Visual Arts

The Amazing Arizona Comic Convention flies into Mesa Convention Center this weekend, and though it’s AACC’s first appearance on the Valley’s rich fan convention scene, it’s starting out super — largely because they’ve got Robert Kirkman, writer of The Walking Dead series, as a headline guest.The Walking Dead (Image Comics)…

John Wagner’s art-chronicling journeys have taken the Phoenix-based photographer to spots like Costa Rica, Spain, and Italy. However, there may not be any images in Wagner’s portfolio that are as striking as his works captured one U.S. state away from Arizona. Wagner’s “SALT” series finds the shutterbug on location at…

For Brooke Grucella, it’s what happens between conversations that matters most. Hence, the title of the Tucson-based artist’s latest show, which opens tonight at Squeeze Gallery in Scottsdale.    Grucella is most intrigued by the conversations we have in our minds, but may not say aloud. The Tucson-based painter brings her interpretation to…

We often say “kids” as a term of endearment here on Jackalope Ranch.But this time, it’s to be taken literally.Phoenix Sister Cities wants artists and authors age 13 to 18 to submit works for the International Young Artists and Authors Competition.The year’s theme is called, “Shaping Your Community for a…

When a young, sexy woman in skimpy clothing picks up a machine gun, one of two things are bound to happen: either some poor schmuck’s gonna meet a bullet-riddled end with an eyeful, or more likely, the woman will end up on the cover of a popular gun trade magazine.The…

Greg Esser loves a good project. We actually can’t remember the last time he wasn’t renovating a historic building, organizing an art show, or spaying a handful of feral cats — all between his seemingly countless arts jobs in two states. Esser’s the Director of the Civic Art Program for…

It’s about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we’re losing track of the times we’ve said, “Woah, when did that go up?”, we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town — their…

What do the The Fisher Memorial House, Peter T. Robinson House, Sun Mercantile Building, Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, and First Baptist Church in Arizona have in common? They’re old … And they were all listed in the Arizona Preservation Foundation’s Most Endangered Historic Places list for 2006.The list is a…

Last week, a few days after Gotham City Comics and Coffee opened in downtown Mesa, Richard Contreras began working on a portrait of the Incredible Hulk; it was Contreras’ fifth piece of superhero-themed art painted for the shop. Not long afterward, he took it down. “I put it up there,…

It’s about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we’re losing track of the times we’ve said, “Woah, when did that go up?”, we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town — their…

On a drive down Roosevelt Street in downtown Phoenix this week, we noticed a map. A big map. And if you’ve seen our Field Guides, you know how we feel about directional guidelines and icons. The map, pasted on a mural we covered earlier by Joerael Elliott, is an effort…

Colby Vincent Edwards, William Franevsky, and Jarrett Scherff spent a lot of time and energy documenting “nothing.” The collaborative group, for its “The 8th Day” exhibit, fabricated their own three-person society that imitates an antediluvian civilization. This included creating “a plethora of weapons and costumes, wrapped with twine, adorned with…

Glendale is dipping its toes into the Valley art walk scene once again with “Artwerks Lateral 58”, a newly developed grassroots project started by the local art community. This First Saturday morning walk, named for the city’s newly renovated walkway at 58th Avenue, stays true to the standard art walk…

In 18th- and 19th-century Europe, during the alleged Age of Enlightenment, telling someone that he needed to have his head examined in no way carried the contemporary connotation of “be a good boy and take your Thorazine.” Back in pre-photography times, having your head examined was the height of scientific…

It’s about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we’re losing track of the times we’ve said, “Woah, when did that go up?”, we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town — their…

Pantone Color Institute, a world-renowned authority on color, announced the 2011 color of the year last week.Give a big congratulations to 18-2120, Honeysuckle.Designers and artists alike are buzzing about this decision — a dramatic departure from the 2010 color, Turquoise…

To Gregory Sale, “It’s (meaning Arizona crime and the corrections system) Not Just Black and White.” The local artist is using the statement as a working title for his residency/exhibition slated to start in the ASU Art Museum in February. Sale’s project and ultimate goals are intentionally vague. He’s not…