Valley Life

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Art walks are more often about people watching and shenanigans and less about the actual art. We’re here to guide you through both. Presenting our very own Field Guide — an evolving guide to art walks around town. From time to time, we’ll introduce some of our favorite spots and…

Stepping into the ASU Art Museum Store is like taking that backpacking trip you’ve promised yourself for years. Shelves are filled with goods from Chile, Peru, Mexico, Southeast Asia, Africa and a variety of other places.The store, located within the ASU Art Museum in Tempe, is currently hosting a back-to-school…

26: Matt Dickson Matt Dickson’s interest in drawing started on the street. He spent a few years in the graffiti, where he says he was attracted to the creativity and camaraderie among like artists. He left the street art scene for art school in California, as he felt the importance…

We all might like to think we’re a bit creative in our own ways. And if you use said creativity in order to make a living, it probably comes with a healthy, daily dose of self-doubt.So what better way to quell your insecurities than to relish in the failure of…

27. Cassandra Coblentz Cassandra Coblentz has a good eye (ok, she has two good eyes) for established and up-and-coming artists whose work she can feature and highlight. She’s currently the associate curator at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) where she’s focused on new ways to engage the community…

In his Tempe studio, sandwiched between Hardy Drive and a milk factory, Brandon Gore has found himself coming to an odd full circle; the Arkansas native grew up on a dairy farm, which he only describes as “messy.” Gore moved from his hometown to Alabama, then Arizona working stints in…

Want to remove unsightly facial hair or tame those wild brows? Threading is quite possible the least painful, least irritating hair removal technique… if you get a threader who knows what they’re doing.

28: Nathan FellerNathan Feller’s illustrated installations include dental work, hands, rabbits, gas stations, whales and condoms (though not typically in the same setting). They’re all unusual, yet daily characters and elements that act together and ultimately require any audience to think. His goal: To uncover what is behind familiarity. He…

From time to time, the Thrifty Maker will find, bargain, borrow, steal (not really) to create something a little different. She’ll rely on her own skills as a scout of trashy treasures and will sometimes bring in a few experts to help. This week’s question: Are you crafty and you…

Lisa LeComte packs her lunch bucket almost every day. Except it’s not a bucket at all — it’s a bento.The traditional bento is a single-portion meal that usually comes in a plastic container (a bento box) and is common in Japanese cuisine. By common, we mean to say that bentos,…

If an eight-page spread in one of the world’s most renowned glossies is a quality measure, then the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) really had a good thing last year…

29: Lesli Yazzie After a world’s worth of experience in a variety of occupations, Lesli (Englert) Yazzie has officially taken the plunge into oil painting. The South Dakota native has been a waitress, a massage therapist, and a receptionist. She’s worked on a horse farm, on home renovations, and in…

While the police are cracking down on pool parties across the city — prohibiting booze in the pool, shenanigans on the patios and stages near the water — a few Phoenicians looking to lounge and relax found themselves a sweet spot at the swanky InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Joya Spa…

30: David Quan David Quan’s an illustrator and fine artist who will tell you that he’s been in Phoenix his entire life — save the two years he was in New York studying cartooning and illustration. He admits that his ultimate goal is to sit at home and make comic…

31. Patricia Colleen Murphy Patricia Colleen Murphy teaches creative writing at Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus where she is the managing editor of the online literary magazine Superstition Review.In 2009, her poem “Why I Burned Down Namdaemun Gate” received the Gulf Coast Prize. As a travel enthusiast, Murphy…

Artists: Unknown More photos after the jump …..

From time to time, the Thrifty Maker will find, bargain, borrow, steal (not really) to create something a little different. She’ll rely on her own skills as a scout of trashy treasures and will sometimes bring in a few experts to help.This week we ask: Q: Now that the Primary…

32: Sue Chenoweth Sue Chenoweth is an artist and an undercover educator. She has an extensive inspiration wall. In May, Chenoweth transformed the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art into a whimsical board game (Wynter Holden reviews it here). Chenoweth’s whimsy and imagination plays a large role in what she paints…

Last night, Hurricane Bay, Forever 21 and Rolf’s Salon teamed up for the Forever 21 Fall Fashion Preview.Forever 21 supplied clothing, outwear, accessories and shoes from their fall collection; Rolf’s Salon decorated models with bold makeup and voluminous hair to represent upcoming trends; And Hurricane Bay, known for having the…

Now that this bride-to-be writer has been cursed by the general public because of her last wedding post, she thought she might do something helpful to boost her karma and correct things. As requested, and compiled with much experience, here’s a rundown of extremely useful wedding websites and resources for…

33: Roy Wasson Valle Roy Wasson Valle was born in Mexico and has lived there and in the United States and Germany. He likes to draw and paint and make little sculptures out of plastic clay. You may recognize his goofy, semi-creepy skeleton character, Raul (he’s the one in the…