And the results are in......

Yes finally..... I apologize about the ridiculous neglect to this blog.

For our last art show which was on November 21st

Winners (if you won first place in any category please come claim your prize!)

Best painting:

1st place: Fire and Ice
2nd place: Tristan & Isolde by Kurt Von Behrmann
3rd place: (5 way tie) Hibiscus, Watercolors, Celtic lady, Pick Axe on Oil by Jason Cheeseman-Meyer, and Embrace

Best drawing:

1st place: Captain Miller
2nd place: Death be not proud & Svetlana (tie)
3rd: Ode to Batman by Azalia Tomek

Best Photo:

1st place: Elisha by 24 Studio Photography
2nd place: Water Goddess by Martin Hazine
3rd place: Blake by 24 Studio Photography

Best 3D Art:

1st place: Glass Cheese Plates by Monte Fremouw
2nd place: Glass Wall Hangings by Margie Crider

Best Overall Piece in Show:
1st Place Tristan & Isolde by Kurt Von Behrmann


(I apologize if some names are not listed by the art title, they will be updated soon!)

This was a great time, we had some awesome bands playing, a massage chair lady, wine all around and a great group to help support the arts and participate in art appreciation.

North Phoenix is crying out for culture, we want to help start by supporting our local artists and musicians, a platform to show our community what hidden gems of talent lie in our own backyard.

Last Art Show Results

Thanks to everyone who came out to the art show on Saturday to support us! It was so much fun! And much thanks to our wonderful bands who played, J.D. of Loved Arrow our incredible strolling minstrel indoors, Mike Van Loon our great opener, and to O'Henry our amazing headliner!


Our photos sadly were mostly deleted, we are still trying to hunt some down! :(



Winners ARE:



PAINTINGS

1st Place: Four Peaks in August by Ellen Nemetz

2nd Place: TIE! Pretty in Pink (name to come soon), Flight of the Phoenix by James (name to come soon), Arrivals and Departures by Nick White, and Blind Swimmer by Matthew Hunt

3rd Place: TIE! Pickaxe in Oil by Jason Cheese-Meyer, Beva's Creek, and Walled Garden (names to come)





DRAWINGS

1st Place: The Joker (name is not ledgible on art, please e-mail us)

2nd Place: Pen & Ink 2 by Arthur (name to come soon)

3rd Place: Modern Atlas (same as first)



PHOTOGRAPHY

1st Place: Chasing the Teddy by John Mcquaker

2nd Place: Water Goddess by Martin Hazine

3rd Place: Abandoned Girl by Martin Hazine



3D ART

1st Place: TIE! Orange Mural by Leena and Blue Bowl by Nicole (last names to come soon)

2nd Place: Purple Bowl by Nicole (last name to come)

3rd Place: Pendants by Margie Crider



CHILDREN'S CATEGORY

1st Place: Adriana at Desert View # 20

2nd Place: Orca by Azalia Tomek

3rd Place: Jessica at Manzanita



BEST IN SHOW/OVERALL CATEGORY

1st Place: Chasing The Teddy by John Mcquaker

2nd Place: Blind Swimmer by Matthew Hunt

3rd Place: TIE! Pickaxe in oil by Jason Cheeseman-meyer, The Grunge Series (name to come), Walled Garden (name to come), and Beva's Creek by Jo Ann Allebech JoAllebachFineArt.com

Artist Interview: Matthew Hunt

Matt Hunt's ink drawing "Wolf Dog" won first place for best in show at our last art show/contest!

Interview with the Artist:

Q: What inspired you to draw this piece?

Matt Hunt: A representation of my family, each piece symbolizes a different member of my family. Thus the tree is like a family tree.

Q: Who are your greatest influences artistically?

Matt Hunt: Jose Orosco because there is so much detail in all of his work, and there is so much going on, it always catches the viewers eye.

Q: How long have you been doing art?

Matt Hunt: Since I was ten, I was drawing the Tick cartoons and mimicking them, my mom was very supportive and people at school would say nice things and notice, this is how I realized I had a gift.

Q: What’s your favorite genre of art?

Matt Hunt: Surrealism

Q: What methods of editing do you prefer to use?

Matt Hunt: Paint over my mistakes!

Q: Do you have a favorite model in town?

Matt Hunt: I don’t know any of their names, I draw figure art for school often and I like drawing girls with lots of curves.

Q: Tell us about your latest series or projects.

Matt Hunt: Working on an unannounced comic book and working on things involving organic things interacting with inorganic things.

Q: Do you like books, or have a favorite author?

Matt Hunt: Yes, I like Chuck Palahniuk's newer stuff, I like the 50s and 60s Sci Fi and Fantasy, I think the cover art from that time period is incredibly inspiring.

Contact Bent Cover Books for more info on Matthew Hunt and see his newest work at our next art show on September 25th!

Artist Interview: Photographer Martin Hazine

Martin Hazine won first place in the photography category at the last art show!

Martin is a fine art photographer whose work has been hung at many businesses in the Phoenix area. Martin is available for Commercial, Advertising, Fashion, and Fine Art Portraiture. Whether its the in the studio, on location, or underwater, Martin turns every photo into a work of art. See more of his work at his website http://www.glossyworks.com and read his interview with us below.

Broken Keys by Martin Hazine

Interview with the artist:


Q: What inspired you to shoot this piece?

Martin H: It was located in this amazing abandoned school in California. It's out in the middle of nowhere, where the reflection off the white sand was blinding and it felt like I couldn't see. The school was small and looked abandoned for a few years. They left it like they were going to return to it, but never did. The ceilings were falling and there were two pianos just sitting there, decaying. It was a beautiful disaster.

Q: Who are your greatest influences artistically?

Martin H: I'm inspired by Helmut Newton, Clayton Cubitt Seige, JW Waterhouse,
David La Chappelle, Joyce Tenneson to name a few.

Q: How long have you been photographing?

Martin H: I originally started in high school with a photography class. I really liked it. I didn't keep it up though. I started up again in 2001 when I got a digital camera. When I started again, I was taking the usual bad photographs of all the innocuous things I could find. I wanted to create one of a kind photographs so I kept working at it. Eventually, I started photographing people which I liked a lot. When photographing people, the shot always changes. Plus, it was much more interesting when you can carry a conversation with a subject. Cactii just aren't good conversationalists.

Q: What's your favorite genre of photography?

Martin H: Photographs with people. I like street shots, artistic, fashion. Everything that
documents the human body and the human soul.

Q: What methods of editing do you prefer to use?

Martin H: I try to keep my editing to a minimum. I've learned a few photoshop effects, but I prefer to keep most of my edits to color adjustments. I have to edit my underwater photographs a bit more just to get a clearer picture though.

Q: Do you have a favorite model in town?

Martin H: I do like working with the same models over and over, but I don't have one in particular that I can call my favorite. I like shooting a lot of different things and each model has her own strength.

Q: Tell us about your latest series or projects.

Martin H: Right now I'm trying to line up some more underwater shoots. I've got a few models, but finding private pools that are deep enough are a problem. I'm also trying to expand my fashion portfolio and get them published in some high fashion magazines.

Q: What made you interested in photography and when did you start?

Martin H: When I was a kid, I wanted to be a lawyer, then I wanted to design planes, then an sketch artist, architect, and finally photographer. I almost made it to architect. I broke it down to what I really wanted to do: be creative and figure things out. Photography allows me the best mix of that. Also, it feels these days like you can't create one masterpiece. You have to create hundreds to make an impression. With photography I can create more.

Q: Do you like books, or have a favorite author?

Martin H: A little bit of science fiction, but most of my books are either photo books of some of my favorite photographers or technical how-to books.

Story Time by Author Cathy Huffman

Tomorrow August 18th at 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm come and listen to Cathy Huffman read from her book, The Legend of Painted Pony and the Western Wind. A tale about a boy and his pony inspired by Native American folklore from the author's roots in Tucson, AZ.

Ages 4 - 8

Reading will beheld in the cafe 12428 N. 28th Dr Phoenix, AZ 85029 602-942-5932
books@bentcoverbooks.com http://www.bentcoverbooks.com

Jared Aragona's Signing/Reading

Thanks to all who came out to support Jared's book. This was a great event and a ton of fun! We will be posting pics and video soon so anyone who missed it can check it out on here. :)

For now, please see his website to read about his innovative fantasy series inspired by a Star Trek episode. Check out Stories from the Circle series today, a trilogy.

http://www.storiesfromthecircle.com/

Also catch Jared at his next signing

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2010
1pm - 3pm
Barnes & Noble -- 10500 N. 90th Street -- Scottsdale, AZ

Back Page Coffee Art Show!

Wow! What an amazing event, this was! There was such an incredible amount of talent, many said it was very difficult to vote and choose just one for each category! And what a great turn out!

Here's some photos and the results of who won, as well as some of the artists posing with their works :)

Painting/Drawing Category

1st Place Beserker by Matthew Hunt

2nd Place Wolf Dog by Matthew Hunt

3rd place Dog Portrait by Elena Mitchell

Photography Category

1st Place Broken Keys by Martin Hazine (GlossyWorks.com)

2nd Place Weird Al 1 by Weird Al Photography/ and Fairy by Laughing Moon Productions (tie!)

3rd Place My Dad by Furious Ideas

3d Art Category

1st Place Copper Clan (Dragon statue) by Phillip Bostick

2nd Place Butterfly by Monte Fremouw

3rd Place Sunset candleholder by Margie Crider / and Calavera (mosaic globe) by Phillip Bostick (tie!)

Overall Best in Show

1st Place Wolf Dog by Matthew Hunt

2nd Place Beserker by Matthew Hunt/ and The Hulk by Gary Johnson (tie)

3rd Place Dog Portrait by Elena Mitchell/ and Weird Al 2 by Weird Al Photography/ and Large Collage by David M / and My Dad by Furious Ideas (4 way tie!)

Coffee Shop Speed Dating!

We had a good time on Saturday, the day after we finally finished getting those middle shelves out we were able to use all of our new space to host SPEED DATING!

And WOW, the cafe looks so much bigger!

We will most likely do this again so if you fit the 40+ christian and single demographic sign up at our meetup group to RSVP for other events going on with them and be on the lookout for the next speed dating venture we throw. It is a very no pressure way of meeting new people without it feeling all dateish and awkward.

http://www.meetup.com/40-plus-singles/

Some pics!Oh and look for my next post with pics of the finished renovation in the cafe!

Kelly said:

“ This was my first experience with speed dating, but it was a lot of fun! Met some very nice people. ”

Rand Holding said:

“ Kathy did a great job of hosting this, & it was really fun!! ”

Kathy Johnson

“ This was so much fun meeting everyone! It was a very relaxed, no pressure environment. And everyone who came was awesome, we all had a great time! I look forward to doing one of these again soon! :) ”

The Streets Don't Love You Back Part 2

Here are a few more pictures of some of the people that came out to the signing. Also, check out the video! :)

The Streets Don't Love You Back

We were very pleased to have Robert D. Boyd Jr, the author, here today with his wife Lucinda!


Here are some pictures from today and we expect to be having them come back next month for another signing so please come on out and have the pleasure of meeting these two. They have a very admirable movement and mission to educate people how living the street life has negatively affected many. They have a wealth of testimonials and true life stories from various individuals on their TV show as well as on there Radio Show and website. And most of all Robert's own personally chilling experiences himself.

Please learn more about Robert and Lucinda at http://www.thestreetsdontloveyouback.ning.com/

Possible Vendor Event Coming Soon!

So this amazing lady, Leila, who runs the NW Valley Women's Networking Group came and asked about throwing a vendor event and we will soon be announcing the arrival of such a thing! I will post more info as I learn it, but we are very excited to be a part of it!

Also, look for my next post! I will be covering the Author Signing event on Saturday. Robert D. Boyd Jr. Author of The Streets Don't Love You Back will be meeting guests and signing books! We are so happy to be a small part of him and his wife's movement. Robert tells his life story about his incredibly dark childhood, and about how he got into gangs and finally how he escaped them!





Please see more info about not only his book, but also his Reality TV Show and Radio Show!!

www.thestreetsdontloveyouback.ning.com

Book Stores, the only proof left that man is still thinking....

So here is our humble little store. 5,000 sq feet of mazes of books! I will upload some better pics tomorrow, but for now this is what I have available. I am hoping to use this blog to talk about our events after they happen and show pictures of all the fun! Also perhaps share some of the quirky moments and things we run into on a day to day basis. But for now here's is our store and cafe!