Blog Posts

Christy Olsen

1/17/2018

I was born in Memphis, Tennessee as a third generation painter. Growing up, I played under my mother’s easel and developed a love for drawing. My mother was a portrait painter, my aunt was a landscape painter and my grandmother was a porcelain painter who designed and painted china patterns.

My artistic training developed through formal education, intense practice at the easel, experimentation and tutelage under several new masters. At a time when representational art was not offered in the fine arts curriculum of most universities, I chose to earn a Bachelor's of Art (B.A.) degree in Art History by studying the Old Masters via the classroom instead.

My earliest professional drawing experience consisted of technical and architectural blueprints, prior to computer aided design software. However my artistic drawing skills were honed via The Drawing Studio (TDS) in Tucson, Arizona and I eventually started teaching myself. I also continued my studio art education through professional workshops and I studied privately under several contemporary artists including Dawn Emerson, Suchitra Bhosle and Stephanie Birdsall.

My work has been exhibited in multiple selected solo shows, galleries and group shows across the United States. However today I really just enjoy teaching art with the Art Verve Academy.

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Annette Grantham

12/20/2017

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I have had a lifelong appreciation for nature. As a child, I spent all of my free time building forts outside, riding bikes, and climbing trees. I would constantly bring home nature’s tokens: pinecones, shells, seedpods, and rocks (LOTS of rocks). When I couldn’t be out of doors I was drawing pictures of it.

As a teen, I spent even more time drawing and learning to see. But we all have to grow up, and once I was married art necessarily took a backseat. My family grew, and I did not have much time for drawing. But we did spend lots of family time outdoors playing and camping. My five children developed a reverence for nature and learned to be good stewards of the earth. I shared what I knew about wildlife, plants…and rocks.

Finally, with my youngest child in high school, I found my way back to art. I started with the basics, waking up those dormant brain cells with graphite exercises. When I felt comfortable again, I tried my hand at colored pencil. Having done some watercolor in college, my return to this was very satisfying. But when I saw a friend working in pastel---wow! I was awakened to its luminosity like Dorothy stepping into OZ! A pastel love affair ensued. With its velvety texture and resplendent color, I was hooked!

Pastel is heady and exciting! Pastel is vivid and fresh. Pastel can appear as substantial as oil paint, but there is no dry time. I connect with the color like it’s coming right from my fingertips. I believe I have found the perfect medium to express my deep-seated love of the landscape. Nature, in its variety, is a constant source of inspiration and now I share my joy through my pastels.

Working in pastel has opened many new opportunities. I have been honored to have my artwork included in several TPS shows as well as exhibitions for the Empire Ranch Foundation and the current show, Puma: Past and Present at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.

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Randy Cole

11/15/2017

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Art and design have always been an interest and passion for me. I have had some basic training in drawing, painting, and design, in schools I have attended. My interest is in landscapes and portraits. My mediums are pastels, acrylics, and oils. I worked in oils for 35 years doing high-end custom furniture finishing and refinishing, working with designers and custom builders on custom homes. The last 10 years I designed, built, and finished custom cabinets for custom homes.

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Sara Heitshu

10/8/2017

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I grew up in the Middle West until my father decided to become a farmer and we moved to an apple orchard in Pennsylvania. I was an artist from a very early age and my family saw to it that I had classes while in elementary school at the local museum. I took more classes in college but when I became immersed in my career as an academic librarian, I stopped drawing. My younger sister became the serious artist and an art conservator, and I stepped back and enjoyed her work. Because I was lucky enough to end up in Tucson, I had new opportunities to rediscover my love of drawing through the Art Institute at the Desert Museum and then the Drawing Studio. I tried color pencils, water color and oils but pastel came out on top. I love to draw and I consider pastel the ultimate drawing experience.

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Christy Olsen

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