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SERIES 2 - ARTISTS
The second installment of artwork in the 7th Avenue art panels began August 24, 2005 and continued through November 30, 2006. Artists featured in Series 2 are Alice Leora Briggs,
Ernie Button, Alex Jones, Kenneth Richardson, Mark Rubin-Toles, Rhonda Shakur Carter, and TRA25 Capsule

ALICE LEORA BRIGGS
Alice Leora Briggs, formerly of Tucson, holds an MA and MFA in painting and printmaking from the University of Iowa. For more information about her work, visit http://www.nuartgallery.com

‘”We easily make glib distinctions between cruelties perpetrated by our species and those caused by the rest of ‘nature.’ Our violence is self-consciously different, we argue, better or worse than the sometimes disastrous consequences of gravity, magnetism or weather. I am less and less certain about the distinction. The world seems to be in a continuous, ostensibly directionless, state of disaster: political, physical, economic, and cultural entropy.”

IT WAS A MISTAKE – scratchboard in India ink over white clay on masonite, 2005


DAMAGED - scratchboard in India ink over white clay on masonite, 2005

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ERNIE BUTTON
Photographer Ernie Button lives in Phoenix and shows his work locally and nationally. Contact him at erniebutton@hotmail.com.

“It’s apparent that cereal is not just for breakfast anymore; it’s playtime. I construct landscapes that utilize the natural earth tones of certain cereals. Other cereals are calling out to have their portraits taken, to be the center of attention.”

PINK CLOUDS & GREEN CLOVERS – C-print from cereal installation, 2005

SHREDDED WHEAT BALES – C-print from cereal installation, 2005
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ALEX JONES
Tucson artist and illustrator Alex Jones has a BFA from the University of Cincinnati. To view more work and contact him, visit www.roadsidedistractions.com

STORMY BALLET – acrylic on canvas, 2005
“This is the kind drama people might wish for but don’t really want.”

DESERT GALLERY – acrylic on canvas, 2005
“A gallery without walls out in the middle of the desert that coexists with its surroundings but may be within walking distance of a Starbucks.”
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KENNETH RICHARDSON
Phoenix artist Ken Richardson holds a BFA from the University of Arizona and works primarily in paintings, mixed media and photographs. For more information, contact him at ktr3@worldnet.att.net.

LET’S FACE IT – oil on aluminum highway signs, 2005
“These are six people that have interacted with the Melrose District in some fashion over the years. These people’s faces become a small part of the character defining this local area.”

PROXIMITY – oil on aluminum highway sign, 2005
“This is a perspective of living with landmarks and characters of the Melrose District today.”
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MARK RUBIN-TOLES
Phoenix native and current Tucson resident, Mark Rubin-Toles holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from Yale University and an MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He often works with installations and photography. For more information, visit http://markrubin-toles.com.

“I try to construct pieces that connect in some important way to their surroundings. Urban environments are rich and interesting areas to place artwork, because they offer such a robust and rigorous challenge. How can we create artwork that can compete with a river of traffic? With the blaring radio of the commuter car? The flat glare of a marquee? I’m excited to create works that can both fit with the environment in which they are placed, and challenge it as well. I’ve been the commuter who waits at the bus stop, the pedestrian, and the driver who makes his way down the street during rush hour and in the small, blank, beautiful hours of the night.”

NIGHT & DAY #1 - composite photograph, 2005


NIGHT & DAY #2 – composite photograph, 2005
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RHONDA SHAKUR CARTER
Trained in fine arts and graphic design, Phoenix artist Rhonda Shakur Carter works in many media. For information about her work, email shaslove@hotmail.com.


THE GATHERING – acrylic on wood construction, 2005
“The gathering of life of all things big and small that surround us; a sweet melody of love, work and play. A harmony of mutual respect and trust that I do so miss when I watch the world.”

THE WITNESS – acrylic on wood construction, 2005
“The elderly woman watches life’s gathering with love and fear. Love of youth and reminiscence of her own; fear for our youth’s future and the winds of her own changes.”

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TRA25 CAPSULE
The TRA25 Capsule is a Phoenix based art duo of Mark Freedman and Oliver Hibert. Their acrylic and mixed media works are shown in Arizona and nationally. For details, email them at sixoranges@aol.com.

ROUNDY SWIRL– digital and mixed media – “Inspired by daytime in the desert. Bursts of light and color, the heart of the sun. The poster of the galaxy set upon the swirl emphasizes the oneness that we all share as residents of a city and as humans.”

STREETSCAPES – digital and mixed media – “Inspired by nighttime in the desert. There is a surreal quality that at once offers feelings of dreams, spookyness and sweetness.”
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