Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival ~ January

Travel the world over and you would be hard-pressed to find a more spectacular gathering of artists than at the Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival. These nationally acclaimed, juried fine art festivals attract artists and art collectors from throughout the United States and abroad, all sharing in their love and appreciation for magnificent fine art.

We are delighted to announce that James Ayers is our Featured Artist for the 19^th Annual Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival.

‘In the chronicles of human history, countless cultures have emerged, matured, waned, and then finally disappeared. What perspectives of this world have died with them?’ James Ayers understands the inevitability of change and seeks to honor the customs and beauty of traditional cultures through his oil paintings.  James’s paintings are more than just a slice of Native American history. They are the result of years of research combined with personal exploration and observation. James has studied details of the cultures he portrays with an anthropologist’s eye, and marries his understanding of the struggles of modern Native cultures with his knowledge of their artifacts and rituals, in creating his canvases.

Shortly after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1991, James began a pattern of traveling, living, and working with indigenous peoples worldwide that continues to the present day. James traveled on foot with the semi-nomadic Samburu and Turkana people in Africa’s Great Rift Valley.

He explored Native American reservations from Maine to Arizona, living with the Iroquois in the Northeast, the Sioux in the Great Plains, and the Hopi in the Southwest. James gleaned first-hand knowledge of the Arapaho Sundance Ceremony during a visit to the Wind River Reservation in Esthete, Wyoming.

 Most recently, James was invited to the Toad Lena trading post region of the Navajo reservation in New Mexico to meet the sheepherders and weavers still living traditional life.  James has sought first-hand experiences with dozens of tribal cultures, and with each relationship, he has gleaned insights that help him understand the historical material he incorporates into his art.

~Sharon Brening~

Carefree is nestled in the high Sonoran Desert five minutes from the Scottsdale border. Massive piles of granite boulders, sharp mountains and an abundance of desert growth surround the area and provide scenes that attract visitors from around the world. Carefree also boasts the claim of the largest sundial in the western hemisphere. This wonderfully unique town provides the perfect backdrop for this superb gathering of fine art, great wine, live entertainment, gourmet food and much more!

~Steve Stento~

The streets of downtown Carefree are closed, making room for more than 160 artists and in excess of 5,000 original masterpieces of fine art. Artists’ works include small, medium and monumental life-sized bronze sculptures, metal, clay, wood, stone, glass and mixed media sculptures. There is an array of pottery, photography, hand crafted jewelry, batiks and select fine crafts. There is also spectacular oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, watercolors, pastel, charcoal, etchings and mixed media paintings. Subject matter ranges from Southwest and traditional to contemporary and abstract, including floral, wildlife, European, African and Native American art. The festival offers a wide variety of mediums, styles, sizes, subject matters and price range, to ensure there is something that will appeal to everyone who attends.

click here for google map & driving directions

The beautiful backdrop of Carefree, its many splendors and the fantastic art on hand isn’t all the Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival has to offer the thousands of people who attend each year. The festival holds the title of Arizona’s largest wine-tasting event, featuring first-class wines from Arizona, California, Australia, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. Ensuring the festival addresses each of the senses, delicious food is served by many of Carefree’s restaurants and outdoor cafes.

Live entertainment is a mainstay at all Thunderbird Artists’ events and this festival is no different. This year’s event features the Dolce VAS. After taking in all the sights and sounds of the festival, make sure and leave yourself time to discover Carefree’s assortment of unique shops, boutiques and galleries. Whether you are an art collector, an admirer of the arts or just looking for a wonderful experience, the Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival is guaranteed to leave you eagerly looking forward to the next one!

Martinez-Pena Vinedos III

Bob Wilfong

James Ayers-Allure of the Flut