Writer Joseph J. Airdo // Photography by Loralei Lazurek

In 2019, after spending 35 years in St. Louis, Deb Manne moved back to Phoenix to be closer to her family. It was not long after arriving at Anthem Country Club that she joined Finest Local Artists in Residence — a group of highly talented, distinct artists who enjoy getting together to paint, create, talk, express ideas and simply hang out with one another.

“I began painting two years ago and I cannot stop,” says the acrylic artist, a former real estate broker who now serves as FLAIR’s director. “I just love the outlet and solitude that it gives me. Hours pass and it feels like minutes. I have always enjoyed working with my hands, [playing the] piano, gardening, [working with] stained glass and now, my newest adventure, painting.”

Each spring, FLAIR members organize a special exhibition at Anthem Golf and Country Club’s Persimmon Clubhouse to showcase their work. This year’s exhibition, scheduled for March 22–24, will feature several subjects in a variety of mediums — including abstract mixed-media works, grand Southwestern landscapes and large-scale expressionist paintings.

“We find that each year is as unique as our artists’ paintings,” Manne says. “We will have a little over half of our membership showing this year. Even though we are in a gated community, all are welcome to come, meet us and talk with our artists about their work.”

Over the past two decades, FLAIR’s membership has grown to include about 30 artists as new residents continue to gravitate toward Arizona and, specifically, Anthem Country Club. Members, who include both novice and seasoned artists from all mediums, are also part of the Wednesday Club — a social organization that offers a full calendar of monthly events and guest speakers as a way to welcome new residents and their talents.

Manne — who also enjoys playing golf, pickleball and bocce — says that meeting and painting with her neighbors and fellow artists as a member of FLAIR has greatly enhanced her life.

“The so-called retired life is enriching and exciting in all aspects,” she notes.

Harrison’s Hues
Suzie Higgs Harrison is one of the three artists who first established FLAIR more than two decades ago.

“I was raised in an art-filled home steeped in artistic expression,” Harrison says. “My father — a renowned painter from Missouri — and my mother — a talented musician — encouraged me to explore various mediums, enabling me to express myself freely through my artistic endeavors.”

After earning a commercial arts degree, getting married and starting a family, Harrison aspired to expand her art education and obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri — where, after graduating, she worked as a local coordinator for five years.

Her diverse professional background also includes stints as a freelance banner designer, an applique designer for children’s clothing and a screen print designer.

“I have also had the opportunity to work with Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, where I engaged in freelance artwork for various divisions — including Shoebox Cards, Specialty Designs, Creative Stitchery, Rice Center Ceramics and Ambassador Cards,” adds Harrison, who relocated to Arizona in 2000.

With work that presently revolves around whimsical and abstract paintings characterized by a vibrant and colorful style, the mixed-media artist says that FLAIR fosters a collaborative environment for painting and artistic growth for its members.

“The camaraderie that we share is not only enjoyable but also immensely encouraging,” Harrison explains. “Throughout our time together, we have been mutually instructive, exchanging valuable insights and techniques while indulging in our shared passion for painting. This artistic journey has become an integral part of our lives, reflecting the joy and fulfillment we find in the creative process.”

Rockin’ the Canvas
Jay R. Yett moved to Anthem with his wife in 2006 after spending 10 years working in the energy field and 27 years teaching geology courses.

Having spent a summer in Europe during his college years, Yett’s exposure to the works of Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer in some of the world’s most renowned museums left a permanent mark, prompting an attempt to paint that, while short-lived, inspired him to take several workshops in drawing, watercolors and oils over the years.

“After moving to Anthem, I visited several FLAIR shows and decided to start painting full time,” Yett says. “The natural choice for a geologist is to paint landscapes, so I spend most of my time painting scenes of the Southwest. Initially, I concentrated solely on rocks, plants and rivers, but now I am including people and animals in larger landscapes.”

Generally working from photographs in his home studio, Yett starts by sketching an image to see if he needs to modify the composition and determine the proper values and colors for the various elements of the picture.

“After transferring the drawing to the canvas, I begin to paint the major blocks, making any needed changes in value or color,” says Yett, who then adds details where needed before putting a painting away for a while and revisiting it at a later date for final fine-tuning.

Therefore, FLAIR has become a crucial component of Yett’s process, providing him with exposure to different ideas, styles and perspectives from fellow artists who are always positive and willing to help.

“Painting is, at its core, a solitary activity,” he explains. “It is often difficult to turn your inspiration into the painting you envisioned when you take out the blank canvas. To be able to share your frustrations and successes with other artists and ask for their advice in solving problems is crucial. Often, it is just good to hear that you are not the only one beset with these types of problems.”

Having recently started exploring an avian theme with his work, Yett says that the strong colors of birds — such as cardinals and blue jays — are a welcome change from the earthy tones of most Southwest landscapes.

“Painting has allowed me to see the world in a very different light,” Yett says. “As a geologist, I was trained to look at a landscape and use every detail to help decipher the geologic history of the area. In other words, my approach was mainly academic. Today, I can look at the same scene with a much more aesthetic view.”

Larger than Life
When Julie Tarsha moved to Anthem in 2020, the community — much like the rest of the world — was amid an unprecedented pandemic, defined by mask-wearing guidelines, stay-at-home orders and other isolative qualities. As a result, she was unable to meet her neighbors for quite some time.

Once the pandemic started to subside, FLAIR became a way for the lifelong artist to become plugged into her community and gain support from fellow creatives.

“Although I was raised in Southern California, I spent many happy summers visiting my grandparents at their Tucson desert home,” Tarsha says. “My grandfather was a rock collector and a naturalist who had a great love of the desert. Many evenings, he would bring visiting tarantulas to the kitchen table and allow them to walk along his arms as my siblings and I looked on in horror.”

In addition to tarantulas, Tarsha’s grandparents’ property also hosted shards of pottery from previous Native American populations, ground squirrels, horny toads and lots of fallen ocotillo sticks for fort-building endeavors.

“This desert paradise was a place of wonder, ripe for childish exploration,” explains Tarsha, noting that those memories served as inspiring precursors to her paintings, in which she aspires to capture the bold, rich beauty of the Sonoran Desert’s flora and fauna. “I feel that the process of painting helps me capture the mystery that I experienced as a child in a world so much larger than myself.

“When I step into the studio, I am arm in arm with that childish enchantment that brings a joy of risk-taking, exploration and a deep belief in magic. I create to open my heart and enter into a state of intuitive flow where I feel engagement with something larger than myself. I pull expression from my connection to the Sonoran Desert as one lucky artist privileged to be a creative participant in this life.”

Before her retirement in 2014, Tarsha worked as a registered nurse at the Mayo Clinic and at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece.

“As a nurse, I had a specialty in palliative care, which gave me an understanding of how important it is to live our purpose while we have the opportunity in order to avoid regrets,” says Tarsha, adding that, like many artists, she had to shoehorn time for creation into her all-too-brief spare moments in life. “The creative journey, pursuing my artistic voice, has been a key part of living my purpose, gaining self-acceptance, learning, challenging and nurturing myself.”

Now painting full-time, the Anthem Country Club resident creates large-scale abstract expressionist art in her home studio and is eager to share her work with the public as part of this year’s FLAIR showcase.

“My art always begins in the desert, where I take long walks and gather information,” Tarsha says. “I collect bits of nature, such as seed pods, leaves and feathers. I then create blind contour drawings, mix color palettes to match and allow the information to sift through me and come out in my art.

“I use layers of acrylic paint, graphite, ink and artist crayon on large sheets of unstretched canvas, tacked to my studio walls. I add and subtract, layer after layer, always looking for that rhythm and balance that solves the visual puzzle that is posed on the canvas.

The advice that Tarsha has for aspiring artists is the same suggestion she would share with her younger self if given the opportunity: “Don’t quit your daydream!”

“I think that painting larger than myself with vivid colors fills a strong personal need for self-expression,” the artist adds. “It is a way that I make sense of my life and remind myself of what is important.”

FLAIR Arists’ Showcase
March 22–24 // Friday Noon–7 p.m. // Saturday 10 a.m.–7 p.m. // Sunday 10 a.m.–2 p.m. // Anthem Golf and Country Club’s Persimmon Clubhouse // 2708 W. Anthem Club Drive, Anthem // Free