He then decided to become a Licensed Massage Therapist and gathered over 10,000 hours of massage, physiology, anatomy, myofascial release, structural integration and more.  His background allowed him to study with a Hellerworker, a Rolfer, a Neurologist, chiropractors, a cardiovascular surgeon and Physical Therapists. He is a certified Holistic Mental Health, which helps him work on people with pain and the issues that arise from pain.

“I love this work it excites me,” states Saber. “The correlations between body movement, lack of movement, pulling, how a persons body compensates rapidly to maintain homeostasis is absolutely an awesome thing to watch at work and then to change!” Zach has much to be excited about, as he not only knows pain, he understands pain and can explain pain so people can understand the pain.

Zach believes that pain stops us in our tracks. According to the American Chronic Pain Association, pain stops over 86 million people in the United States who suffer from chronic pain. Saber explains that, “Each person has their own concept of what ‘hurts’ them. It’s the leading reason people come to see me. Of course, then they tell me the work I do hurts, however when they get off the table and walk around the room they’re NOT in pain anymore, so they learn that we’re going to PULL that pain out of them and we can’t do that without them feeling part of it.” Zach may be the man that puts meaning into the phrase no pain no gain.

Zach has helped Tucsonans with their pain through his practice at 3861 Wellness First. He has had great success in not only helping people with their pain, but also helping people come to terms with their pain. “I believe for many people with pain that myofascial release along with conversation, and then stretching and understanding the cause of the pain, we can heal the pain and teach someone how to go about living life feeling happier, healthier, more energetic, and alive!”

I have worked with Zach on many occasions and have seen what he can do with pain and have always been surprise with his knowledge of pain. So today, Tucson Biz Beat salutes Zach Saber for all the people who he has been able to deal with pain and move forward.

I have to admit, I was never a real pizza person. I just never cared for it. I was simply a late bloomer. I finally, in my 30′s I developed a taste for pizza. It was not a food that I jumped for joy for, well it wasn’t until I ate pizza at Brooklyn Pizza Company that I kicked my heels up and said, “I love pizza!”  With that said, Tucson Biz Beat proudly salutes Tony Vaccaro Brooklyn Pizza Company and his other businesses on 4th Ave.

Let’s face it we all have our favorite, and Brooklyn Pizza Company seems to be many Tucsonans favorite pizza because it always has people standing patiently watching the hand tossing of that wonderful dough as they wait for that mouth watering pizza to create what I call pure palate pleasure. Their pizza is just that good.

What I like about this pizza is there are no frills or lace. There is no stuffed crust, or thin or thick crust. There is no deep dish or any of the other gimmicks out there. No, owner Tony Vaccaro takes the complication away. His pizza is so good he only sells one size and one kind of crust with your choice of toppings. “We don’t try to upscale people,” Tony says, “We want to make it easy.” Tony makes it so easy that people stand in line for a wonderful taste of that pizza.

I like the fact that you can go next door to Sky Bar, which Vaccaro owns. You can sit and watch TV, or listen to music, or be outside on 4th Avenue watching the people. Sky Bar has games, entertainment, telescopes, open Mic night and drinks galore. They make their own lemonade, ginger ale and is home of the perfect cup of iced coffee for a buck! They serve drinks, beers and other alcoholic beverages that go perfectly with pizza.

Still not convinced that Tony has it all going for him? This amazing man, who opened Brooklyn in 1996, decided to make not only Brooklyn Pizza Company solar, he made Sky Bar solar as well. He believes deeply in “doing things creatively that helps the community,” and help the community he does. He employees about 60 part-time people at the pizza place, about 20 people at Sky Bar, and wait a minute, we are not done with this amazing man yet, he also owns 4th Ave Yoga and employees Tucsonans there as well. His business feeds into our community while conserving energy.

How much does he conserve by going all solar? 80,000 gallons of water is saved each year, 29,700 lbs of CO2 which is the biggest contributor to global warming is saved each month and about 160,000 lbs of coal yearly. It took 5 long years and he did in three installments, So why did he decide to do this? It’s simple, he says, “I want to leave this world in a better place than how we found it.” He doesn’t want to see the desert destroyed. He has respect for not only his community, but the environment within his community. I believe this makes his pizza taste even better!

I don’t want readers to think I am biased with Tony, so I asked a variety of people sitting at Sky Bar what they though. I got great feedback like, “Best place to get a buck iced coffee” to “perfect pizza and great people working here.” One person said they came because of the concept. No matter what the reasons are, people come and enjoy these businesses that Tony owns. Even his employees stated it was a great place to be part of. Tony has gained respect from his workers and his community.

I was unsure how to title this story because Tony Vaccaro owns three successful businesses on 4th Ave, and he is respectful of our environment, to our needs and has compassion to this community. “I care,” he says “I care a lot in general.” So thank you Tony Vaccaro for Brooklyn Pizza Company, Sky Bar and 4th Ave Yoga and your deep compassion for the Tucson community. Tucson Biz Beat proudly salutes Tony Vaccaro and his successful businesses on the Avenue. I personally tip my hat to this most wonderful man who is so aware of Tucson and the environment and using creative ways to give to this wonderful community. Thank you Tony!

Tucson is flourishing with artists. We are fortunate to be part of a wonderful community of artists and today Tucson Biz Beat salutes Gene Riggs. She is a retired art and writing teacher. Riggs started to draw from the time she could first hold a pencil. She filled pad after pad with drawings, later, drawings and writings. There are many artists on both sides of her family  and she says, ” My parents were not surprised by this and encouraged me, sent me to Saturday morning art school when I was six.”

Gene says that at the age of seven, she was drawing stick pictures of girls in bathing suits for the boys in her second grade class. She said it was in the 1940s, “Who would think that seven-year old boys could get so excited about pictures of teen aged girls?”

Riggs, made books, wrote books, illustrated books, throughout her childhood. Now it seems natural that she would spend the later years of her life  going back to that and believes “I was ready to incorporate what I had learned teaching as well as life experiences into something that made me feel happy and productive.”

Productive is what Gene Riggs is. I have seen her work and am always amazed what can be done with paper. She can do almost anything with paper, including making some of the paper she works with. I would call her the “Martha Stewart” of the art world. She needs to be because she likes the idea that her art can be used. “I even like it that it can be abused.” says Riggs. “It’s fun for me to see kids wear out my books for children. Certainly handmade books are not as here today gone tomorrow as say, sand castles or chalk art on sidewalks, and if made with acid free papers and kept nicely on a coffee table they can probably last forever. But I think it’s fun to see books I’ve made take on the wear and tear of usage.”

Books, cards, wall pieces, mobiles, cookbooks, poetry, you name it Gene Riggs creates it. She often sell from her studio and does several shows a year. She keeps her prices low, wanting to make only enough money to buy art supplies. Riggs works daily all summer to produce art so she can have a good “store” for the Fall, Winter and Spring seasons. “Of course I am in my studio working at all times, but summer is my main thrust.”

If you want to see some of Gene Riggs work she is doing a “Show and Sell”  event Thursday November 8th from 10:ooam-3:00pm at Murphy Gallery at St Philips Church. Gene Riggs will be there to show off her collection of paper art work. To find out exactly where or to visit her studio or get some great pictures of her work, drop her a line at generiggs@earthlink.net.

Tucson Biz Beat salutes Gene Riggs for living in Tucson for 29 years and gifting us with her skill, her artwork and her knowledge that surrounds art. She has passion about her art, and about the Old Pueblo, which is often showcased in her fine art work.