Arizona’s fine arts scene is one of the most vibrant in the country. And fans of the visuals arts are in for a treat, as two beloved Valley photographers have debuted fresh creative projects to kick off the new year.
The first comes in the form of a hardcover coffee table book from award-winning photographer and designer, Jenelle Bonifield. “AZ Uncorked, The Arizona Wine Guide” is a visually transformative 544-page book that pays homage to Arizona’s wine country and all that it comprises—including immersive imagery, glimpses into some of the state’s most unique tasting rooms, and inclusions of premier Arizona winemakers in figures like Sam Pillsbury and Kent Callaghan, among many others.
The coffee table read boasts an introduction from acclaimed restaurateur T. Scott Stephens (co-owner of Beckett’s Table and Southern Rail), and then dives into divided sections that break up Arizona’s wine regions into their own individual stories.
Bonifield dedicated more than three years to photographing and carefully crafting the stories behind the companies and characters that make Arizona’s wine industry so special to locals and tourists alike. She also cites that the book’s concept was rooted in a desire to provide Arizonans with a resource for understanding and appreciating “our rugged high country and the fabulous wines our winemakers create.”
The second critically-acclaimed project comes from famed Arizona photographer, Mark Lipczynski, whose journey of documenting trains and the chase for the “perfect shot” will be on display at the Juror’s Choice selection of Filter Photo’s annual membership exhibit.
The collection, aptly titled Timeless Machines, is intended to explore our human attachments (or often times, detachments) to a time and place. Lipczynski purposely blurred certain images by making the camera expose for several seconds to several minutes.
The intention behind the art was simple—to depict the journey of his career, and perhaps unironically, the events of the past year, in a state familiar to both Lipczynski and audiences: “a blur.”
Beyond the exhibit, he also documents his adventures chasing trains on both Instagram and Youtube under the name @marktraain, where he mixes BTS-journals with footage he’s captured of trains from around the country.
To support these photographers further, be sure to purchase their work.
“AZ Uncorked, The Arizona Wine Guide” which is 100 percent locally produced and printed by Courier Graphics, is $111 and available online at arizonawineguide.com/order-book.
As for Lipczynski, fans and art aficionados can view his exhibit Timeless Machines at FilterPhoto.org.