When we last put the spotlight on 100 creative forces in Phoenix, it was no secret there were more than 100 individuals who were making waves in the local arts community. So as we count down to our annual Best of Phoenix issue, we're profiling 100 more. Welcome (back) to 100 Creatives
Colton Brock is a self-described third-generation Arizonan and a first-generation painter and photographer.
When he's not mixing jazzy cocktails at Barrio Queen Tequileria in Scottsdale, he's painting.
"Mixing pigments on a palette is no different than balancing flavors in a glass," he says. "Just as colors can be sweet, salty or downright bland, every flavor embodies a very specific color composition. No matter the medium, the goal is to strive for that balance in compliments, continuity and composition."
I arrived in Phoenix . . . with blue eyes and six pounds ten ounces of baby fat clumsily wrapped around a heart no larger than a walnut. I knew nothing before Phoenix, and as much as I love and am able to travel, I vow to nothing after. This is my town.
I make art because . . . I feel, when asked, any artist would claim that the creation of art arrives from necessity. If one is equipped to recognize the different perspectives within the profane, it is ones role to present these new perspectives in the hopes of creating dialogue. As an æsthete it becomes my roll to share these new perspectives for the benefit or detriment of others.
I am most productive when . . . I'm relaxed, having fun and surrounded by other productive people who define the word productivity. My friends who violently shove the definition of productivity down my throat and leave me feeling like an inadequate impostor if I'm not putting in everything I got and maybe a few things I don't.
My inspiration wall is full of . . . No Inspiration wall here. By nature the idea is an ephemeral animal and the finished product is a lucky snapshot of the beast long extinct. Maybe I left the house clueless and in search, and have returned with photos, sketches or exotic beverage ingredients. Then there's nothing to it, but to do it. To be sure there is a bulletin board in my bedroom, but it is never looked at. Over-thinking can be just as foolish (or rewarding) as diving headfirst.
I have learned the most from . . . trying and failing. Failure is simply a learning tool, which is celebrated and utilized by successful people.
The Phoenix Creative Scene, I feel, would benefit from . . . having more folks who would rather create the scene here rather than focusing on personal fame. It would benefit from more folks who would rather make a mess here at home, for the benefit of the creative community, rather than claw their way into something looked at as more glamorous. I am often told "create in the love." I once dismissed it as vain, but the more I think about it...
The Creatives, so far ... (And while you're here, check out 100 Tastemakers on Chow Bella.)
100:Lara Plecas 99. Isaac Caruso 98. Brandon Gore 97. Kelsey Dake 96. Hector Ruiz 95. Caroline Battle 94: Jennifer Campbell 93. Jeff Chabot 92. Tiffiney Yazzie 91. Daniel Germani 90. Irma Sanchez 89. Daniel m. Davis 88. Kirstin Van Cleef 87. Emmett Potter 86. Sarah Hurwitz 85. Christine Cassano 84. Fred Tieken 83. Lindsay Kinkade 82. Ruben Galicia 81. Robert Uribe 80. Heidi Abrahamson 79. Josephine Davis
78. Travis Ladue 77. Taz Loomans 76. Mikey Jackson 75. Alex Empty 74. Joe Ray 73. Carol Roque 72. Daniel Funkhouser 71. Carla Chavarria 70. Hugo Medina 69. Cavin Costello 68. Claire Carter 67. Lindsay Tingstrom 66. Catherine Ruane 65. Christopher Crosby 64. Aaron Johnson 63. Brenda Eden