https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PHM1222CU06-1000x720.jpg

Chandler resident Carol McDonald never imagined she would become an artist after retiring in 2018 from her “left-brain, analytical business administration career.” Over the years, she had taken a slew of art classes, but never thought of herself as “remotely artistic.” For Christmas in 2018, McDonald’s husband bought her an easel and a canvas and encouraged her to paint. She experimented with different paints, colors and textures and discovered that she enjoyed expressing herself through...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PHM0422CU02-1280x720.jpg

Watercolorist and oil painter Rachel Eskandari began her art career with the same whimsy that now pervades her vibrant botanical forms. As a teenager, she went into her sister’s room, tore a page off the easel there and brushed on an acrylic ballerina. “I was surprised by how it turned out,” says Eskandari, who was born and raised in the Valley. Today, she paints everything from stickers to murals. And yet, Eskandari does more. She...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/TW-0001-NW_High-res-JPEG-_not-resized_-1280x720.jpg

If you’re curious about what’s going on in the local arts community, we curate a monthly list of what’s new and noteworthy, from new exhibits to upcoming shows. Scottsdale Exhibition Highlights History of Spanish Dance in Arizona The art of Spanish dance is a staple of annual programming at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. This year, an exhibition that traces the history of the art form in Arizona will be on display through January...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PHM1021CU11-1135x720.jpg

Natural light streams into Bettina Chow’s pottery studio, filtered through a carob tree just outside the window. “The light is pretty and inspiring and romantic,” she says. Largely self-taught, Chow, a researcher and educator in the health-care industry, has been throwing pots for about eight years and still feels humbled when someone wants to buy her work. “I absolutely love working with clay. The process is meditative, and the results are beautiful. I love connecting...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/PHM1019PF12.jpg

Lots of artists work from home, but not everyone can let their creative juices flow in a garage or a spare room. In the heart of Old Town Scottsdale, The Creative Center of Scottsdale leases monthly loft space for artists who need a place of their own. Painters, sculptors, photographers and more can rent space to create and foster community with other artists. WiFi, a kitchenette and drying racks are provided, as well as lockers...