Needing to brush up on your skills or in need of a little inspiration for that next Masterpiece? Read on….

Acclaimed Artist Peggy Sands returns to the Sedona Arts Center with her popular workshop “Drawing Without Fear”. This exciting 5-day workshop is the answer to those who have always wanted to draw but were afraid to take on the challenge. It is designed for absolute beginners as well as those who wish to brush up on their drawing skills. The workshop will be held at the Sedona Arts Center from November 16th-20th. For more information please call the Sedona Arts Center at 928-282-3809 or visit their website at http://www.sedonaartscenter.com .

Bonnie Hartenstein, a nationally noted artist, lecturer, and teacher, will present a lively public lecture and discussion in Tlaquepaque’s Sala de Milagro ballroom at 3:00 PM on Sunday, Nov. 15. Her free presentation will be given in conjunction with the Sedona Visual Artists Coalition annual art exhibit currently on display in the same venue. Hartenstein’s talk will be an interactive discussion of the theme of the exhibit, "Beneath the Surface". She will consider how various art works in the exhibit reflect the depth and meaning of that theme. How do artists create a "surface", thick or thin, built up or scraped off, transparent or opaque that either reveals or hides the layers underneath? What meaning is revealed by how that surface is created? How does the viewer spend time looking at art to get beneath the surface and see the process the artist goes through to create a work of art? Hartenstein will discuss both the viewer's and the artist's willingness to consider "themes" in art and how far each is willing to go to connect to meaning and understand how "form is function".

Join award-nominated author Jeri Westerson, author of “Veil of Lies” and the forthcoming “Serpent in the Thorns,” for a writing workshop, “How to Make History Come Alive” on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. at the Well Red Coyote bookstore.

Writing historical fiction requires more than just knowing dates and places. The minutiae, smells, sounds and feel of the era must come alive for authors or they won’t come alive for readers.

Westerson will explore the tactile approach of learning about an era, a technique that she uses to write her own explosively successful novels.

Noir and hard-boiled fiction seem to be in Westerson’s blood, according to a press release. She was born and bred on the mean streets of Los Angeles, inhaling smog and enduring earthquakes.

She took all that gritty

edginess and plunked it into the Middle Ages, creating the newest hard-boiled detective, Crispin Guest, a disgraced knight turned private eye, solving crimes on the mean streets of 14th century London in her debut medieval noir, “Veil of Lies,” recently nominated for a Macavity Award for historical mystery and a Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel.

The Historical Novel Society Review made her book an Editor’s Choice title: “To say ‘Veil of Lies’ is a remarkable novel doesn’t do the book justice. Just when the plot seems set on a fixed course, the author deftly arranges another neat surprise and keeps the pages turning.”

The workshop is free and open to the public.

The Well Red Coyote is located at 3190 SR 89A, West Sedona.

Call 282-2284.

Need two great reasons to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall scenery of Sedona? There should be plenty of color to see at the following events.

The Sedona Gallery Association presents it’s Annual Red Rock Canvas Event this weekend November 6^th, 7^th and 8^th . Their will be Receptions, Demonstrations, Artist Dialogues and a Silent Auction throughout the weekend. The Silent Auction begins on Friday at 3:00PM and closes on Sunday at 3:00PM. For more information on the event and to view participating galleries please visit www.redrockcanvas.com .

Also going on is the opening of Canyon Moon Theatre’s latest exhibit, featuring the works of local artists Jim Peterson and Jerry Buley (PhD). The exhibit can be seen through Nov. 22 in the lobby gallery of Canyon Moon Theatre (Village of Oak Creek, in the Oak Creek Outlet Mall). It is open Monday- Thursday from 10AM to 3PM. Sales from this exhibit will benefit the theatre, which is a non-profit arts organization. The exhibit includes a broad sampling of vibrant, richly detailed works of the two photographers, and although the two artists share a common medium and sometimes choose similar subjects, their artistic vision and their respective approaches to their work are highly individual. Both artists have an experimentalist leaning and are willing to push the limits of their medium, creating works unlike any that have come before. With the two artists exhibiting jointly for the first time, the room is a burst of color, design, and artistic diversity. For more information go to www.canyonmoontheatre.org .

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Scenery!

Halloween weekend has arrived, and costume or not, Sedona art connoisseurs are in for a real treat.

The Sedona Visual Artists’ Coalition opens it’s 2009 Annual Fall Art Exhibition Friday, October 30^th from 5-8pm at Tlaquepaque.

Come on by to enjoy live music, wine and hor d’oeuvres, and see how some of Sedona’s most amazing artists interpreted this year’s theme, “Beneath the Surface”. A silent auction will also be held. The exhibit will run from October 30^th through November 18^th and is free and open to the public.

If you enjoy art, but also like seeing others ‘dress up’, what could be better than a fashion show! The fashion show is to celebrate the Grand Opening of the new gallery at Hillside, “Spirit of the Andes”. The show will be held Friday October 30^th and Saturday October 31^st at 4:30pm at the Hillside courtyard. In addition to the fashion show, Spirit of the Andes welcomes Bolivian artist, Mamani, accompanied by the fashion designer Jacquline. Come experience the incredible beauty and spirit of Bolivia right here in the red rocks.

Whatever spirits you might enjoy this weekend, have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Sedona’s Award-Winning artists continue their work this weekend in another big weekend for anyone who loves to explore the arts. Whether you are an accomplished artist or someone who just enjoys fine art, their will be plenty to see and do around Sedona and the Verde Valley.

The Sedona Arts Center’s 5th Annual Plein Air Festival will be an unforgettable nine days of celebrating the blend of art and nature as seen through the eyes of thirty-two award-winning artists.

The Festival opens on Saturday, Oct 24, with the Paint Out on Main Street, sponsored by Sedona Main Street Program and continues with free daily events (lectures, demos, free plein-air painting classes and more) on the Arts Center campus – all open to the public. Friday, Oct 30, events hosted by L’Auberge de Sedona, the presenting sponsor, include the morning Quick Draw, creek side on the resort grounds and an Evening Extravaganza with the Artists  in the luxurious Monet Ballroom and Garden. Gala Tickets $100 through Sept 30, and beginning Oct 1 - $125.

The Festival closes on Sunday afternoon at 3:00pm, Nov 1, after a two-day Public Exhibition and Sale of festival art at the Sedona Arts Center’s Galleries.  For a complete schedule of events and gala tickets, visit: www.SedonaPleinAirFestival.com.

Have you ever wondered what it is about a painting that makes it work ?

Why do you like one painting over another even though they are both technically well done?

We will explore what makes a good painting in our color and composition classes.