Risa Waldt Works
Women Artists of the West, Signature member
“A native Tucsonan, I grew up in the desert. While riding on my horse along the Rillito River, I soaked up a vision of the desert that pursued me until I began painting to express it. There are many paintings pursuing me still. I paint at Grand Canyon and Sedona each year. Light and color are my loves .In my 40+ years painting, my favorite is Plein Air altho’ I have drawers full of drawings to turn into paintings as my studio work. My main medium is paint on paper, canvas, and walls. I also love pencil and pen work. I have had many one woman shows and have been a part of multiple group/gallery shows across the United States and Canada.”
McBride Gallery Annapolis MD Nov & Dec 2017 Women Artists of the West 47th Annual Show, and 48th Annual Show 2018 Bartlesville, OK.
RS Hanna Gallery Fredericksberg Tx 46th Annual show Women Artists of the West and March, April, May 2017 Spring Showcase RS Hanna Gallery.
I am invited to show my work in Art on the Llano Estacado at the Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas…6 years now. I won Honorable Mention Award in 2018 National League of American Pen Women Biennial Exhibit. I have been in many Arizona Aqueous Exhibits in Tubac, Az.
I am in Southwest Art magazine ‘Women in Art’ section August 2014 and 2016 and their ‘Art of Arizona’ section January 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020. Western Art Collector Magazine ‘State of the Art: Arizona’ feature January 2016,2017,2018,2019 and Canyons and Deserts feature 2018, Art of the West’s Guidebook of Art 2017, American Art Collector Magazine ‘Landscape’ issue Sept. 2015, Cowgirl Magazine Oct. 2015 & January 2016 ‘Western Art’ issue, and True West Magazine Oct. 2015.
This gifted and prolific artist is featured in Artists of Arizona books 1 and 2, is juried into local, state, regional, national and international exhibitions. Her watercolor of Tucson’s Historic Courthouse was purchased by the Tucson Museum of Art and gifted to the Harmsen’s for donating their substantial western art collection to the city of Tucson. For a multi media event she contributed five large watercolors to the ORTS Dance Company, projected as a backdrop for the dancers. Ideas for these paintings came to her while listening to the music used for the dance. She did set design for Catalina Stage Stop Theater.
Memberships: Signature member Women Artists of the West. Signature & Saguaro Fellow member Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild, President 2003-2004 season, charter member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC, associate member of the National Watercolor Society and the American Watercolor Society, active member of the National League of American Pen Women and the Arizona Watercolor Association.
Shows: [some in the ‘80s under her past married name Risa Waldt Keenan]
Tucson Museum of Art: Western Federation of Watercolor Societies, D’art for Art, Dinner Ala Art and presented her book from her Grand Canyon River Trip to docents for the Grand Canyon show, Mountain Oyster Club’s Contemporary Western Art Show, Rancho Linda Vista Gallery and National League of American Pen Women’s Washington DC gallery to name a few
Galleries past: Four Corners Gallery-Tucson, Wolf Walker-Sedona Az, The Watercolor Gallery-Laguna Beach CA, Deer Dancer Gallery-Evanston Il, Night Sky Gallery in Santa Fe NM.
Many public and private murals since the 1970’s as well as commissioned work, taught art and facilitated many art therapy workshops to all ages.