The Village Gallery of Local Artists on Hwy 179 in the Village of Oak Creek, where the work of nearly 40 local artists is on display, is now open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. The Gallery offers products and gifts from bookmarks and cards to functional art to Fine Arts and Crafts, and has been recognized locally and nationally for both the quality and variety of the artists’ works. Although the popular First Friday Art Walk tradition has been temporarily suspended, the gallery will continue to spotlight the work of one of the artist-members each month.

The Featured Artist for the month of June, Nina Joy Rizzo grew up in New York. As a child, she took advantage of every artistic tool available to her and used any drawing surface she could find- paper, sidewalks, even her aunt’s fence to recreate the daily life of her surroundings. She was especially fascinated with drawing colorful patterns and designs she saw in the life around her, and it was that interest that set her on the road towards a lucrative and exciting career as a professional fractal artist, and eventually a successful textile and wearable art entrepreneur.

When Nina’s interest in fractals- the never-ending geometrical patterns found in nature that are infinitely complex and self-repeating and which easily lend themselves to colorful digital reproduction, converged with her interest in the metaphysical, the result was the award-winning, strikingly beautiful and extremely visceral collection of NJFractals. She explains that colors and designs would come to her during a meditative state, and the energy and healing powers invoked could be passed on to the viewer in a finished piece of digital fractal art.

Six years ago, Nina’s endeavors propelled her into the world of textiles and “Art You Wear.” Dedicated to an eco-friendly lifestyle, Nina began to combine her fractal designs with yoga wear that would be comfortable, sustainable, and beautiful. Her first designs were large, eye-catching brilliantly colored and very functional scarves made from strands of the Beachwood plant which produce a silk-like texture. To expand her yoga line, she began the search for an American company that produced eco-friendly fabric and discovered, “the world’s largest recycling company” which cleans the toxic chemicals from plastic and recycles the plastic into threads. When woven with lycra or spandex, the resulting fabric is unlike any other in sustainable quality.

With a partner in Colorado, Nina creates the patterns for Yogi Yoga Wear leggings, tank tops, Wrap Around pants, and Hot Yoga booty shorts. A company in Scottsdale dyes and sews the pieces together, but it is Nina who painstakingly places the fractal designs onto each pattern according to the size, shape, and body type before final production. She is constantly developing and adding new designs. In her words, “I have always played with COLOR, TEXTURE and MOVEMENT- colorful patterns and geometric designs that reflect the symmetry of life.”

For more information about the artist and the Village Gallery www.sedonalocalartists.com 6512 Hwy 179 Sedona, Az 86351 https://www.facebook.com/sedonalocalartists/