Meet The Artists

Meet the Artists

Michelangelo, Picasso, Beethoven, Kahlo, Hemingway, Dickens – All amazingly talented people who happen to be affected by behavioral illnesses. Much like the Masters, the PSA Art Awakenings artists offer a bounty of talents and varied levels of artistic skills to produce quality, well executed art.

Current Artists

Alex Crunchmonster

Alex lives in Casa Grande and has been creating art since he was little. Primarily working in ceramics right now, Alex hopes that people find joy in his work and are inspired. His artwork has been displayed in Phoenix, Casa Grande, and Tucson.

A. K.

A.K. was born in San Angelo, Texas and was raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She has worked primarily with fabrics in sewing and crocheting. She has always sewn clothes for herself and her family and does so without the use of patterns. At the age of 59, A.K. began drawing and painting. Her favorite subject matter is portraits. She has shown 3 pieces at the county fair and took 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

Anjalee Jadav

Anjalee was raised in Arizona and first developed an interest in art at the age of 5. Primarily working in acrylic and watercolor painting, Anjalee hopes that people find joy in her work. Anjalee has taken many art classes through the years and her work can be found online at the link below. Anjalee strives to become a mural painter in major businesses so that she can share her gifts with a larger audience.
Anjalee’s Website

C Mili

C Mili hails from the Hollywood, Florida area and first developed an interest in art after being exposed to it by her aunt Mona. She has always connected with nature and her art reflects this love of the outdoors. She has traveled and studied many different landscapes and architectures, which influence her art and jewelry. Before the recent death of her father, he told her never to give up on her gift and passion for creativity. Most of her jewelry is done on a consignment basis.

Catherine Natalie Alfaro

Catherine N. Alfaro was raised in California and first developed an interest in art through nature. She is inspired by land, seas, mountains, deserts and jungles. Primarily featuring flowers and birds, Cathy hopes that people are inspired by her work to think and be strong.

Damian De Blas

Damian de Blas was born in Phoenix, Arizona and first developed an interest in art at an early age. Primarily working in collage, Damian hopes that people enjoy his personal vision.

Jen

Jen, originally from Kansas, became interested in art during high school. A fantastic art teacher taught her many skills that she still uses today. Now she especially loves beadwork and sewing, but also enjoys collage, fused glass and ceramics. Art has helped her find a healthy outlet for her emotions. She loves to be creative and finds that Art Awakenings gives her a safe place to express her creativity while helping her deal with her mental health issues. She is inspired by the other artists she works with and hopes that her artwork will inspire creativity and self-expression in others.

Jon Hansen

Jon Hansen was raised in St. Johns, Arizona and first developed an interest in art at an early age. Primarily working in acrylics, Jon excels at landscape painting and hopes that people find joy in his work.

Julie Parisi

Julie Parisi lived in Scottsdale until recently when she moved to the downtown Phoenix Arts District to be closer to the art world. Over the past year, Julie has focused her time in the studio working to become an abstract painter. Through much determination and practice, Julie began to exhibit her work and has received recognition for her talents. At this time, Julie has moved from Art Awakenings Studio and Gallery to the gallery/studio space known as Warehouse 1005. Julie plans on continuing to improve her work and continue to show at galleries and on the internet.

Keenan Behney

Keenan Behney was raised in Bisbee, Arizona and first developed an interest in art in grade school while attending art classes at the YMCA. Many years later, he became interested in gemstones and minerals and started polishing stones. Keenan studied art at Pima and Cochise College and primarily works with jewelry and lapidary arts. He hopes that people find the best stones in the world in his jewelry, which can be found at the PSA Art Awakenings free standing gallery in Old Bisbee (50 Main St.).

Kendell Tewers

Kendell was born in Ohio and moved to Arizona in the 1970′s. He has explored many other areas of the country including California, Las Vegas, Colorado and Washington. He developed an interest in art at an early age and pursued a major in arts as a young adult. Kendell has always had a love for all art forms and at one time created dark paintings reflecting on his past. Now his favorite subject is painting animals. “I love Art Awakenings and having the chance to create and sell my art.” – Kendell Tewers

Laura Tarrats

Laura Tarrats was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Peoria, AZ at the age of 12. She developed an interest in art very early in life. From then and still today she works in many mediums with a variety of subject matter – writing, dance, and painting. She enjoys pleasing others as well as herself through art.
When people ask “what do you do as a living?” she has come to be at peace and to feel pride answering, “I’m an artist”. Soon she plans to have space at the Warehouse Studio. Look for her work online at the AA Gallery.

Matt Umholtz

Matt Umholtz was raised in Phoenix and has had interest in art since the age of 5. His artistic inspiration comes from his family members, especially his grandparents and uncles that are also artists. They have always been supportive of Matt and his art. He primarily paints at Art Awakenings and hopes that people find joy in his work.

Matthew Krawczel

Matthew Krawczel was raised in Phoenix, Arizona and developed an interest in art 2 years ago. Matthew enjoys attending PSA Art Awakenings because it gives him a chance to get out of the house. He has learned many new beading technigques and enjoys all the art projects he is able to participate in.

Mavis Erlene Keepin

Mavis Erlene Keepin was raised in Los Alamos, NM and first developed an interest in art while studying philosophy in college 40 years ago. Mavis primarily works in acrylic and pastels. She has shown her work both nationally and internationally, including New York City and Milan, Italy.

Michelle Neal

Michelle Neal was raised in Phoenix, Arizona and first developed an interest in art at the age of 7. She entered a TV Guide drawing contest at the age of 10 and considered entering an art school at this time. Michelle is continually inspired by art because the act of creation makes her happy. She knows never to give up on her dream.

MJ Hall

MJ Hall was born in Albany, Georgia. As an artist her worksa re shown at Art Awakenings galleries in Phoenix, Tucson and Casa Grande. Her painting “Tranquility” received a first place award in the Southwest Network Art Contest. Art became a part of her life at an early age when a kindergartner teacher tolder her, “you are spending too much time on art and artist don’t make much money.” She finds sanctuary from the pressures in life by creating art. Her experience as a cake decorator, degree in computer graphics and experience as a freelance artist working on safety books all contribute to her creativity. She currently enjoys working in a colorful pallete using acrylic paints.

M Katz

M. Katz was born and raised in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. She spent 10 years living in England while working in the digital arts field. She has since moved on to creating complex multi-media transfers. M Katz doesn’t consider herself an artist because she creates art to help herself heal.

Rhonda G

Rhonda Gott was born in Long Island, New York and currently resides in Casa Grande. Her art tends to be in abstract form taking on varied shapes and colors as her surroundings have changed over the years. Rhonda hopes that you find her art expressions in a light all of your own.

Roy Santa Cruz

Roy Santa Cruz was raised in Douglas, Arizona and developed an interest in photography at the age of 15. Roy finds photography enjoyable because when he takes a picture and it comes out as planned, he feels succesfull. His composition ranges from planned studies to “happy accidents” that surprise him in a good way. He particularly enjoys nature photography featuring plants and animals. He has exhibited at the Cochise County Fair and has won multiple awards.

Ruben Quesada

Ruben Ross Quesada was born in Phoenix, AZ and went to many schools in various cities throughout the state of Arizona including in Phoenix, Cottonwood, and Mesa. He has studied art and drafting at Scottsdale Community College, NAU, ASU, Yavapai Community College and Glendale Community College. Ruben has worked primarily in watercolors for which he has won numerous awards in the Cottonwood, AZ area while attending Mingus Union High. He is now branching out and works in multiple medias such as acrylic on canvas and woodworking.

Rusi B

Warehouse 1005 Artist
Rusi was born in Phoenix, Arizona and worked as a production artist in her early 20’s where was able to develop her natural abilities. Rusi has traveled throughout the U.S., lived in Alaska and taught arts and crafts for Club Med in Eleuthra, Bahamas and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Rusi currently lives in Tempe, Arizona and works in acrylic on canvas.
Rusi’s artwork reflects upon a lifelong struggle with addiction and hardship which resulted in meeting Christ. Rusi’s art went from very dark to brightly colored and now portrays struggles that include hope and beauty arising from pain. Her artwork is intended to direct the viewer to look within and point to god.

Samuel Fuller

Samuel Fuller was raised in Miami, Florida and first became engaged in the arts when he was about 7 years old. Primarily working in acrylics, Samuel hopes that people are inspired by his work to be healed. “My art is to illustrate inspirations of heaven, God, the Holy Spirit, the experience of communion and how a relationship with Christ relates to life and all mankind.” – Samuel Fuller

Sharon Perkins

Sharon (Whitefeather) Perkins hails from the Tucson, Arizona area and first began discovering her creative talents in 2010. She trys to incorporate new textures in every piece she makes. Sharon says, “Art saved my life, I never want to go back to where I was before art, my recovery is a life-long process and art is at the center of my being…”

Stacey Estabrook

Stacey Estabrook grew up in California. She discovered a love for clay and ceramics at Art Awakenings. Stacey feels grounded and at peace when she works with clay. She has been inspired by the staff to try new things and be creative.

Stephanie Matter

Stephanie Matter was born in Los Angeles, California and first developed an interest in art after moving to Sante Fe, New Mexico. She grew up in the the New Mexico arts community and draws inspiration from her grandfather, father and many cousins who are also artists. She was encouraged at a young age to explore the arts and eventually studied theatre arts at the University of New Mexico. She uses a number of different medias including ceramics, glass and beading. Stephanie hopes that people find joy in her creations and would love for everyone to have a piece of her art or to wear her jewelry.

Vera R

Vera R was raised in Boston and developed an interest in art at an early age. She primarily works in multimedia utilizing splatter paint and acrylics while focusing on florals. “When I’m into art, all my worries go away. Art is my soul, my dream, my world.”

Wendy B

Wendy states that creating is at the center of who she is and everything she does. Wendy is moved mostly by the creative use of color and spacing. She started playing with color combinations by outlining pictures with many different combinations that mostly contrasted. Her love of spacing came with rearranging the furniture in her room each week. Wendy currently enjoys working in ceramics, acrylics, crocheting, photography and graphic design.

W.H.

W.H. was born in Oklahoma and first developed an interest in art in high school. Primarily working in pencil, W.H. features wildlife as the main subject matter. W.H. hopes that people find joy in his work.
Displaying artwork of wildlife with an emphasis on endangered species.

 

Alumni

David B.

David enjoys photography, journaling and writing poetry. Playing drums since the age of 10, David is also the drummer in the Art Awakenings house band.

Darlene

Darlene grew up in Santa Monica, California being carted around from art show to art show by her mother who was an oil artist. She moved to Phoenix in 1971, where learned to play guitar and became one of the Balladiers for Arizona. All the while she studied different mediums of art which inspired her to be an art and guitar teacher. She also attended painting classes given by the late well-known Arizona artist Don Ruffin, who inspired her to paint even more about Arizona. Darlene describes her time in the Art Awakenings program as opening up new chances and opportunities to grow in her arts and career.

ht.

Ht. was highly motivated to be interested in art at a young age, which she attributes to her father’s influence. She took art classes in high school, and at Mesa Community College and Arizona State University. In her words, “Art saves me from feeling less than what I can be.”

Victorious Warrior

As a preschooler Victorious helped her mom tie quilts. She took an art class by mail and when she was a teen had some of her large crayon art framed for her family. Victorious was inspired by her mom’s advanced color calligraphy, painting and training of others after retirement. Victorious wanted to get in touch with that creative openness which she had not found until her own senior years. Having done crafts for many years, Victorious experiments with mixed media for her own use in three dimensional journaling. For sale, her media focuses on joyful, thanks-filled, useful healing arts.

Jo Allebach

Jo Allebach has been painting for a mere seven years. An extensive traveler, she attributes her specialization in acrylic impressionist landscapes to the love she has seen in the beauty of this country. To intrigue her viewers, Jo also ventures to other subjects and media. Her work can be seen in Phoenix, Scottsdale and the surrounding valley. JoAllebachFineArt.com

Bear

A local artist for the past 30 years, Bear has been an artist ever since childhood. Originally from Oklahoma, he has a Native American background, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Arizona State University, and describes his work as strongly influenced by Fritz Scholder and Pablo Picasso. Bear’s passion is to continue his art for the rest of his life.

Ignacio

Ignacio has been drawing since he was in the first grade. Always admired by classmates, he did a lot of drawings throughout grade school and on until high school. Seven years ago he returned to art and mainly focused on drawings of “muscle people” dogs, and dinosaurs. His passion for art has inspired him to expand into terra cotta sculpture, photography, poetry and painting. He loves every aspect of art and plans on continuing his exploration into other modalities.

Beva Chavez

Beva is a native of Phoenix who first developed an interest in art while in kindergarten. In 5th grade she received art instruction by her teacher. She continued with general art studies in high school. In 1992 she received her associate degree in advertising art. She is self-taught and has worked in pen and ink illustration, watercolors, and cartooning. In 2003 she started painting with acrylics when she started at Art Awakenings. She exhibited as a solo artist show with the gallery in 2009. Some of her work can be seen periodically at the gallery. To see more of Beva’s work, visit www.BevaChavez.com .

Pamela

Pamela was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois and moved to Phoenix in 1995. Mostly self-taught, she first developed an interest in art around the age of four and has grown into a notable artist who primarily works with acrylics, mixed media, prisma colors, and pencil. Pamela paints and draws mainly fantasy-style artwork without using reference subjects to inspire and design original art pieces. Her first one woman show was in Illinois and she has since received numerous awards at local, state and international levels, most recently from the Arizona State Fair and Phoenix Sister Cities International Art Competition.

Steve D.

Steve first wanted to be a musician in 4th grade after seeing a John Denver special on TV. His parents gave him a plastic toy guitar and that was enough to start him down the path. He continued developing as a musician, songwriter and poet through school and the US Navy until 1989. That’s when schizophrenia robbed him of any interest. However In 1998, a newer, better medical treatment sparked a personal renaissance in his life. After battling to regain what he had lost, Steve is now developing more than any previous time in his life. He is also a past recipient of the PSA Art Awakenings President’s Award.
Steve’s Website…

Gill

Gill started painting when he became a part of PSA Art Awakenings. After several years, he continues to paint and now also works as a Tempe Studio Assistant. His work has been exhibited at ASU Gammage, ASU Kerr Cultural Center, and a number of other venues.

Christine H.

“I feel joy when I am able to use inorganic, geometrical shapes to create an organic design with both fluidity and balance. Although Matisse is my favorite artist, my faces show the influence of the Picasso exhibit that my mother took me to at the Boston Art Museum when I was a child.”

Anita F.

Native Phoenician Anita first developed an interest in art and amazed her parents at the age of five, painting a red rose on black velvet. Primarily working in acrylic and brush textures, she paints abstracts, religious and impressionistic images on canvas. Inspired by intense cycling emotions, life challenges, and experiences, Anita strives to express and identify with her emotions and spirituality through art. She hopes to engage and challenge art viewers to identify with their inner world of experiences, emotions, and spiritual journeys in life. Random brush textures, strokes, and symbols depict her numerous frantic and inner emotions bursting forth as depicted in her own unique style.

Larry F.

Larry was born and raised in South Carolina and first developed an interest in art in high school. He primarily likes to use acrylic or airbrush on canvas. His unique perspectives and ideas are inspired by cloud formations, spiritual experiences, expressions and emotions. He hopes that people can identify with his work.

Mareshah Henderson

Mareshah B. Henderson is an autodidactic artist who works in a wide variety of mediums. A Midwest farm girl who began selling her work and entering local and national art competitions at age seven, Mareshah’s work has been exhibited in nine states and she has received awards of excellence from five countries. Her main interests in art are the play of light in conjunction with shadows, how healing is accomplished through art and sharing the joy of art by mentoring others. She recently designed the prototype for “AMY” of the Arizona Museum for Youth’s “My Favorite Monster” exhibition.

Dorothy K

Dorothy was raised in Boise, Idaho and recalls finger painting in the first grade as the beginning of her interest in art. She now enjoys painting and describes her creative process as “featuring on canvas, what she sees.”

Nenet

Nenet’s creativity and sensitivity show in all of her artwork. There is not a single medium with which she hasn’t worked. She teaches private classes, and is attending college to become a teacher while she seriously pursues her career in the art world. “I have to have a balance between helping people and using my time for artwork. If I don’t have time for both, there is neither.”

Paul Hassman

Paul was born and raised in Pennsylvania where his artistic talents emerged in the 3rd grade. His teacher was instrumental in enrolling him in the “Moore College of Art” where during his nine years in the “Saturday Children’s Program” he became proficient in design, ceramics, metal, oils, pencil, and jewelry making. Paul’s passion for art grew as he earned a degree in graphic design from the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Ever since, his artistic abilities have continued to blossom with his passion for the beauty of creativity, zest for life and art growing daily. Paul recently exhibited at the ASU Kerr Cultural Center and his work is currently featured in the Arizona Museum for Youth’s “My Favorite Monster” exhibition.

Tom S.

Tom is from the Midwest where he worked as a professional photographer. He “has always enjoyed the arts and is excited about exploring his painting skills”. Tom does not accept commissioned work but instead prefers to paint at his own pace and chosen style of the moment.

Emma Thorn

Emma was born in and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and first developed an interest in art at age five. She primarily works with acrylics, painting wild life and portraits of people. She hopes that people find joy in her work, are inspired by it, and feel the love she feels for the subjects she paints.

Nansi Beadle Whiteis

Phoenix, Arizona native Nansi Beadle Whiteis developed an interest in art a very young age which she attributes to her father’s influence as a design architect. Nansi’s unique style shines through in her abstracts as well as the animals she paints. Skilled in various mediums, Nansi “puts a lot of happiness into her paintings” and hopes that people can see that in her work. She has exhibited in various Phoenix galleries along with other venues.

Lori Wilson

Lori’s plans to become a math teacher changed after she gave way to her creative and free spirit to attend Arizona State University and study industrial design and design history. Her illness developed and she found PSA Art Awakenings which she credits for saving her life. “I have been able to explore many different mediums and styles of art. The work I am showing is very reflective of my time here. Some pieces reflect my struggle to stay sane; other pieces show my sense of humor and desire to have fun making art. Either way, creating good art heals my soul.” Lori recently had her first solo exhibition and moved into her own studio space.

Read the article about Lori published in the Arizona Republic on 8-23-09