Off to the Semi-Finals.

This past Thursday, I had the chance to make my regular appearance at the RAW Artists Showcase in Downtown Phoenix, and as always it was a great time. But this show in particular had a little more at stake than normal. This one was actually the final showing before the official Semi-Final Showcase in December, the RAWards, that has 3 different artists from 9 different categories competing for a chance to present in the nationwide finale. But in the mean time, I just enjoyed the casual and creative atmosphere RAW Artists always seems to embody.

Filled with creative personalities and different forms of art, I always find that artists are just as interesting as their pieces they present. This time, I got the chance to “chop it up” with a quiet but intriguing guy, Chuck Wan, about his work and where his inspiration comes from. Referring to his photo (and one of my favorites), he has an image that depicts a hummingbird heading straight into a wide open tigers mouth for what seems to be no reason. But as we stood and talked about what was the supposed meaning, it was easy to tell that “living with no fear” is a huge part of the concept. Awesome.

Some other big hit and cool artists were Tommy Weaver from Tommy Weaver Designs who had everyone turning towards his DC vs. Marvel Collection and Jake Beckman from AKAJake.com with her extremely creative collection pieces.

So if you haven’t had a chance to attend a RAW Artists Showcase in a city near you, I suggest you change that and look for the upcoming RAWards this December. It should be a really good time for everybody and a change of pace for a lot of people looking to step outside the box a bit. Check out the Official RAW Artists website for more information. But for the people in Phoenix like me, here’s a look at the Semi-Finalists presenting their work for a chance to be in the finale and represent us in the PHX at the RAWards.