DARLENE RITTER

VISUAL ARTIST

After teaching for 40 years, it feels good to create art on my own terms. As a child, I wanted to be an architect, and I loved playing with my huge set of blocks. I had a room full of blocks that I never had to put away. This is likely why my work often shows a lot of geometric shapes. I see geometric shapes everywhere. In my work you will often see squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles. I also love color, movement and texture. It is the art elements that are my subject matter taking my focus to the basics of design. I use them to play with asymmetrical balance creating unity of composition. And finally I love to throw in a touch of spice to add excitement and interest in the work.

 

Events and Honors:

  • M.A. in Art Education, California State University, Los Angeles
  • Author of 4 books to show teachers how to teach art to elementary students
  • Arizona Award for excellence in Education, 1995
  • Art Educator of the Year for Arizona, 1995
  • Pacific Region Elementary Art Educator of the Year, 1996
  • Presenter at National Art Education Association Conferences, 1992 and 1996

 

Currently:

  • Designer for VIDA, scarves and tops using my paintings, shopvida.com
  • Docent at the Phoenix Art Museum
  • Member:
    • Arizona Artists Guild, juried
    • Sonoran Art League
    • Arizona Art Alliance

 

Exhibits:

  • Sonoran Art League’s show at el Pedregal at the Boulder’s Resort, 2017
  • State shows with Arizona Artists Guild
  • Arizona Art Alliance shows
  • Harumi’s Healing House, one-woman shows, 3 years, Scottsdale
  • Arizona State Fair
  • One-woman shows at:
    • Fair Trade Café, Phoenix
    • Urban Bean, Phoenix
    • Copper Star Coffee, Phoenix
  • Group shows:
    • De Soto Market, Phoenix
    • Ice House Gallery, Phoenix
    • Herberger Gallery at the Arizona Center, various shows
    • Beatitudes and Devonshire Campus shows, Phoenix
    • Universal Unitarian, Scottsdale
    • Phoenix Center for the Arts
  • Up-coming one-woman show at Olney Gallery at Trinity Center Cathedral, Phoenix
  • Member of artist co-op at The Artery in Central Phoenix for four years participating in First Fridays every month