Last Thursday was the bimonthly showcase for RAW: Natural Born artists. This showcase featured many brand new artists who have just joined the artist collective. Even though they may be new to the show, I was still overwhelmed by the immense talent and dedication on display in every corner of the Monarch Theater.
First up in this menagerie of finesse is a local artist that I adore. Wearable Whimzy is a recent transplant to the Valley but already her custom-made fairy wings are making a big splash. The wings are constructed from wire and a heavy-duty cellophane and are simply stunning. You can find most of her work on her Etsy page and she also makes laurel garlands and elf shoes.
After geeking out over the fairy wings my eyes latched on to Nerd Wood Designs and his fun spin on pop culture art. All of his wooden plaques are handmade and designed with the geek in mind. He has signs and plaques that range from Game of Thrones to Mario and Luigi.
There was another artist at the showcase that dealt primarily in wood and that is Mama Bears Crafty Creations. She is an artist that uses Wood burning pens to create detailed and intricate designs and images. Her work is simply gorgeous and her Etsy page doesn’t show her animal designs.
I wandered my way to the back of gallery to discover FQ Studios and his unique creations. While my favorite thing on display was his painted deer skulls, sitting in the corner was a giant rocket ship made from parts of the underside of a truck. I asked him how long the rocket ship had taken him to produce and he said after pulling the parts off it took about eight hours of polishing to get it to look so shiny and new. 
FQ Studios also does acrylic paintings that could be displayed in a modern art gallery. Making my way through the very crowded upstairs gallery, I noticed that this month there more jewelry displays than the last two showcases combined. Every corner I turned was another artist with wire wrapped creations, gemstones, and even some fun geeky wares. Two that drew my attention were Made of Mountains Designs and Rosebuds Wares.Â
These two artists used wire wrapping with copper and other metals to create unique necklaces, hair accessories, and even bindi’s. Rosebuds Wares also makes candles and scented oils from recycled materials. With so many jewelry artists the temptation to spend too much money was overwhelming. Photographer Angie Rising couldn’t resist purchasing a beautiful crystal necklace from Lindsay Acosta, one of the jewelry designers. But Jewelry wasn’t the only accessory on display. One of my favorites of the night was Mint Jelli, a custom eyewear designer. Her funky sunglasses were adorned by models scattered across the gallery.
Speaking of models, I made my way down to the main stage just in time to see the Special EFX make up of Fabian making its way down the runway.
Fabian had a few different models with different themes and even had a fantastic cosplay of Heath Ledger’s “Joker.” Before the show, the models made their way through the crowded gallery and I would have thought it was odd seeing them mingle, but then I remembered this was art show.
The performance portion of the show was light this time around, with only a few fashion shows, one music group, and a couple of dance troupes. The first dancers that were up were Kayley Thompson and her troupe. Their fusion of classical and modern dance made for some interesting shapes and dynamics on the stage.
One of the last performances of the night was actually another runway show but the Break dance troupe that performed during it stole the show. I didn’t the name of the group but I hope I see them again soon at another show.
As the evening wound down the MC announced that this was the last show for the Event Director, Laura Fischer. She came out on stage and made short speech and even though I have only attended a few shows, I could tell that her presence would be missed.
Laurel Way is a writer for film, television, websites, and blogs. She is based in Phoenix, Arizona in the U.S., and has two fat cats and a loving husband. Laurel is a geek to her core and loves all things within horror, sci-fi/fantasy, and more. When she is not writing films, she is watching them, and her go-to movie snack is popcorn and Milkduds.
