Artists discover room to bloom at WV Art Museum

Marie Jarc of Sun City Grand had never taken an art class before.

But the work she produced in the copper metal art class at the West Valley Art Museum was so good it humbled her instructor.

"I have no art background, but I have been doing pottery for two years," Jarc said. "I wanted to learn copper because I want to combine it with my pottery because it fits so well with Southwest style."

Jarc is one of about 50 art students who have their work on display at the museum through July 19. The museum had an artists reception Tuesday night to acknowledge the students, their work and the instructors.

The participants signed up for classes after the What's Happen'n Art Movement organization teamed with the museum to host two days of workshops in May featuring various art mediums, including watercolor, pottery and mixed media.

Artists volunteered their time for the classes, and the museum received the proceeds.

"What we want to do for the community is to instill an appreciation for the arts and do whatever we can to support the West Valley Art Museum," said Tito Sebastiani, WHAM vice president.

Sebastiani, who taught the copper metal art class, said the students were highly talented.

"It was humbling," Sebastiani said. "This is the first time I have taught a group of people where every one of them turned out pieces that were better than my examples - and that is no exaggeration."

"They wanted to learn about acid treatment of copper, to get the patina look," Sebastiani said. "And I told them it was toxic ... and the process produces smoke. They were so excited. They all did their own patina."

Jarc was so pleased with the work she created - a copper lotus flower and a cross with black, copper-tipped skewers and natural objects including feathers - she joined the e-mail list to take another class with Sebastiani.

Though the class was three, 1½ hour sessions, Jarc estimates she spent more than a dozen additional hours working on the pieces.

Claudia Gay of Sun City West took the watercolor class instructed by Billie Ryan, who lives in Sun City Festival in Buckeye.

"We had a great instructor who gave us all the same colors, but we all created something different," Gay said. "I was really excited, and I would do it again."

Kendra Amburgey, interim director of the museum, said she was pleased with the classes offered and is already working with WHAM to host a new series either later in the summer or in the fall.

Since children's art classes are offered in the day during the summer, the evening option is a possibility.

WHAM is also beginning a fund-raising campaign to purchase clay equipment so it can offer clay classes at the museum on a regular basis.

Joy Slagowski may be reached at 623-876-2514 or jslagowski@yourwestvalley.com.