Jerome continues its love affair with art on Feb. 3 with the First Saturday Art Walk. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the 24 galleries and studios of Jerome will be brimming with visual delights. There will be plenty of chocolate, music and good conversation at this vibrant event.
Meet the artists at night and mingle with other art lovers who are drawn to this charming mountain town. Make a night of it with dinner at one of the town’s delicious restaurants and maybe spend the night at one of the delightful bed-and-breakfasts or hotels. The event starts at 5 p.m. There is plenty of parking, and a shuttle is available to transport visitors to galleries and studios.
Don’t forget live music. The Mile High Grill will have music by local favorite Dave Rentz and the Spirit Room will feature the Johnny Lingo Trio. Be sure to stop by Passion Cellars’ new location up the steps on the way to Haunted Hamburger. The tasting room is featuring all local artists and is a beautiful space both inside and out on the deck. Jerome Art Walk is an event that has become a Northern Arizona tradition on the first Saturday of each month. Visit
jeromeartwalk.com for more information.
Ben Roti’s “re[VOL]ve” opens at Gallery 527 in Jerome during First Saturday Art Walk from 5 to 8 p.m. Roti will feature new contemporary ceramic work constructed and altered on the pottery wheel. The collection of turned objects includes a variety of cups, bowls, jars and platters. Vibrant glazes and slips are used to create a rich, weathered surface on the wheel-thrown utilitarian objects. Roti’s new work was fired in November at the Reitz Ranch where he worked side by side with Don Reitz, the grand master of ceramics who died in 2014.
Passion Cellars Jerome is featuring the work of Jerome artists and craftsmen for the upcoming February Art Walk. The 13-by-5-foot tryptic of Jerome by plein air painter Mark Hemleben, Every Damn House, is featured behind the 15-foot live edge juniper bar, handcrafted by Jerome’s Mike Caruso. Passion is also featuring the seductive welding art of Jerome’s Jessica Laurel Reese, who also welded the fence and gate on the new wine patio to tie in with the curve of the clouds and red rocks of Sedona.
The European style patio floor was designed and painted by Michael McDonald and Spring Peterson. The color and design was chosen to highlight the beauty of Jerome’s striking sunsets. Longtime Jerome resident and owner of the House of Joy, Mary Dempsey, is also one of Passion’s featured artists. Her intricate and lush collage pieces are whimsical, colorful and captivating. Passion is also featuring the intricate dot work of Dave Rentz, who creates beautiful and mesmerizing patterns on canvas and found objects. Passion Cellars tasting room and gallery is at 301 Main St. in Jerome.
Cody DeLong just completed a large new Grand Canyon painting, A Day at the Beach, which is 36-by-60 inches. It’s a dramatic scene along the Colorado River, from one of his many rafting trips through the canyon. He’ll be leading another eight-day float trip for artists in May. The artists will be doing plein air painting each day in camp along the way. These studies and photos taken are the reference he uses for his larger studio works. While some 5 million people visit the south rim each year, only about 25,000 are allowed to float the river through the park. DeLong has also been invited back for the 10th year in a row to participate in the Grand Canyon Plein Air event in September. In addition, he continues work on his Jerome Impressions Series. Stop in and see what’s wet on the easel at his studio, at 300 Hull Ave. between the Visitors Center and Spook Hall.
As always, there will be live ukulele music at Made in Jerome Pottery and some new Raku and pit-fired pots by Hanna Flagg in addition to all the handmade cups, bowls and plates that will make any meal special.
Celebrate the ones you love at Zen Mountain Gallery for February Art Walk. Valentine’s Day is approaching and Zen Mountain Gallery has a wide selection of gift ideas and fine art for the occasion from its many local artists. The gallery offers a great selection of jewelry from Komala Rohde and Nancy Bihler. Heart-themed ceramics are available from Luna Patterson and Elizabeth Bonzani, as well as a wide selection of contemplative and contemporary fine art, photography and pottery. Zen Mountain Gallery has two more pieces from the estate of Donald Voss.
One depicts Jerome with the “J” on the hill and an architectural depiction characteristic of Jerome.
The second work is titled “Pulse of the Earth” and was beautifully described by Voss: “Since the beginning of its creation, the Earth has had a pulse of life to which every living organism is connected. Sitting upon the Earth and connecting with the pulse of the Earth helps us to restore our vibrational frequency and achieve equilibrium. When we attain this kind of balance, we have a natural tendency to become still and silent. It is within the silence that the distractions of our lives decrease enough to allow us to begin to make sense of the world. This helps us to recognize the simplicity of our natural existence. Stillness at the center will immerse you profoundly into the pulse of the Earth, into the rippling echo of the cosmos onward to infinity.”
Join the gallery for a glass of wine, Valentine’s sweets and find something special for yourself or loved one.
Join Threads On Main for a spectacular preview of its new Cut Loose clothing line at the Art Walk on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. The spring lineup from this small San Francisco studio is filled with linen and cotton blends in new light spring colors of celery, ocean blue and white. Stop in for the champagne and chocolates Art Walk reception and be the first in the Verde Valley to sport sassy spring fashions from Threads On Main.
Pura Vida Gallery will feature new pieces by ceramic artist Bill Campbell during the Feb. 3 Art Walk. His Stellar glazes are known for their subtle color variations, random occurrences and impressionistic appearance. Each piece is food, microwave and dishwasher safe and is an original work of art to be enjoyed for many generations. Join Pura Vida Gallery for champagne and chocolates and Campbell’s newest designs from 5 to 8 p.m. on the evening of the Jerome Art Walk.
The Jerome Artists’ Cooperative Gallery continues its celebration with its biannual all-member show Ringing in the New Year. Co-op members are encouraged to display new work in this show which may include work outside their current juried media. This provides an opportunity for visitors to see work they may not have seen before in the co-op. Chris Ryback, Mark Foltz and Florence Flynn are among the 35 local co-op members who have taken on the challenge of creating new work and are looking forward to sharing their results during the Feb. 3 Art Walk and artists reception from 5 to 8 p.m. in the old Hotel Jerome. From jewelry art to wearable art, from gourd art to ceramics, from wood art to carved art, from paintings and mixed media to photography, note cards, mosaics, glass and stained-glass art, this event is sure to please. The display is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served. The show runs through Wednesday, Feb. 28.
In The New State Motor Company, Janie Layers will showcase her latest sculpted scripture narrative “The Voice Of One Crying Out In The Wilderness.” It is a 3-foot-tall hand-formed clay statue of John the Baptist standing in water. John leaped in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, at the greeting of Mary, mother of Jesus. He also baptized thousands in the Jordan River and was eventually beheaded at the request of Herodias. Honey, locusts and camel hair identify this prophet whose coming was foretold in the 5th century B.C. by the Book of Malachi.
At Yester Day’s Fine Art Gallery, located under a lavender flag in the lower business district of Jerome, wood is the offering for Valentine’s Day. The bas relief wood carvings of disabled United States military veteran Jeff Clark of Camp Verde may be as romantic as they come for some. Clark’s skillfully and delicately etched planks depict images of American Indians, birds and natural flora, and in certain situations may be just the right gift — besides the ring — for when one finally comes out and asks, “Wood you marry me?”
Contact Donna Chesler at 301-3004 or visit Jeromeartwalk.com for more information about Jerome Art Walk.
