Photos Courtesy of IN FLUX
IN FLUX, a local arts project, brings together art, economic development, and property management organizations throughout the greater Phoenix area. Through its programming, artists are given the opportunity to expand their skills, challenge their creativity, and garner public recognition. Now in its tenth cycle, IN FLUX’s promotional partner, Artlink (a Valley-based nonprofit supporting artists by providing necessary programs and resources to expand their careers), facilitated the call to artists on behalf of IN FLUX partner cities. Peoria is one of the partner cities for this Valley-wide initiative.
Locally, artist Lauren Lee will be creating a mural at Park West shopping center. In addition, artists Doug Boyd and Jennifer Levine will be creating sculptures at the Peoria Main Library and the Sunrise Mountain Library respectively. Their art pieces will be completed in June and on display a full year for the public to enjoy.
Art at Park West Shopping Center
Artist Lauren Lee is known for creating beautiful, colorful murals with intricate details. Lee enjoys bringing the vitality of nature back to the city through her artwork. In a recent solo show, she presented the theme of “Waheguru,” or “The Ecstatic Totality of God” in Sikhism. These pieces of art included stoic tigers and beautiful floral landscape amidst geometric patterns.
“My artwork is a reflection of not only my creativity but my spiritual journey as well,” says Lee. “By creating works of art for my community, I am spreading that positivity and growth with the people around me—which is extremely rewarding.”
Staying true to her passion for creating artwork of plants and animal life, Lee will begin crafting a large-scale desert botanical mural, featuring two Gila Woodpecker birds on a saguaro with desert flowers for Park West.
“I wanted to bring large scale, fine art to this area and create a piece where you can see something new every time you look at it,” says Lee. “The Park West mall has a lot of foot traffic and I hope that people of all ages will be inspired by this mural and know that they can accomplish any project they set their minds to as well.”
“We were thrilled to help IN FLUX find amazing local artists like Lauren to create beautiful artwork for Peoria residents to enjoy,” says Catrina Kahler, president and CEO of Artlink. “Lauren’s artwork embodies the bright, vibrant future of Arizona’s art scene and I can’t wait to see the final product.”
To connect with Lee and see her final IN FLUX artwork piece, follow her on Instagram @mslaurenlee or visit
laurenleefineart.com.
Sculptures at local Libraries
For their work, Boyd and Levine will be creating sculptures at the Peoria Main Library and Sunrise Mountain Library.
Levine is known for utilizing bright colors, nature, animals, and whimsy in her artwork. She has been creating ceramic mosaics for about three years and learned to make tile by taking a weeklong intensive tile making class at Santa Theresa Tile Works in Tucson. Recently, she made a large climate change mosaic that is on display in Florida.
To move toward her passion for sculptural work, she has been crafting a “Butterball” sculpture for Sunrise Mountain Library.
“It [the art project] was inspired by the incredible number of butterflies that were attracted to the blooming plants in our yard this year,” says Levine. “…It is intended as a simple celebration of the beauty and wonder of nature.”
Boyd, who has had a long history in the realm of art from performing at Cirque du Soleil to joining the Burning Man community in Las Vegas, eventually found his way to Phoenix where he opened his own metal shop. Today, his attention is directed to creating custom art for clients throughout the United States. He has begun transitioning to creating more sculptural art in the most recent years.
Some of Boyd’s most recent work can be seen on the downtown streets of Phoenix. Commissioned to create a large sculpture that allows people to interact with art, he created a larger-than-life robot that sits on a bench while fascinated as he reads a book. “I view every artistic project as a chance to explore my limits. A chance to step into the creative unknown. It is part of my life’s adventure,” says Boyd.
Boyd is still working on the final idea for his sculpture.
To connect with Jennifer Levine and see her final IN FLUX artwork piece, follow her on Instagram
@gogogogogofish.
To connect with Doug Boyd and see his final IN FLUX artwork piece, follow him on Instagram @artfully_rogue and Facebook @ArtfullyRogue. You can also see his artwork at artfullyrogue.com.
Learn more about IN FLUX at influxaz.com.
