Michael P. Johnson has presence. It’s not the fact that his 6-foot, 4-inch frame makes him tower over most of his friends or his distinct mane of long white hair that makes him stand out in a room; Johnson has a distinctive energy about him that isn’t seen so much as it is felt.
While many artists gain endless ideas from one central concept, Scottsdale-based sculptor Jeff Zischke, whose work appears throughout the Valley and around the world, is simply inspired.
Arizona has a way of enchanting visitors the world over with its beautiful weather, open spaces and friendly Western spirit. For one talented French couple, all it took was one visit to win them over permanently.
He stood as an imposing figure in front of the lecture hall, pacing the stage with furrowed brow as he observed the new faces of an incoming freshman class of architecture. A studied historian of architecture, this professor, who was also a child of the 1950s beat movement, a student of 1960s ethical liberation, and an ardent admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright, would later become one of my most treasured educators.
History often takes the form of a memorial, an engraved plaque or an entry in a book. If we’re lucky, we get to meet someone who embodies history, whose stories and scars bring the past to life in vivid detail.
Hollywood might be just a day’s drive from Phoenix, but as the center of the TV and film industries, it may as well be another planet. For aspiring actors, the chances of “making it” are roughly equivalent to being struck by lightning—twice.
At 27, Brooke Butler is right where she wants to be. In fact, this spunky hometown girl is digging in her boot heels and staking her claim in a corner of the world where respect is earned by the decade.
On a breezy but sunny Arizona winter day, John Randall Nelson answered his door wearing comfortable jeans and a paint-spattered denim jacket. A gray beanie, crocheted from yarn, hugs the crown of his head. He’s a tough-looking guy, tall and sturdy with a strong Romanesque nose, but he’s quick to grin with a smile that emanates from the inside.
I first noticed Scott Baxter’s work in 2012 as I made my way through the halls of Sky Harbor Airport. Homesick and weary from a long trip abroad, I looked up to see black and white portraits and scenery he’d captured for his Centennial Legacy Project, “100 Years 100 Ranchers.” He’d managed to depict Arizona ranch life so vividly and provocatively that I wanted to grab the nearest person by the shoulders and exclaim, “This is my home! These are my people!”
The greatest piece of advice that artist and set designer Jason Adkins ever received was from his high school art teacher back in his native Tennessee: “Don’t overthink it.”
