Valley artist Aileen Frick

Aileen Frick 

Valley artist dazzles viewers with mixed media collages.

Phoenix-based collage artist Aileen Frick is creating visually dazzling imagery inspired by her life in Arizona. She skillfully handles her mediums with detail, expertly blurring the lines of her mixed media pieces.

“I am interested in the way collage can be integrated into paintings so that one is not conscious of the boundary between the printed image and paint,” says Frick. She discovered her passion for art after taking various art courses at a local community college, leading her to exhibit and push her artwork in fresh directions. She’s now compiled an impressive resume and shown her work at several galleries around the Valley as well as having her work featured in numerous publications, both online and in print.

Her evocative mixed media collages combine acrylic and oil paints with torn pieces of paper from magazines, which allows her to explore and create a broad range of subject matter. The inspiration behind Frick’s work is life and its everyday occurrences. She says of her obvious reference to Impressionism: “My style echoes the fashion of the Impressionists using modern day references.” Most recently Frick’s artwork has centered on Phoenix’s urban landscape, its diverse culture and people. The resulting artwork seems to truly speak to her viewers because of its local elements.

Frick has been exhibiting her work on the art festival circuit in Colorado and just finished exhibiting at the 27^th Annual Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Meanwhile, she has installed a beautiful painting at the Phoenix Convention Center featured in the Iconic Phoenix Highrises Project. It’s the 16^th and final mural of the project, curated by Hugo Medina. Frick recently also had a successful exhibition at {9} The Gallery located in the Grand Avenue Arts District. Entitled Never Without Shadow, it showcased her striking mixed media collages and revealed an uncommon view of daily life through landscape. To learn more about artist Aileen Frick, visit amfrick.com.

TEMPE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Tempe Center for the Arts is currently featuring the exhibition Merely Players. This exhibition showcases “the artistic talents of local costume makers, the creative diversity of Arizona performing arts organizations, and the increasing popularity of cultural events where costumes play an important role,” says TCA Curator Michelle Dock.

This exhibition examines the idea that the stage is a place where performers create a persona, thereby transporting audiences to another time and place. Merely Players explores the vision, process, and culminating role that costumes play in creating altered egos on and off the stage. The Merely Players exhibition is on display through May 14, 2016, in the TCA Gallery.

Come and explore the wonderful 3,500-square-foot visual arts space showcasing a variety of artwork by local and internationally recognized artists. Admission to the TCA Gallery is free. Viewing hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tempe Center for the Arts

700 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe