Introducing Artists New to Feminine Mystique Art Gallery

Betty Amendola Betty was born in the south, reared in the midwest, spent her young adulthood in Hawaii and has been a Tucson resident for over 30 years. Living in all of these areas and experiencing different cultures has influenced the way she looks at the world and her art. As a creator of handbuilt pottery,  Betty utilizes her 40 years of experience as a graphic designer.  Her constant experimentation with a variety of clay bodies, slips, glazes, oxides, stains and textural effects, ensures that her work is always original and unexpected.

 When introduced to raku by an instructor, she quickly became addicted and now has her own raku kiln, and in the last two years has completed over 140 raku firings. A passionate high energy person by nature, Betty has directed some of that passion and energy into coaxing a seemingly endless variety of art from clay.

Phyllis Borden’s work has been particularly inspired by her travels throughout the western United States and both her ceramics and paintings are focused on natural elements, especially trees, flowers and birds. She has been painting acrylic landscapes for over 35 years and also spins fibers, working with wool, llama, alpaca and other fibers.  “I’m privileged to have the time to play with clay and paint to my heart’s content. I’d be lost without a creative outlet.”

Diane Calkins

I was born and raised in Colorado Springs, where the beauty of nature has always inspired my creativity.  After many years of commercial quilting, silk painting and watercolor, I discovered that creating jewelry was truly my calling. I am enthralled with wrapping red, brown and orange toned gemstones in copper, as that brings out the warm glow of the stone.  The sterling silver really shows off the beauty of the blue, purple and green gemstones and is equally as mesmerizing.  Each of my pieces have been sprayed to reduce tarnish.  I hand pick each of my stones from lapidary artists, many of whom are the actual miners.  Each piece is truly unique and one-of-kind.

Art has always been her passion. Ruth's closeness to nature and sensitivity to animals is the result of growing up in rural Illinois. Her innate art talent was enhanced at Northern Illinois University, the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and mentored by many national instructors. Ruth is a signature member of several art organizations, recognized with national awards,  published in numerous national art books and magazines.

Fascinated by the scenic sights and intriguing wildlife of the desert southwest, Ruth Canada moved to southern Arizona in 1998 to her permanent foothills home and studio.

Ruth's work can be  viewed and purchased at: Feminine Mystique Elite

The mosaic skulls are real animal skulls, and have been cleaned and painted before the creative process can begin. A design is then drawn on the skull, and the beading and glass colors are selected. Each piece of glass is hand cut, and the beads are hand strung, allowing the artist to combine and mix colors to her liking. Found objects such as jewels, stones, and vintage jewelry are often used as focal points in the design. Much time and effort is expended in the selection process, and the results are as unusual as the skulls themselves. Each piece is unique, and the design of each mosaic skull will never be duplicated.

Merle Eintracht
A natural born South African, Merle is a self taught artist.  In Pasadena CC she devised and taught a highly successful Art and Music program for children Kg – 6th while attending graduate school and obtaining a Master’s degree in Human Development.

Merle sees the natural world as a tapestry that she is compelled to create in bits of fabric.  As a fabric artist her process begins with a trip to a fabric store which offers her a feast of sensual delights, and the endless possibilities of combination.  She loves to smell, touch and bask in the glorious colors of fabric which guarantee to feed her spirit.

Working from photographs that inspire her, Merle’s, art consists primarily of flowers and landscapes.  She also creates Victorian Seed Bead flowers and her most recent medium is Paper Fabric which she continues to explore.

Lorraine Pace Halvorsen's interest in art began in childhood when she would sketch wherever possible on whatever materials were available. Nature's beauty abounded on her family's remote cattle ranch in the four comers area of Utah and Colorado.

She came to Tubac, AZ in 1976. This historic Spanish, sidewalk free, town was founded in about 1600. It was always a local center for art and crafts. This place fulfilled a dream that began in the 1950's. Lorraine was a medical and cytotechnologist who also did cancer research on uranium miners on the Colorado Plateau but yearned to paint. She kept doing her sketches.

AnDe Herbert

From AnDe’s earliest childhood she traveled the globe and made a home in Europe, Asia and the US. This established a wide spectrum of rich experiences, memories and exposure to multiple environments where she learned to love the unique beauty of people and their cultures. Her current home is in Green Valley, Arizona. 

Kim Jones is a self taught artist working primarily in mixed media watercolor and ink on paper and mixed media oil on canvas. She has developed her own unique methods of mixing and layering mediums to create depth, texture and movement. Her watercolor and ink paintings are whimsical and light, often with a humorous twist, while the oils are more spiritual and metaphysical. Kim gets most of her inspiration from dreams and daily meditations.

She started painting in oils at fourteen years old, and in her twenties discovered watercolor and ink. Her paintings have elements of both the greens of rural Minnesota and the desert colors of Arizona, having lived in both places. She and her husband lived in Arizona a number of years, then returned to Minnesota for awhile. Now they are beginning the process of coming back to the desert.

“I have a need to always have a piece in progress, or I feel out of balance. I am grateful for having two mediums to work in, that work for me, so I always have some new idea floating in my head and something evolving in my studio”.

Nancy Klapak

I was born in Tennessee, raised in the Midwest, transplanted to California as a teenager where I attended UC Berkeley after graduation from high school.  I received a BA in Design with an emphasis in ceramics and worked for a number of years making functional pottery.  I was always fascinated by glass and tried to incorporate into my pots many times without success.  After moving to Oregon and living in the woods in a log house, raising a family and having several careers, I followed my dream of working with glass and making jewelry and moved to Green Valley, Arizona.  I like bright shiny things, which attracted me years ago to dichroic glass.  I have two kilns at home, and a small studio.  I still like making items that are functional and am very happy to have wine stoppers, purse holders, bookmarks and key chains with dichroic glass cabochons along with the dichroic pendants.  I recently added some free form dichroic pendants with wire wrap and some spiral earrings which move and sparkle in the light. 

Norma Kwestel

This scrafito technique that I am working in now is my most recent style.  I’d been using a grid to break up the surface of the canvas or paper on and off for a number of years, then I’d go back to the over-all painting of the paper or canvas depending on my impulse at the time.

I’ve worked with various media including the oil pastels that are the basis of the scrafito paintings (drawings) but never as extensively as with the scrafito which so perfectly lends itself to the oil pastel medium. Two or more layers of color, generally with the darkest last, are laid on the paper and then a sharp metal tool (I use an awl) is used to cut into the medium and you proceed to ‘draw’ whatever comes through your mind and is conveyed to your hand.

Amy Kyle

Amy began her undergraduate studies in England (Richmond College) and Spain (University of Salamanca) studying Spanish language and culture. She continued her study of art and art education at the University of Arizona in Tucson and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1977. She subsequently worked in a variety of media being drawn, finally to the textural and tactile subtleties of fiber and clay.  Amy Kyle’s expressions in clay, fiber and glass represent a vision that is unique and visually captivating. Combining traditional and innovative techniques, Amy captures energy and dynamism with the materials she chooses for her designs.

My objective is to achieve a dynamic “palette” of textures, bringing various media in one design.  I’m drawn to the process of my work not just a finished product. As a result, much of the designing is an organic process, allowing the materials to guide me. My clay work might be raku fired or electric fired with a variety of glazes.  I weave the fiber forms with various fabrics and I put the fused glass through a number of firings to achieve interesting surfaces. As an artist it is enormously satisfying to watch people respond to the work with a smile, curiosity, maybe a touch, as they take in the scope of the work.

Vangie Legel

I am a self taught potter and acquired my knowledge through taking workshops and attending courses in ceramics and jewelry making. My pieces are formed using different handbuilding techniques, heavily textured, layering them with several glazes and firing them in cone 6. I usually reglaze and fire them several times until I am satisfied with the result. I make pieces that interest me but my main focus are on landscapes for wall hanging and vessels embellished with found objects. My husband's job gave us an opportunity to live in different parts of the world. This exposure to different cultures, language and diverse nature coupled with my Asian heritage shaped how I view the world and influenced my art. I am also inspired by other artist who challenge the commonly belief of what is art and what isn't art.

Laura McDaniel was born in New Jersey, but spent most of her life in the rolling hills of Richland and Ross counties of Ohio. She received her Bachelors degree in education from Ohio University and her Masters degree in education from the University of Rio Grande. She was an elementary teacher with the Chillicothe City Schools for 35 years.

Shortly after retiring, at the urging of a friend, she took a class in making Pysanky eggs. Little did she know she would get hooked with the art! Pysanka is an Ukrainian word meaning "an egg that has been written on." The writing is done with a kistka through which molten wax blocks out areas on the egg that will not be dyed. Through a succession of wax applications and different-colored dye baths, one can draw (or "write") simple or intricate patterns on the egg's surface. A more common word for this process is batik. Laura designs eggs with traditional Pysanky designs as well as southwest, Egyptian, Japanese, quilt patterns, and nature-themed eggs.

Denise Merrick is a jewelry artist originally from New York City, now living and working in the Las Vegas area. She’s had a creative outlet all of her life; designing and crafting jewelry is the next step in her development as an artist. Her love of color led her to a obtain certification as a decorative painter, a skill that she taught for many years. She also had a large ceramics studio in New York, where she taught classes and ran a wholesale/retail business in ceramics. As she was transitioning away from ceramics, Precious Metal Clay was just beginning to come into use. Denise has begun working in this material and continues to explore metal work with both clay and sheet metals. For the last several years Denise has concentrated her creative energies on making beaded, crystal, and metal jewelry.

Betz Miller, a former nurse who always desired the muddy ambiance of pottery, has slipped away from the sterile environment of the operating room and has started getting “dirty” in the studio.

She started working in clay many moons ago in high school and has always had the “mud bug”, even when life got in the way.  She continued with her education and received her Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts with Emphasis in Ceramics from Northern Arizona University.

Katrina Lum
As a self-taught jewelry artist, Katrina’s journey began as a search for something she could call her own. Growing up she always had an interest in design and drawing. She used these talents to create beautiful designs, taught herself many metalsmithing techniques and used them to craft wearable pieces of art. Over time the hammering and jarring aggravated the carpel tunnel syndrome in her wrists and she thought she would be forced to quit. That’s when she discovered a new medium to work in that would not only eliminate the abuse on her wrists, but also allow her to express her creativity more fully; metal clay.

Using vibrant colors, Larry Parker applies acrylic paint in a glazing technique, painting one color over another letting the under lying colors come through. Larry has a studio in Washington State and Arizona. His subject matter is varied and shows a strong sense of design.

Luis Preciado is an artist best known for his paintings of the modern, glamorous woman. His striking works create a magical ambiance with the power to ignite the senses by breathing life into his subjects. “I am constantly striving towards a more minimalist style by stripping away that which is not vital.”

Luis Preciado has worked in acrylic, pencil and presently oil paint on canvas. His subjects include women, children and landscapes. In 2005, Luis Preciado decided to move to southern Arizona after being captivated by one of the many sunsets the mystical desert had to offer. The artist is presently working on a series of cowgirls and Mexican "charras."

Luis' work can be viewed and purchased at:
Feminine Mystique Elite

Mary Ramsey, owner/artist of Yellow Dog Quilts. I have been making quilts since 1985. I am currently a quilting teacher at the Quilter's Market in Tucson AZ. All of my items are created from my own original designs and patterns.

My tote bags are made from beautiful Polynesian batik fabric which is 100% cotton with a very high thread count, and completely machine washable. No two bags are alike - fabric, embroidery patterns & colors, buttons and beading are different on each one.

Why Yellow Dog? Gonzo is my 3-yr-old mixed breed shelter rescue who is my constant companion. He's named for the baseball player who had the winning hit in the 2001 baseball series for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Of course, he has his own quilt...

Anna Shallman

I have lived in Northern Minnesota for most of my life. I love the lakes, trees and rocks of northern Minnesota and the bright colors of the southwest. The landscapes of these two geographical regions dwell equally within me. My first art form was knitting, my second weaving, and now I am in my beading phase. It seems like a natural progression in that each one allows the creator to play with color and shape.

The inspiration for my beadwork comes from my external and internal landscape. I have given up trying to control any part of my art and understand that each piece takes on a life of its own and creates itself really. I might have an idea in mind when I start, but the piece never ends up how I thought it would.

George Shively received his educational and artistic training in the Cleveland, Ohio area. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art with a degree in Industrial Design. He also received a Master’s degree in Education from Cleveland State University. He was a public school art teacher in northeastern Ohio for thirty years.

During his tenure as an art teacher, George exhibited his own work many times. Most of his paintings were nature scenes, including landscapes, exotic wild life and old barns. He started painting realistic and fantasy murals in 1996. A few years later, he started doing decorative painting of furniture in addition to his murals and commission work.

George's work can be viewed and purchased at:
Feminine Mystique Elite

Donna Stover

I have been painting and drawing all my life. After receiving my degree in the Arts from the University of Redlands, I moved to Colorado, Montana, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and now Arizona. My experience is in watercolors, charcoal, oil pastels, and acrylics. I loved doing figure drawing and cartooning. After moving to Tucson, I seriously began taking Oil Painting classes. With this move to Tucson, my faithful pet, Dukie our Westie, was always my companion and I began painting him. I loved the creative process and found that there was more to the painting. As I have reflected on each animal I paint, I have realized how deep the connection is between people and their animals. I started acknowledging how important the bond is between people and their pets. I longed to show that love and devotion to as many people as possible. Animals show a well-lived life. Style and fashion as well as the bond of faithfulness are shared among devoted animal lovers. It is my desire to show in a portrait the uniqueness of each special pet and its owner.

 Scott Taft is a photographer-photo artist. Give him a digital or film camera and the challenge before him will be to create an image that will knock your eyes out. His other intention is to cause the viewer to ask, "Is it a painting or a photograph?"  He prints his work on high gloss metal. That combined with his exaggerated use of color cause most people who see his work to say, "I've never seen anything like this before."

Scott's work can be viewed and purchased at:
Feminine Mystique Elite

Donna Vargas was raised in the Southwest growing up in Phoenix, Arizona.  She developed a love for gourd art some thirty years ago.  She purchased a raw gourd at a craft store and after much time spent cleaning and preparing the gourd, she sketched a design and voila her first gourd creation was born.  She actually joined the American Gourd Society at that time.  However, her interest in gourds had to take a back seat to raising her five children and her full time career of almost forty years as a registered nurse.  It was not until she retired to Southern Arizona in 2002 that she was finally able to devote a majority of her time to gourd art.  After creating just a few pieces, she was encouraged by her friends and family who now own some of her works which are displayed proudly in their homes.  She uses various mediums including coiling, weaving, tenerife, wood burning, acrylic paints and various forms of carving.  Her pieces are heavily influenced by Southwestern designs as she grew up in the Southwest and has always maintained a fondness for Southwestern motif.

Linda Villarreal

I am a lifelong resident of northwest Indiana near Chicago. I received my bachelor and master degrees in Education from Indiana University and taught social studies in junior high school. I loved my career. I found it rewarding running our gifted and talented program and taking students to different academic competitions. An early retirement has given me the time to pursue my interest in jewelry making.

My creative spirit came from my father. He studied art and started a sign business when everything was painted and lettered by hand. I was always impressed when I went to his shop and watched the workers make signs with gold, neon, and silk screening. We had Norman Rockwell’s picture of the sign painter in our home showing how sign painters worked before the computer age. I think these early experiences influenced me to see the creative opportunities in my surroundings.

Bob Wood has been behind the lens of a camera since high school. He was lucky enough to have a professional photographer as a favorite uncle. Trained and mentored by Uncle Gene, Bob worked as a free lance wedding photographer for a few years as an young man. If one were to shake Bob’s family tree it would start raining artists and educators. Fleeing the frozen tundra of Wisconsin and moving to the Sonoran Desert area in 2005, Bob and his bride Gretchen are now full time “Zonies” and loving it. Once again photography is pivotal element in his life. Digital photography blends well with his interest in Macintosh computing. Part of Bob’s current career is to be a commercial photographer serving the working artist market as well as a fine art photographer. He is honored to offer his giclee prints on canvas at the Feminine Mystique Elite.

Bob's work can be viewed and purchased at:
Feminine Mystique Elite

Arlene Zaloznik
Basketry is my passion. Weaving brings me an inner peace that I hope you will find as well as you look at my baskets. It all began with a class in 1996 class while visiting a friend in Alaska. Other than that one class, I am mostly self taught. I now work out of my home in El Paso, TX.

My pine needle gourd baskets are woven in a coiled fashion using either waxed linen or artificial sinew as the coiling thread depending on the effect I want to create. I cut and clean the gourds, then finish them with a furniture polish to maintain and enhance the natural finish of the gourd.  The gourds are then sprayed with a protective acrylic spray. The gourd baskets are embellished with black walnut slices, antlers, natural gemstones (turquoise, malachite, coral, lapis, etc), botanicals, feathers, fossils, and beads. Usually I have no plans for the embellishments - I look at the gourd - letting it speak to me - and then I select the botanicals, feathers and beads, often spending several hours until I find that "right" combination.