There’s no question budding young artists can be helped along by supportive families. That was the case for Leah Rei, who was born in Colorado but raised in Arizona. Her childhood is filled with memories sewing, embroidering, coloring and making collages to pass the time. “I was introduced to art at a very young age,” […]
When you walk into the Celebration of Fine Art and turn to the left, one of the first studios you’ll see is Montana Blue Heron, a space filled with unique, colorful baskets, woven sculptures and three-dimensional wall art in dramatic shapes and sizes. Montana Blue Heron is a collaborative effort between husband and wife Marilyn […]
Few people enjoy a direct and seamless path into a successful career as an artist. To some, it’s an obvious calling from a young age. To others, it’s a result of the zigs and zags life throws out along the way. The latter was the case for acclaimed woodturner David Barkby, who didn’t fully pursue […]
For Greg Sievers, art has always been a major part of his life. When asked about his earliest artistic endeavors, he often recounts a charming story that foreshadows his future career as an artist. “I got kicked out of 5th grade for drawing caricatures of the teacher,” Greg laughs. “My mom had to get me […]
The West has always captivated Kirk Randle, who grew up in Utah amongst the sweeping landscapes and expansive skies synonymous with this part of the country. He was young, just barely a teenager, when he began to observe and appreciate his surroundings with an artistic eye. “My grandmother was a painter and when I was […]
Many of the artists at the Celebration of Fine Art discovered their creative inclinations while they were young children. But who says there’s an age requirement to become an artist? Take, for example, Pete Tillack. Today he is an oil and acrylic painter renowned for his highly recognizable style, but he didn’t begin to explore […]
Jodi Walsh is a true mixed medium artist, who combines ceramics, stainless steel and wood to create beautiful objects, including folding clay and hand-built ceramics. “My first introduction into art happened outdoors when I was five or six years old in Canada,” says Jodi. “It was fall and I went outside and designed a complete […]
Bruce Marion’s first introduction to art was through his father, a creative man who had studied art under the GI Bill and attended two art schools. Delighted his son had decided to explore his creativity at such a ripe age, he wholeheartedly supported Bruce digging into this newfound passion. “He started me out in art […]
Most people recognize the Celebration of Fine Art as being the show where art lovers and artists connect. But for the husband and wife artist duo Joe Axton and Mari Giddings, it didn’t take a show to bring them together, just simply their shared love of art. “On our first date together I went looking […]
Sheri Meldrum remembers the first piece of art that she fell in love with. It was a landscape painting her grandmother had in her living room. As a child, Sheri would stare at the painting and imagine one day visiting such a place. It was then she realized the power art had to spark a […]
