ART
Exhibits
Jill Caid
Our journey began 40 years ago when we met in Tucson. Love, friendship, trust, and respect came quickly.
After living in Tucson for almost 20 years, we moved to Oracle and began our artistic passions-Jim in photography and drawing and Jill in watercolor, pastels, and pen & ink.
We traveled together to workshops and showed our art at joint venues. In the summer of 2022, we collaborated, producing photogravure with mixed media.
Jim passed in September 2022 following a valiant battle with cancer.
Linda Tabler
Lewis Schnellmann
Luminous Nature
Artwork by Linda Tabler and Lewis Schnellmann
Friday, January 27 through February 26, 2023
Linda Tabler -- Linda is a fine arts photographer and painter. She works mainly in oils as well as a variety of photo processes, including but not limited to photograms, hand coloring, photo encaustic, infrared, color reversals, silver, and Cibachrome prints.
She was born in Omaha, Nebraska. At age 8 she received private drawing and painting lessons from Fran Day, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska.
She holds degrees in Early Childhood Education (BA) and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA).
She studied photography under Cal Kowal at the Art Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cal worked with Jerry Uelsmann and was an integral part in her interest in alternative photographic processes. She was mentored by sculpturer, photographer, printmaker, and one of the first laser artists, Edward Perry.
She taught kindergarten creating art consortiums and galleries for children and also worked as a studio photographer.
Linda’s photography has won numerous awards including a Kodak Kinsa award; she is a member of ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers). Her work is in private collections throughout the U.S. and has been shown in many solo and group exhibitions. Linda moved from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Oracle, Arizona in 2011.
Lewis Schnellmann -- Lewis Schnellmann is a multi-disciplined artist working in several mediums including painting, sculpture and printmaking.
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated with degrees in Fine Arts (MFA) and Mathematics (BA) from the University of Missouri.
He was an associate professor of art at Radford College (VA), Missouri Western College (MO), and Century College (MN).
He continued post-graduate work at the University of Minnesota where he worked with Malcolm Meyers on printmaking. He also spent several years with Peter Busa as a friend and mentor.
Lewis has work in private and public collections throughout the U.S. and has been in many exhibitions in the U.S. and Europe including the Williamsburg Gallery of Contemporary Art, the Virginia Mint Museum, the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, the Museum of Contemporary Art
Winston-Salem, the Virginia Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Art Institute Friends Gallery.
He moved to Oracle, Arizona in 2002 where he has his studio.
David Jaffrey
Arnold Nelson
Between Line & Color
Artwork by David Jaffrey and Arnold Nelson
Wednesday, January 4 through January 21, 2023
David Jaffrey -- In 1975, I was invited to Oracle’s Rancho Linda Vista for dinner with my acupuncture patient Ann Woodin, and her artist, UA professor of art husband Andy Rush. Shortly afterward, I moved here with my sons and began a new life in a dynamic, continuously evolving arts community while commuting to a busy medical clinic at U A College of Medicine in Tucson, followed by 40 years of private practice.
Deeply inspired and mentored by resident artists, Andy Rush, Jim Davis, Bruce McGrew, and others, I soon began working in landscape watercolor and drawing. During my time at RLV, I have followed a variety of interests: acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, 25 years of community theater (SPATs), 15 years of aikido training (ASU), 11 years playing double bass in a community orchestra (SASO), and throughout the whole span, a fascination with the practice of drawing, painting, some sculpture, and experiments with different materials. Although watercolor has been my main medium, this exhibit, “Between Line & Color” includes results of recent ventures into non-objective and abstract images with acrylics and mixed media, exploring interior and exterior ideas often drawn from my various activities.
Arnold Nelson -- In 1970 my wife and I, along with two young daughters, visited an old friend living on Rancho Linda Vista. Nearing the end of a residency in internal medicine, I made an impulsive decision to move to Arizona and pursue more training at the U of A and to live on RLV. We were able to do these two things and have been living in Oracle since 1971. Later I took a second residency in psychiatry and have been practicing that specialty since 1980, both in Oracle and mainly in Tucson.
I started drawing in 1986 and have been doing that steadily since that time. My drawings follow a tradition of "spontaneous drawing" popular amongst artists since the 1930s. The idea is to make marks that look interesting without any particular organizing thought. Our mind is drawn to patterns that start to emerge in the drawings.
When I see that happening, I deliberately break the pattern, such that the finished drawing has no overall unity of idea, but hopefully is pleasing and intriguing to the eye. If you can "dance through" the drawing, then I believe it is successful. I look for composition, juxtaposition of density and space, essentially esthetic issues.
I hope everyone can take pleasure in viewing them. I have come to see Oracle and the Ranch as my home. I love the desert and the people I have met here and hope to "keep on keeping on."
Angels and Others
Artwork by Pat Dolan and Christopher Lucic
Friday, December 2, 2022
Reception 4-6 pm
Exhibit runs until December 20, 2022
Art Coordinators
Rachel Opinsky
Rachel Opinsky, an Arizona native moved to Oracle with her husband Michael in 2005 after retiring from the teaching profession in Tempe.
Holding a Masters of Elementary Education degree and undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education, she taught both preschool and elementary education. She also mentored and taught College of Education undergraduate students.
Rachel is an active member of two auxiliary boards with the Oracle Fire Department. She is a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) member and Co-chairs the Oracle Firewise Board. She is also a member of the Pinal County Triad Group on Senior Citizens and the Disabled.
A former and founding Oracle Piano Society board member, Rachel has played an integral role in the organization since its inception.
Rachel enjoys outdoor activities such as gardening, river rafting, camping and hiking and is a watercolorist.
Jill Caid
Oracle artist Jill Caid works primarily in watercolor, pastel, and pen and ink. Her inspiration comes from the beauty, light, and movement of the landscapes that surround us, and her joy is in creating paintings that speak to her and others. Jill recalls being excited by design and color as a child, but was unable to study and learn art until later in life. She enjoys taking workshops and learning new techniques.
For the past ten years Jill has been a member of WEGO, which is a local group of seven artists who gather weekly to paint and share ideas and experiences. She also participates and helps organize the annual Oracle Artist Studio Tour, OAST, held every April, and the annual Holiday Market between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Jill co-chairs the Visual Arts Committee of the Oracle Center for the Arts.
Jill’s paintings have been shown at numerous individual and group showings at locations such as the Oracle Patio Café, Trowbridge Hall, and the Oracle Center for the Arts. She may be contacted at 520-896-2878.
ADA Accessibility:
If you require ADA accommodations, to participate in or attend one of our programs, please fill out the form below:
Please contact ADA Coordinator, Bridget Cook at ada@oraclepianosociety.org if you have ADA related questions.
Clay & Stone
Artwork by Sue Armbrust & Alicia Bristow
Friday, March 3 through April 2, 2023
Sue Armbrust -- Mudd Pie Creations -- Hand built Mid Fire Pottery
I have been doing pottery for the last 10 years. My eagerness to learn helped me connect to many incredible teachers willing to share their knowledge, workshops, and like-minded individuals.
The earth we live on offers many resources, one being dirt, the very ground we walk on also offers a product that can be molded into useful items and art to prod emotions of happiness and joy.
The best lesson I have walked away with is knowing that everyone has a creative side just waiting to be discovered, after all, we ourselves are a creation.
Alicia Bristow -- Alicia, a native Arizonan, fell in love with art and began drawing and painting throughout her school years. She continued advancing her interest by taking painting and drawing courses while living in Germany and later taking art and drawing classes. Her specialty was painting pottery, rocks, and flowers. In 2006 she progressed from painting in oils, acrylics, and drawing in charcoal to designing and making jewelry. In jewelry design, the selection of colors and variation in semiprecious and precious stones is like creating a painting. Her unique, one-of-a-kind creations of art to wear bring joy to Alicia and others who fall in love with her creations.