Christmas art exhibit set Saturday

The Old Nursery Coffee Company will host a pre-holiday art exhibit by well-known local artists Arija Powell, Betty Pyeatt and Ruth Oseid Johnson.

The show will be held Saturday (Dec. 18) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the coffee house, adjacent to the Squash Blossom Nursery, 1235 West Wickenburg Way.

Powell is an impressionistic painter and clay sculptor of people, wildlife and "places less traveled" of the Sonoran Desert.

She was born in Latvia, Europe, and immigrated to South Dakota after World War II. She then traveled to and lived in many places in the American West before moving to Aguila, where she has a home and studio.

Art and horses have been Powell's passion since she was a child. Besides using them in her art, she raises horses and is an active rodeo participant. She has won many silver buckles and has recently been second in Arizona in her category of barrel racing.

Powell has developed her own technique in her art, working on handmade oriental papers with watercolor, ink and wax, along with her work in acrylics on canvas. Her sculptures have traveled as far as Belgium and Ireland, and both Powell's sculpture and paintings have won numerous awards throughout the West.

Each of her works beautifully expresses her feelings about the animals she knows so well and the personalities of the people she has such a deep interest in.

Powell is a signature member of Women Artists of the West and Canyonside Gallery, and now her work may be seen displayed at the Squash Blossom Nursery Village.

Pyeatt comes to the Wickenburg area from the Wallowa Mountain Wilderness area of northeast Oregon. She was employed by David Manuel, a nationally known sculptor, at the Manuel Museum Gallery in Joseph, Ore., and it was there that she showed her exquisite hand-painted gourds.

While visiting the cultural centers throughout the Southwest, Pyeatt became intensely interested in the designs of early Pueblo pottery. She has adapted those art forms to the natural beauty and texture of gourds, altering and embellishing the designs to suit her creativity, and making them her own while respecting their history. Each piece is handcrafted and seems to glow from within.

Along with her larger pieces, Pyeatt has created many small "gourd people," perfect for holiday gifts and tree decorations. Her work has been exhibited and sold in galleries in the Pacific Northwest, at Canyonside Gallery, and now at the Squash Blossom Nursery Village.

Johnson is a painter in oils and watercolor, a printmaker of original color lithographs and has her own press in her studio. She has been a full-time resident of the Wickenburg area for the last 10 years and three years ago founded the Canyonside Gallery in Wickenburg. She has paintings in two major museums in Minnesota, her home state, The Minnesota Museum of American Art, and the Minnesota Historical Society Museum.

Johnson's work has been featured in hundreds of one-person, two-person and group exhibits in Minnesota, California and Arizona since 1967 and has won numerous awards in juried exhibits. Her work may be found in many private and corporate collections across the country in and Europe.

Johnson focuses on the effects of light in interior settings and in her landscapes. Color and design are tools she uses to bring her paintings and prints to life. She feels the process of painting and printmaking is as significant to her as is the result of the work and hopes the result is an image that reveals her intent and also speaks to the viewer.

The Old Nursery Coffee Company is a new and lively coffee house in Wickenburg that has the flavor of the "Old World" of Tuscany, Spain and Colonial Mexico. The horseshoe-shaped coffee bar showcases the three-group espresso machine and creates an intimate atmosphere where coffee lovers can see their steaming brew being made and where they can talk to the barista, Heather.

All types of specialty coffee drinks -- hot or cold -- are prepared individually, as well as premium full-leaf teas, Chai and 100 percent fruit puree smoothies.

Pastries and soft biscotti are available, as are muffins, bagels and a small sandwich menu.

In the corner, a kiva-style fireplace warms the brisk mornings, inviting visitors to enjoy the comfortable setting. In sunny weather, garden seating is available.

Located adjacent to the Squash Blossom Nursery, regular hours of the Coffee House are Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Sundays.

For more information, call 684-0288.

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