These artists helped us raise over $3500 in 2023!

 Amber Zora is an interdisciplinary artist based in Rapid City, SD. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography + Integrated Media from Ohio University. Zora has exhibited her work in local and national galleries including the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Las Vegas Contemporary Art Center, Chicago Cultural Center and the National Veterans Art Museum, among other spaces.

Zora was enlisted in the US Army for 8 years and deployed to Qayyarah West, Iraq as an ammunition specialist from 2006-2007 with the 592nd Ordnance Company.

Uniquely inspired wearable art pieces crafted by a female Veteran using Art as a means of therapy. Art therapy has been proven to be a beneficial tool in navigating the recovery from the invisible and visible wounds of war.​

 It is very fulfilling to be able to call myself an artist, and a blessing to have found my calling again after the Military. I am using this as a stepping stone towards gaining peace of mind in a world full of chaos. Mental and Emotional health is my focus and healing the invisible wounds of war.

My work is my passion, not making things that people will love. This Art Therapy venture is about ME and MY healing process, even if others can’t see it that way. I use my newly discovered creative freedom to speak without words, in my own personal way.

  Even though I create primarily for myself, my work has been well received by buyers and critics alike; a fact I don’t take lightly. If you would like to talk about working together, or if you have a specific project you would like to propose, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Joe McDonald was a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and served from 1979-1987. Joe has a long list of professional accomplishments including retired police officer, former federal investigator, and recently retired Chief Security Officer.  If that isn't enough, Joe is an accomplished wildlife and landscape photographer, and owner of   FirewallPhotography.com who travels around the world making artful photographs and enjoying new adventures. 

  People often ask me, what got you started into painting? Since I do not have a clear recollection of when and how it started, the best answer I can give is, “I guess it started as a toddler, most likely when I realized that I could do cool and fun things with crayons, brushes, and colors.” That childhood fascination for creativity grew into a more complex passion for painting and creating still-life sceneries.

As a proud Army Veteran, I had the opportunity to travel around the world and experience the beauty of many countries, this experience reignited my passion for the arts as it allowed me to physically appreciate a variety of landscapes and cultures. 

In 2018 my wife and I relocated from New England to Arizona, this move somehow led me to a different approach towards the arts, as I learned to find beauty amongst the vastness of the barren and unforgiving hot terrain, the rocky peaks, the low brush, the saguaro fields, the monsoon torrents ripping across the dry land, and the multi-color sunsets. Being a man of faith kind of reminds me of the Bible verse in Isaiah 43:19 “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” It was like God telling me to observe, open up, breathe, be inspired, and connect with the colors of the dry wilderness. This, of course, was the start of a new artistic bond with the desert landscape and made quite an impact on my painting style, and re-directed my eyes towards capturing the beauty of the southwest not only on canvas, but also inspired me to try out other forms of art such as coffee painting, rock art, and woodwork crafting.

I provide a wide array of artistic services, from commissioned art to private and group classes. I am located in the beautiful city of Goodyear, AZ and my services are available to the entire Phoenix Valley area, so contact me today, and let's create something beautiful...Welcome to my Artways!

  Claire Kavaya is a French artist and art teacher from Paris.
 

Passionate about figurative drawing and painting since she was 12 years old, she studied painting at the University of Fine Arts of Paris (Beaux-Arts de Paris) where her work was very much influenced by American painters (Georgia O'Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Eric Fischl...)

 After meeting her husband, who was born and raised in San Clemente, she fell in love with Southern California and decided to move to San Clemente during summer 2022 to continue painting and teaching in a spacious studio she opened (The Side Street Art Studio) where everyone can feel comfortable and experience figurative art.

I was born and raised in Southern California, and I'm the owner of Honor Tango Foxtrot Apparel, AKA - Honor The Fallen. I wanted to create something where the past and the present are honored.

Two of my biggest passions in life are helping and supporting our military and first responders and my love of graphic design. So, I decided to combine the two and create a place where the true spirit of giving blend seamlessly.

I have been doing graphic design for 20+ years and my wife and I both have extensive medical backgrounds. I come from a large family of non active and active military, first responders and law enforcement. I see the risks they take and the perils they face every day and our mission is to support them in any way we can. We are surrounded by helpers who risk their lives every day and our hearts live in these professions.

 Hi, if you're looking for Shawn Cross, that's another guy who definitely doesn't do the art I do. At least I don't think. But anyways, I'm a dark art artist from Ohio. I've been working at my craft professionally for 9 years as an independent artist as well as an artist for the widely popular webcomic series, Cyanide & Happiness. I'm also a co-owner and artist for Ohio based lifestyle brand, Any Means Necessary clothing. 

       Though I've been known for my association with Cyanide & Happiness, in 2016 I created the mental health series, Inktober Illness, as part of the annual Inktober series which completely altered my art direction to focus more on artwork that helps create a conversation on mental health. My art has been all over the internet and bodies of many fans and it's still spreading. It's been life changing to say the least that an artist from Ohio is able to connect with so many who feel like they don't have a voice. 

   After finishing her degree in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts from the University of Washington, she moved to Ventura California where she lived on her sailboat and dreamed of sailing the world. She left her graphic design job (and everything else) to sail the coast to Panama. After 5 years of sailing and surfing the America's she sailed and lived for 5 more years in the South Pacific.

After a decade at sea earning a living as a digital entrepreneur she followed her heart and returned to where she grew up in the Pacific Northwest to begin her career as an artist.

Artist Statement:

Having spent so much time in the ocean surrounded by its profound beauty, it is my primary inspiration. The ocean has an instant and lasting powerful charge to the soul. I feel the ocean gives life and is a reflection of our inner world.

The ocean is wild and chaotic yet organized, it is calming and peaceful yet terrifying. The ocean connects us all and is a mirror to our own energetic field of being. The fluidity, reflections, clarity and essence in moving water speak to me in a life-affirming way. My
mission is to share my art and let the creative force flow through me to inspire more to flow throughout all of humanity.

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  My passion is to create meaningful art that inspires a peaceful state of mind, and a feeling of connection to the vast universe. I paint surreal landscapes, outer space scenes, and abstract styles on canvas, 3-D mixed media projects, and murals. 

I started my visual arts path 16 years ago after a life-changing evening involving a sensory deprivation experiment. About a year prior, I had developed an interest in meditation and trance states, and my practice led me to a breakthrough one night. The experience was difficult to speak about and led me to use visual art as a medium to convey the peace, deep connection, bliss and awe that I discovered during this chapter of my life. The artwork I create serves as a reminder for me, as well as inspiration, and a source of joy for collectors around the world.

 Born and raised in the Los Angeles beach community of Torrance, California, Patrick studied art at an early age. First learning watercolor techniques at the age of ten and drawing and design techniques at thirteen from various teachers, he furthered his art education at Loyola Marymount University, earning a Bachelors degree in Fine Art. 

Soon after graduating, Patrick began his career as a graphic designer before transitioning into a full-time professional Fine Artist. Focusing mostly on ocean themed imagery, he carved out a niche in the surf industry creating beautiful “Fantaseascapes” with vibrant sunsets, palm trees, huts, sea animals, and powerful breaking waves. 

For the 2016 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, Patrick was fortunate enough to have one of his collage works on mirror chosen as the featured art. The image was licensed to be produced on shirts, hats, boardshorts, as well as large window displays and during the live broadcast during the surf contests.  

Patrick currently resides in Maui, Hawaii. When not in the ocean playing in the waves, you will find him in the studio painting ideas that come to mind or bringing to canvas an idea that someone has commissioned.