Biographies

Beth Ann Krueger lives in Bisbee with an orange Betta fish that can’t swim. Acorn woodpeckers and Curve-billed thrashers provide acoustic entertainment in their yard while Anna’s hummingbirds and several types of bees and butterflies visit the numerous Salvia plants.

Beth Henson moved to Bisbee in 1983. She recently earned a PhD in Latin American History from the University of Arizona and is working on a book tentatively entitled: From Smeltertown to New World Border: Douglas, Arizona since 1983.

Bill Smith lives in Cochise and enjoys the quiet and beautiful rural life of Cochise County with his dog Bailey.

Bob La Fleur is a retired college instructor, a writer, and woodsman. His writing has appeared in a number of publications. He has for a decade lived off grid in a cabin in the Minnesota north woods. At present he divides his time between that cabin and a hundred-year-old miner’s shack in Bisbee.

Cappy Love Hanson likes to imagine she was delivered by an eagle instead of a stork and was watched over in the nursery by a snowy owl. She insists that sticking her fingers in an electric socket as a child, when her parents told her not to, does not make her a Taurus. The most-asked question in the off-grid home she shares with her husband and menagerie is, “What’s that running across the roof?”

Carol Chandler has enjoyed seasonal stays in Bisbee over the past ten years. As a new resident of Old Bisbee she now plans to become more engaged in artwork. Carol is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a degree in philosophy.

Carrissa Hernandez writes, “We all need a touch of whimsy.”

Charles (Chuck) Feil has made a career in photography. For the past six years he has been facilitating his “Tao of Photograph” workshops ranging from four-to-ten day workshops in a variety of locations such as Oregon, Arizona, Thailand, Mexico, and Ecuador.

Who could have imagined that those newcomers would put down such deep roots? Carmen Megeath was one of those pioneers who arrived on the shores of Bisbee in the early 1970s, swept in on the tide of providence, adventure, and good fortune. She is a poet and a classically trained musician.

Dan Rollins continues to push the envelope with his original and transformative works of digital fine-art photography. Having had no formal education in photography or computer technology, he can exact from his camera, and desktop, the vision that he sees with his Mind’s Eye! Each of his digital pieces had its beginning as a photograph taken by Dan himself, and was “transformed” by internal camera filters, and then sometimes additionally with PC software.

David Altamirano was born in Douglas and works as an Artistic Behavioral Health Specialist at PSA Art Awakenings. He is dedicated to bringing art and cultural empowerment to the people of Douglas and the surrounding area. David truly believes that “art reflects and bonds humanity.” He takes great pride in his community and is inspired by the land, its people, and the rich environment that contribute to such a complex and diverse trans-border culture.

David Day has lived in and photographed Bisbee for over twenty years. He is continuously amused and often astounded by the ever changing and quirky nature of the town. Dave loves to share his photographs on Instagram and has shown his work in several galleries in Bisbee.

Elizabeth Gibson enjoys taking landscape photos when she travels. Her passion for photography began in 2004.

Evelyn Kaplan is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her passion for collecting treasures of the past combined with a love of beautiful china, tile and porcelain inspired her towards the mosaic art form of Pique Assisette. Evelyn utilizes her sense of design, her eye for color, and her passion for old treasures to create pieces of exquisite beauty and design. Evelyn’s art has found homes worldwide and can be found in galleries throughout the country.

Francisco J. Moreno earned an Associate of Arts degree from Cochise College. He then went on to earn a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the University of Arizona. In addition to photography, he uses other media, such as painting, sculpture, and mixed media. He is also a member of the Douglas Art Association and has lived in Douglas over twenty years.

When he’s not writing or reading or teaching a creative writing seminar somewhere, Gary Lawrence spends his time grading papers and teaching composition and creative writing classes for Cochise College and Glendale (AZ) Community College. He’s published short stories in Short Story America, Four Chambers, the Rockford Review, Canyon Voices and Mirage. Gary, wife Linda, and Rocky the Yorkie Poo have enjoyed Sierra Vista for two years now.

Georgia Papadakis is an artist with an education in both fine arts and graphic design — two very different perspectives — and a love for simplified imagery, visual texture, and crisply delineated organic forms. Her mind is ever on technique; like a mossy texture made with a sponge or the gentle rubbing of gold leaf with a burnisher. Art for her is kinesthetic, and she enjoys art forms that accentuate the process.

Gloria Fraze grew up in the San Francisco Bay area surrounded by nature, ocean, and hills. She has always loved art and photography, but it wasn’t until retiring to Arizona in 2005 that she had the opportunity to discover Arizona with its incredible desert geology. Her photography reflects her love of both areas. She works hard to capture every image as a reflection of what her mind sees at the moment the shutter opens and closes.

Jane Ferguson is a fifth generation ceramic artist in her family. She now lives “off the grid” in the Mule Mountains of Cochise County and teaches ceramics in her studio as well as at Cochise College. She defines herself as an abstract figurative sculptor. Her principal concern is to capture the energetic quality of the human figure. Her forms emphasize the sensual curves of the human figure and the message is energy and movement.

James Schrimpf is a Nogales photographer who has been published in Arizona Highways Magazine and was the cover photographer for Discover Southern Arizona and Mirage magazines. His photographs were featured during the Chicago Artist’s Month.

Jesse Arias was raised right here in Arizona. He also does photography, writing, video games, and the occasional warfare against an establishment that has imposed injustice upon humanity. Neat fact. Orange tulips are his favorite flower!

Joyce Genske originally hales from Wisconsin and has had a lifelong interest in photography. She is constantly trying to learn new techniques and improve her skills. Nearly any subject is fair game for the curious eye of her cameras. No position is too ridiculous to get into if it means getting a good photo including lying flat on the floor, climbing a tree, or duck-walking after a particularly interesting insect.

Keith Allen Dennis is a songwriter, poet, and is a history and writing student in Western New Mexico University’s Interdisciplinary Studies graduate program. His published works so far include two albums, Year of the Cup (2009) and Mystic Blues (2015). Bisbee, Arizona, has been his home for nine years.

Kunhild O. Blacklock was born in Germany and earned a fine arts degree from St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa. She is a Riverway Artist (placed public art pieces along the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities area). She enjoys painting with oils and acrylics, using mixed media for mosaic pieces. She has had many group and solo exhibits in Iowa, Illinois, and Berlin, Germany. She is a member of the Huachuca Art Association and a resident of Sierra Vista, Arizona, since 2011.

Lavendra Copen cultivates the wisdom that comes from growing organic produce, reading and writing poetry, and raising two granddaughters. She finds the Cochise County soil and weather are good for all these crops.

Lynda Coole is still astounded by the shapes ordinary things become when she momentarily forgets what those things are.

Mahala Lewis lives in Sierra Vista, Arizona. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a BA in Fine Art, and specializes in oil and watercolor medium.

A native of North Carolina and graduate of Duke University, Pamela Lee has lived abroad in Turkey, Italy, Iran, and Argentina, in the then Territory of Hawaii, and in seven different states. She has traveled extensively, climbed mountains, led ski tours, flown airplanes, run marathons, and taught high school English. She is presently writing her autobiography, REFLECTIONS, The First Eighty-six Years.

R.J. (Bob) Luce was a wildlife biologist in Wyoming before retiring to Arizona. He lives near the San Pedro River and photographs the river in all seasons. He has traveled in Mexico, Latin America, East Africa, Brazil, and the U.S. Virgin Islands for bird-watching and photography. He has authored technical wildlife publications and magazine articles about wildlife, and provided photos for books, outdoor magazines, and wildlife field guides. He has also written two outdoor mystery books and a photo essay book, River of Life, Four Seasons along Arizona’s Rio San Pedro.

Robin Redding has been a ceramics student at Cochise College since 2009. Initially focused exclusively on mastering wheel throwing, she is now accomplished in hand building and surface design as well. When she isn’t focused on pottery, she also indulges herself with photography and making jewelry. She has a BBA in Marketing and an MBA from Florida Atlantic University. She and her husband live in Hereford, Arizona, with their fabulous dog, Lexy.

Ron Fritts has led a life motivated by the creative impulse. He was always making things, drawing, and having to produce art. What you see now is the culmination of these disciplines in his effort to capture the enormous beauty of the Southwest and to share his vision.

Ruby Odell has lived in Old Bisbee for the past seven years — her true home! She has found her true nature in the many ways that art is expressed — here where the High Desert meets the Soul.

Shryl Miles graduated with Highest Honors from California State University, Fullerton, with a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design. She also studied for two years with renowned California artist and teacher Hal Reed, founder of The Art League of Los Angeles. Her preferred media is watercolor. She is very active with the San Pedro River Arts Council and has served on its board of directors since its inception.