Writer Amanda Christmann Photography by Bryan Black [dropcap]M[/dropcap]att Josef may not look like a typical artist. In fact, with his cowboy hat and youthful smile, he looks like he’d be more than comfortable driving a pickup truck to a cattle lot in his native Oklahoma. Yet more days than not, Josef can be found in…
Writer Amanda Christmann Photography by Brandon Tigrett [dropcap]E[/dropcap]ddie Jones is a giant, not only because he’s a bear of a man with flowing hair and a larger-than-life personality. As one of the most respected, talented and well-known architects in Arizona, Jones has been making an impact on architectural design—and doing it his way—since 1979. Earlier…
Writer Amanda ChristmannPhotograph Courtesy of Phoenix Youth Ballet Theatre [dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the art of ballet, it is not the lithe bodies, the graceful form or even the fluid, athletic concert of movement that are most important to master. Though all are part of the final performance, before a dancer can begin to master choreography, he or…
Writer Amanda ChristmannPhotography Courtesy of David Cottle [dropcap]O[/dropcap]n a matte black stage lit by purple wash lights, a vocalist works a microphone while a drummer and a bass guitarist pour rhythm and harmony into hazy air. Laser lights flash and strobe, and giant speakers send notes and beats to a crowd of hundreds. This is…
Writer Shannon SeversonPhotography Courtesy of Mora Italian [dropcap]A[/dropcap]s his Phoenix eatery, Mora Italian, celebrates its second anniversary, celebrity chef Scott Conant and I had a conversation about food, family, and how Arizona lured him westward after decades of living and working in the Big Apple. “I was 27 years in Manhattan, and New York City…
Writer Shannon SeversonPhotography Courtesy of Bar Pesce [dropcap]I[/dropcap]magine having an incredibly successful restaurant with scores of adoring customers steadfastly enjoying your signature dishes. Rave reviews keep rolling in for six years. Then, you take a huge risk. You change the name, the menu, and even the cultural influence of your offerings. It’s a bold move…
Writer Amanda ChristmannPhotography by Scott Baxter [dropcap]W[/dropcap]arm, heavy air and the acrid smell of earth and fire have settled into the dust. Tables and racks scarred by creative sparks stand solidly on the concrete floor, and motley tin cans filled with odds and ends line well-worn shelves. In the middle of it all, a masked…
Writer Sue Kern-FleischerPhotography Courtesy of Cave Creek Rodeo and Loralei Lazurek [dropcap]D[/dropcap]avid Kimmerle was a sophomore in high school when he found himself caring for a newborn calf with a broken leg. Just days earlier, he had let a farmer know that a cow was giving birth to the calf in the pasture. When the…
Writer Shannon SeversonPhotography Courtesy of LPGA Bank of Hope Founders Cup [dropcap]A[/dropcap]t this year’s 10th annual LPGA Bank of Hope Founders Cup at Wildfire Golf Club, 2017 tournament champion Anna Nordqvist returns to Arizona, the state she first fell in love with while attending Arizona State University, to compete for a $1.5 million purse. Along…
Writer Joseph J. AirdoPhotography Courtesy of the Scottsdale Philharmonic and Qingqing Ye [dropcap]B[/dropcap]eautiful music is rarely born out of ease and convenience. Like any art, it takes time, energy, commitment—and oftentimes, a great deal of struggle. Pianist Qingqing Ye is well aware of that struggle, having grown up in Chongqing, a mega-industrial city in China…