NOW FEATURING: April Bower, Jeff Perkins, Margo Mitchell, and Mary Helsaple
Our Gallery showcases the largest selection in Sedona of artwork by local artists. If you are seeking a rare piece of fine art, a gift of exquisite jewelry, appreciate stunning photography, or looking for a lovely keepsake from your visit to Sedona, the Arts Center has it all and more. The Arts Center is a 501(c)3 organization that offers all purchases without sales tax – almost a 10% savings.
Our Uptown Gallery is open 10am–5pm, Monday – Saturday and 12–5pm, Sundays. We look forward to seeing you at Sedona Arts Center’s Gallery! Call 928-282-3865 for additional information. Sedona Arts Center is located at 15 Art Barn Road in Uptown Sedona.
Our online gallery represents a full spectrum of the diversity of artists represented by the arts center. Visit us today!
April Bower has always been fascinated by all the varied processes involved in metalworking. “Metal is an extremely versatile medium, that can be cast, stretched, compressed, pounded, welded, textured and colored or melted down to start all over again. From steel to copper to gold and silver, from ancient forging techniques to modern electroforming, the possibilities are endless.”
After receiving a Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree, she spent 18+ years doing bench work in fine jewelry stores in Arizona. Over the years her focus has spanned from fine jewelry to copper fountain sculptures. Primarily a Goldsmith, Bower teaches metalsmithing online and in live workshops at Art Retreats and studios throughout the US.
Her work has been represented in many galleries in the SW including Fountain Hills Artists Gallery, in Fountain Hills, AZ, The Sedona Arts Center, in Sedona, AZ, and has articles published in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artists Magazine.
Jeff Perkins
"My parents brought me to Verde Valley School a co-ed boarding high school in Sedona, Arizona in 1955. I was one year old. I grew up there went to high school there and fell in love with ceramics. It has been my passion ever since. I got my BFA in ceramics and photograph from Arizona State University and my MA in ceramics from Northern Arizona University. I have been teaching ceramics and photography at Verde Valley School for the past 43 years. I make large thrown Raku pots and whimsical figures that are inspired by Hopi Kachina dolls. I have been selling my work in galleries for over 40 years and am also in many private collections. I am featured in the Phoenix Airport Museum, NAU, ASU & Del Webb permanent collections."
Margo Mitchelle
Margo lives in the red rock country of northern Arizona. Raised in a rural area east of Phoenix, her favorite subjects are Southwest in nature, including landscapes, horses, and cattle. Many of her works include people interacting with animals.
Although art was her favorite school subject, it wasn’t until 1997 that she began to pursue her long-postponed ambition to paint. After studying for two years with reputed pastel and oil painter Richard McKinley, Margo began to create original oil paintings.
Her personal style of painting is greatly influenced by the art she admires in museums and galleries in Europe and America. In particular, The Hague School of Art, which often focuses on barnyard animals, encouraged her to pursue those subjects that always appealed to her the most. The works of early American Impressionists such as Willard Metcalf and William Merritt Chase continue to inspire her, as well as the skill of Clyde Aspevig and the late great Southwest Impressionistic artist James Reynolds.
Margo is a member of Oil Painters of America. Her work has been featured in Southwest Art and Horses in Art magazines, with a personal interview in the April 2015 issue of Southwest Art. She has served as Artist-In-Residence at Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site and Petrified Forest National Park and looks forward to visiting other National Parks in the same capacity. She gives public presentations through Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), sharing the artistic inspiration she experiences as Artist-In-Residence and during her travels in America and abroad.
Mary Helsaple
“Whether jungle, desert, water or sky, how we engage with nature is paramount to
understanding our world responsibilities. My artistic efforts go towards creating detailed,
poignant wildlife art that inspires others to respect and understand this vital relationship.”
Mary Helsaple was raised in California, an avid birdwatcher, a national exhibiting watercolor artist who moved to the Southwest from Colorado in 2008. My artistic goal is to tell a story that connects people to nature. The premise is: Where and how do humans fit into their environment. What niche do we fill, and who shares it with us. We engage nature every day. Is it a culture clash or a symbiotic relationship? Helsaple’s watercolors are large works on
paper, done in the ‘narrative style’ with finely detailed images of plants birds, animals, and
insects which merge into natural surroundings in familiar and exotic environments.
Currently, Mary teaches a water Media workshop for the Sedona Arts Center and watercolor and drawing workshops for Yavapai College. She has written “Physics of Watercolor” a watercolor techniques book which is available for sale at the Sedona Arts Center Gallery. She continues to develop a collage style 3-Dimensional art with traditional watercolors. This involves, cutting, rolling, layering and adhering pieces to watercolor paper to paper surfaces. This involves utilizing the skills of traditional 2D dimension watercolor painting with cut-out collage applications and layered paper sculptural techniques on painted watercolor paper.
Our mission is to connect, enrich, educate and lead through the inspiring power of the arts and creative discovery.
Sedona Arts Center is one of Northern Arizona’s most well-established cultural organizations and serves as the creative heart of Sedona. Founded in 1958, the nonprofit is based in Uptown Sedona and offers year-round classes, exhibitions, festivals, and cultural events that enhance the creative life of the Verde Valley.
