Diana Horton-Smith pictured with her “Embroidered Whimsy” painting
Diana Horton-Smith Is the Fall 2025 Artist of the Season
The PebbleCreek Art Club takes great pleasure in awarding Diana Horton-Smith our Fall Artist of the Season. Diana is an active member of the club, serving as VP, Membership for several years and, as a resident instructor, teaching a fun class called “Mindful Doodling,” which involves using Zentangle-inspired patterns into unique pieces of art.
Diana is originally from California and moved to Arizona nine years ago with her husband. She chose PebbleCreek because of its many amenities and was particularly impressed with our Creative Arts Center.
Diana has developed her artistic “voice” through hands-on experience, rather than formal education. She first started painting with watercolors more than 35 years ago, teaching herself with books that she checked out from her local library. (This was before YouTube and other online resources.) This lasted a couple of years, and then other demands took precedence over her art. All of her paints and brushes were put away and, except for an occasional “Paint and Sip” event here and there, she did not do any type of formal art until she retired and moved to PebbleCreek.
Retirement has given Diana the opportunity to devote more time to developing and nurturing her creative abilities. Since moving to PebbleCreek, she has taken advantage of the many art classes offered by the Art Club, including Intuitive Art, Zentangle, Watercolor, Alcohol Inks, Mixed Media, Gourd Decorating, and Colored Pencil. At this time, she is leaning toward Mixed Media as her favorite medium but is enjoying all of the mediums she has tried. She really enjoys creating colorful, whimsical, and usually abstract paintings.
Diana’s paintings have been accepted into several local juried art shows. At last year’s PebbleCreek Fine Art Show, Diana’s “Embroidered Whimsy” painting was awarded the 1st Place blue ribbon in the Mixed Media Category. In this painting, Diana used a new technique she has been using that incorporates embroidery stitches into her artwork. Diana was awarded another blue ribbon in our 2021 show for her playful sculpture of a goose.
We are truly inspired by the energy and imagination so generously shared by this talented artist. We congratulate Diana on her achievements and encourage you to view Diana’s artworks in the Artist of the Month display window of the Creative Arts Center and at the Tuscany Falls and Eagle’s Nest clubhouses.
Eight bottles of spirits, cigars, and more are included in the “Call Me Old Fashioned” basket valued at $1,750.
Buy Raffle Tickets for Art Show Baskets Online or In Person!
Emily Grotta
Seven beautiful baskets worth between $700 and $1,750 will be raffled at the 2025 PebbleCreek Fine Art Show on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 2 to 6 p.m., featuring work by many resident artists. Each basket has an original painting by an Art Club member. Space doesn’t permit us to list everything in the baskets, but you can see full contents and photos online at pcartclubshows.com.
While we hope you will attend the show in person, you don’t have to be at the show to enter the raffle. Tickets, $20 for 40 tickets, can be purchased online at pcartclubshows.com or in person at the show.
Basket 1: Blossoms, Bucks, & Beautiful Artwork: Value $1,400. Who wouldn’t want to win this beautiful cake adorned with $250 cash and 18 giftable mini original framed artwork pieces by PebbleCreek Art Club members? The basket also includes a gift certificate for a pet portrait.
Basket 2: Call Me Old Fashioned: Value $1,750. We haven’t forgotten bourbon and whiskey fans: Look at the selection in this basket and you are sure to buy a raffle ticket! Contents include spirits by Smirnoff, Maker’s Mark, Heaven Hill, Woodward Reserve, Four Roses, Knob Hill, Elijah Craig, and J D Tennessee Honey; three Cuban cigars, an ashtray and a cigar slicer; bar tools, and whisky and shot glasses.
Basket 3: Let’s Play Mahjong, Samba, and Canasta: Value $750. Invite your friends over for a few hours of fun and camaraderie. Here’s everything you need for entertainment, including a Mahjong set, mat, card and mixer; cards for Samba and Canasta, core sheets, an automatic shuffler, and two bottles of wine.
Basket 4: Make Every Day Taco Tuesday! Value $750. Have your friends and family over for margaritas and tacos Included are a margarita/slushee machine, tequila, Margarita mix, taco holders, glasses, plates, and a certificate for an original pet portrait.
Basket 5: Life is Good! Value $750. Why go out for coffee when you have your very own espresso machine and accessories? Plus, a catered romantic dinner for two served at your home!
Basket 6: Swirl, Sip and Savor! Value $1,600. This basket is all about tasting wine with friends. There’s high end wine, glasses, wine tasting trays, and a private wine class at Total Wine for 20, a Bachus Wine Bar certificate for eight, and a gift card to the West Rose Tasting Room.
Basket 7: Water Wonder. Value $1,245. There is nothing like wonderful clear fresh drinking water in our desert climate. Win a certificate for an under sink water purifier, including all installation costs!
One of these prize baskets could be yours but, like the lottery, you need to buy a ticket to win. Go to pcartclubshows.com now and buy your raffle tickets.
Carla Cebrelli, far left, provides one-on-one instruction to students in her drawing classes.
It’s Fall, and the Art Club Is Busy!
Emily Grotta
Now that cooler weather is settling in and snowbirds are returning to PebbleCreek, the Art Club’s calendar is quickly filling up with classes, open studios and more. If you’re not a member yet, why not join for $25 a year and receive a $20 discount for all your classes?
October Instructors
Edward Sprafkin, an impressionistic painter whose favorite subjects include landscapes, portraits and figures, is now scheduled for Wednesday afternoon classes from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. He teaches in oil, acrylic, and watercolors and includes a live landscape demonstration each session. The costs for a two-week session are $57 for members, $77 for nonmembers.
Carla Cebrelli returns to PebbleCreek to teach graphite pencil drawing in two separate sessions in October. Her classes include the basics of drawing for beginners as well as techniques artists need to master as they progress. The three-hour classes are $44 for members and $64 for nonmembers and will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct.11, and Friday, Oct. 24.
Diana Horton-Smith will again teach her popular Mindful Doodling class on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Based on Zentangle, her method includes structured patterns that repeat and intersect in varying and surprising ways. $32 for members, $52 nonmembers.
For Members Only
Throughout the year the Art Club has members-only events to help artists improve their skills while also having fun! These events, which are free, include:
First Friday Lunch: Join other artists to catch up on what’s happening on the first Friday every month.
Sketchers: Join Betty Jean Kennedy and others from 9:30 a.m. to noon on the second Thursday of each month to improve your drawing skills and learn from each other.
Open Critique: Bring your works in progress to the Coyote Room from 1 to 3 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month and receive gentle guidance and suggestions from fellow artists that will help you complete your masterpiece!
PebbleCreek Art Club Monthly Meeting: Usually the fourth Friday morning, but the fifth in October—Oct. 31—to get a full update on club activities.
Welcome Back Party, Oct. 20, 4 to 6 p.m. Shoray Wolfe will be hosting a party for members and their significant others. Registration required so we can plan food accordingly.
Open Studio
Come to the Coyote Room with your work and paint in the company of fellow artists. Unless there is a class, open studio is Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. Always check the online calendar to see if there is a conflict.
As always, the best way to stay up-to-date on what the club is offering is to regularly check the website at pcartclub.com. Updates and changes are posted regularly.
Mary Dohmeier was the first-place winner in watercolors for her painting “Prickly Pear” in the 2024 Art Club Fall show.
Order Tickets Now for the November 8 Art Show and Sale
Emily Grotta
Free tickets to one of PebbleCreek’s most popular events, the Art Club’s Fall Show and Sale, can now be reserved online at pcartclubshows.com. Admission to the show is limited to 175 people per hour to provide optimum viewing of the original art produced by many of PebbleCreek’s most talented artists.
As tickets are quickly reserved, we recommend you reserve your place early for one of four hour-long sessions: 2 to 3 p.m., 3 to 4 p.m., 4 to 5 p.m., or 5 to 6 p.m.. You can reserve up to six tickets, so make plans with friends.
The event includes music by the Happy Hour Jazz Band and a complimentary glass of wine for each attendee. In addition, the club raffles seven baskets—worth $700 to $1,600 each—the proceeds of which cover all the additional overhead costs of the show. See the full contents of the baskets and purchase your raffle tickets in advance at pcartclubshows.com.
We thank our generous sponsors, who have made the Fine Art Show one of the most highly anticipated community events. If you see or patronize these sponsors, please thank them for their support.
This year’s sponsors are:
Platinum: Dr. Wheeler—Canyon Trails Family Dental and Market Street Dental Studio
Gold: Desert Sage Landscaping, Arete Financial, The Burkhardt Team Realty One Group, SW Golf Carts, Silver, Rapid Roofing, Pino’s Contracting, Free Spirit Vacations, Roanoke Rental, Osborne Jewelers, Catitude Arts—Bonnie Lewis
Bronze: Carnation Spring Cleaning Services; B. Factor Insurance; Glendale Sports Massage, Integrated Therapy; Argent Solar Electric Inc.
Donors: AquaZona Kinetico of Phoenix (Jen Pratt), Bonnie Lewis Pet Portrait, Rio Harris, George and Maggie Philippon, Bacchus Wine and Debauchery, Total Wine & More
Patrons: The Pruett Family, The Gustafson Family