Jennifer Solomon
Desert Ridge resident and artist Gedion Nyanhongo will be one of 180 artists featured in the Sonoran Arts Leagues’ 18th Annual Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour and Sale held November 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 & 30, and taking place throughout Cave Creek, Carefree, and North Scottsdale. The free self-guided tour allows art enthusiasts to meet the artists, learn about their artistic process, and purchase original artwork.
Nyanhongo, a resident of Desert Ridge since 2007, will showcase his stone sculptures made from enduring Opal Stone, Springstone and Zimbabwe (Nyanga) Stone, at the Toni Perrin Studio, 36633 N. Sidewinder Rd., Carefree, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, along with the artwork of fellow artists Diana and Kenneth Ferguson, Troy Moody, Toni Perrin, and Fiona Purdy. This is Nyanhongo’s seventh year participating in the event.
“Hidden in the Hills is a great platform for artists and collectors to meet. It offers a great opportunity for the public to learn more about how all masterpieces are made and provides artists an opportunity to market their work,” states Nyanhongo. “It’s a family of love, support and happiness!”
Born in Zimbabwe, Nyanhongo was born into an artistic family. He comes from a family of famous sculptors that includes his father, Claude, and sister Agnes. After an apprenticeship with the internationally acclaimed sculptor Joseph Ndandarika, Nyanhongo shot to stardom in the early 1990’s. He has been critically acclaimed as one of the top stone sculptors in the world today.
Nyanhongo’s work is a revival of the realist, neo-figurative work that characterized much of Zimbabawean sculpture in the 1970’s. He has refined this style and made it his own – marked by fully animated human, animal and spiritual figures. Nyanhongo’s talent keeps him away from his home in Zimbabwe while participating at regular exhibitions in Europe and America. Two of his works are featured in a collection on permanent display at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and a zebra at the Phoenix Zoo.
The 18th Annual Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour featuring forty-six private artist studios with 180 artists working in various mediums will be open to the public for free. For more information on the event, including an artist search, directory and customizable map, visit www.hiddeninthehills.org.
