Community

Grand Canyon painter Bruce Aiken at the Sedona Library on May 16

Sedona, AZ - May 3, 2008 - As part of the 2008 50th Anniversary Sedona Public Library Celebration weekly Author Series, Bruce Aiken will be discussing his latest book, "Bruce Aiken’s Grand Canyon: An Intimate Affair," on Friday, May 16 at 6:00pm at the Sedona Library.

The program, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Si Birch Community Room. Copies of Aiken’s book will be available for purchase and signing following the presentation.

As a child growing up in the concrete canyons of New York City, Bruce Aiken dreamed of someday living at the end of a long dirt road. Little did he know that this road would lead 5½ miles down a narrow, steep trail into the depths of another canyon—the Grand Canyon. Nor could he predict that he would live in this unlikely place for over thirty years.

In a remote side canyon along a stream that ultimately flows into the Colorado River, Bruce and his wife Mary raised three children while he tended Grand Canyon National Park’s precious water supply at Roaring Springs . . . and painted. Out of this intimate relationship between the artist and his muse came a body of work unparalleled in the annals of Grand Canyon landscape painters.

Join Aiken as he shares his story with a visual presentation of more than thirty years of living and painting at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. This event celebrates the publication of the new book: "Bruce Aiken’s Grand Canyon: An Intimate Affair," published by the Grand Canyon Association.

Bruce Aiken will be discussing his latest book, "Bruce Aiken’s Grand Canyon: An Intimate Affair," on Friday, May 16 at 6:00pm at the Sedona Library.

Few people are as intimate with the Grand Canyon as Bruce Aiken. For over thirty years, this magnificent landscape has been his home, his livelihood, and his inspiration. Here, Bruce and his wife, Mary, have lived for more than thirty years, tending the park's water supply at Roaring Springs and raising their family of three children. Here, too, Bruce Aiken's art has flourished.

Born in Greenwich Village on Manhattan Island, Bruce's first artistic inspiration came from his mother, who was a painter. She taught him the basics of brushwork and color, and related stories of her childhood in the Southwest. Bruce built on these basics by studying at the Art Students' League in New York, the School of Visual Arts, and under William Williams and Frank Roth. At age 20, Bruce came out west to visit the vast, dramatic land forms his mother had described. Soon, he moved to Arizona and continued his studies at Phoenix College under preeminent Southwest artist, Merrill Mahaffey.

When Bruce first arrived at Grand Canyon, he found it an intimidating subject to render. So, he began by studying its geology, botany and wildlife, and exploring its remote inner reaches and side canyons. Finally, he was ready to put paint on canvas. Bruce Aiken's paintings of Grand Canyon's varied landscapes and mesmerizing beauty are unparalleled. The vivid colors, intimate details, and conceptual artistry found in his work lend distinction to his own, unique style that some art critics have labeled "authoritative realism."

As Bruce says, "My main idea is to paint scenes that say, 'I was here. I saw this. This is a first-hand experience.' Grand Canyon is not only big and beautiful, it's pristine living... it's still wild to me." Indeed, no other artist has captured the wild, eternal essence of Grand Canyon in the way Bruce Aiken has.

The Sedona Public Library offers a myriad of programs for all ages and interests. For information about this or other programs as well as the wide variety of services the library offers, please call 928-282-7714. These programs are free to all, although your donation to support the Library's programming efforts is appreciated.




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