The Art Box

The Art Box - Episode 27 - ’Ten Minutes with Floyd’ - White on Black - Mini Episode

Special Saturday night unannounced release of Floyd chatting with your co-hosts about his white on black pencil art.  

The Art Box - Episode 23 - Ten Minutes With - ’October 2022 Artist of the Month Chris Picior’

Chris Picior
A native of New York City, Chris began sketching people at Washington Square in Greenwich Village when she was 16. Her first job was at Ace Publishing Company in the Art Department, but it was short-lived as marriage and three children to support became a priority. When her children were little, she worked in oils and then moved to watercolor. 
Chris attended Queens College, Kathryn Gibbs Secretarial School, and Utica College before starting her 25-year career in radio management. While living in Florida, she decided on a career change to Natural Health. Chris received her massage license in Florida, then obtained a Bachelor of Natural Health Studies degree and a Doctor of Naturopathy degree from Clayton College of Natural Health in Birmingham, AL. While working at Clayton College as faculty and in admissions, she also had private practices in Atlanta and Birmingham. Her true love has always been art.
After moving to Mesquite, she became active as a Community Educator for the Mesquite Citizens for Clean Indoor Air for eight years. She also joined a neighborhood group that used acrylics and became a member of the VVAA. Chris started with colored pencils, played with acrylics, and added ink to her new works. In December 2019, Councilman George Gault appointed her to the Mesquite Public Arts Commission. In January 2020, she was elected Chair and still holds that position. Also, that January, she became President of the Virgin Valley Artists' Association, which she retained until December 2021. As Past President, she works with the Membership Committee and actively promotes our group.
Since retiring, one of her favorite hobbies has been making gourds into art pieces. Chris cleans, carves, creates, and decorates gourds, finding it is one of her favorite mediums. She loves learning new techniques and expanding her expertise. Making her artwork into cards intrigued her, but the best part is just having fun with her art. She is looking forward to a class in watercolor and learning more about acrylics and alcohol ink.

The Art Box - Episode 22 - Meet Mary Grace Swenson

Mary was born and raised in Bountiful, Utah with two older brothers.  She graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Her career was in Human Resources and Training Development for 20 years.  
At the age of 28, she had her one and only child, a beautiful son. 
Mary resided in Davis County until 2013, when she ventured out to live in Mesquite, NV where her beautiful mother and best friend were living. 
She started house cleaning and pet sitting businesses.  She was thriving, making new friends, and enjoying the beautiful sunsets.  Mary had a wonderful companion, Booper, a 100 lb. Mastiff.  She also started volunteering at the Mesquite Animal Shelter and fostering adoptable pets through We Care for Animals.  It was in Mesquite that she sang karaoke for the first time.  She was hooked and so blessed to have found so many wonderful friends, some of whom she now considers family.
In 2016, she found herself on a journey of cancer: stage 3B melanoma. Her life seemed to revolve around confusion, doctor appointments, scans, surgeries, treatment, medications, and side effects.  Mary’s cancer spread throughout her body resulting in stage 4 metastatic melanoma.  At this time her body was tired, and her mind focused on making peace with her new life (and the possibility of death) and the wonderful blessings she had been afforded throughout her life. 
Mary moved to St George, Utah in 2021 after her mother suddenly passed.  She had a wonderful fiancé and was in remission!  Yes, life changes very quickly.
She met some great people at the Mesquite Cancer HELP Society and has been working there for four years as the Executive Director. Her life has found purpose again!
She married a wonderful man and has a beautiful six-year-old granddaughter who is her Angel.
Mary’s passion for helping others makes her life busy and whole.  She is so grateful for the people in her life, animals, sunsets, music, and all of God's artwork.
***Life is Art, Paint your picture***

The Art Box - Episode 21 - ’Ten Minutes with Kathleen’ -Talking Lucky 13 - Mini Episode

Kathleen provides us history on the National Small Arts competition or as it's called Lucky 13 and what is on tap for an exciting November and December with this nationwide exhibition at our gallery. 
 
For more information: https://www.mesquitefineartscenter.com/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=590375&item_id=1773244

Art Box - Episode 20 - Live Auction Rundown with Liz and Floyd

Listen in as Liz and Floyd explain how our Live Auction works on October 14 and they discuss some of the valuable and fun items.

The Art Box - Episode 19 - Meet Kim Garrison Means

Kim Garrison is a conceptual artist, writer and musician from Southern California and the Nevada desert, with a love of nature, mythology, philosophy, cultural anthropology and earth sciences. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University Long Beach and an MFA in sculpture and New Genres from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
An educator in the arts for over twenty years, Kim is the former head of the Narrative Illustration Program at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, and is a curator for the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion. She currently teaches drawing and professional studies classes in the art department at OCC. Kim is a member of the band The New City Farmers, and plays a number of instruments, including guitar, washboard, and glockenspiel. She is an amateur naturalist, a student of the Mojave desert, and an appreciator of all the good things in life. She lives with her husband Leland and a crack commando crew of furry animals.

The Art Box - Episode 18 - Meet Rayette Martin

I found art when I was uprooted from my home in Alaska and transplanted in Sacramento during my Junior year in High school. My classes didn’t line up between the schools and I was able to take multiple art classes each semester to make up for it. Visual arts became my passion and a great way to express my feelings about leaving my friends and dealing with the culture shock of being in a big city.
My formal training ended when I graduated high school but the use of art as self-expression has continued for the last 28 years. I became a stepmother in 2014 and have focused on creating fun colorful animals ever since. Each animal is quirky with imperfections. As an artist, this alleviates the anxiety I feel when trying to replicate nature while illustrating that we do not live in a perfect world, we are not perfect, and that is what makes life interesting.
 
I have also been able to use my artistic skills in my work as a public archaeologist and graffiti removal specialist. I am constantly thinking of how to present archaeological information visually to a diverse array of audiences. The goal of most of my education is to promote the preservation of Nevada’s cultural heritage sites. Since 2013, I have been assisting with large graffiti removal projects at petroglyph and pictograph sites. Carefully removing paint and camouflaging the damage from scratching into the rock surface has become a passion of mine. It is a tedious but rewarding activity that makes me feel like I am bringing healing to an important cultural area for local Tribes.

The Art Box - Episode 17 - ’Ten Minutes with Floyd’ - Picking Two Pieces of Art - Mini Episode

Floyd let's your co-hosts pick two pieces of his art for him to tell us their story. 

The Art Box - Episode 16 - Ten Minutes Sitting Around the Table at Mystery Ranch Talking About Respecting Cultural Sites.

Kim Garrison Means, Jim Woody, Rayette Martin and Steve sitting around the table at Mystery Ranch eating tacos and chatting about respecting cultural sites. 
 

The Art Box - Episode 15 - ’Ten Minutes with Tyler’ - Reference vs. Copy - Mini Episode

Tyler and Rachelle have a spirted discussion about using photos for reference or copy. Is there an answer?