About the Artist

"I am enormously proud that people from around the world have told me they came to Jerome after seeing its charm in my drawings.”

Since 1982, internationally recognized artist Bassett has documented the historic town of Jerome’s unique visual heritage. She finds the medium of pen and ink fitting to the intricate historical detail. Freely done watercolors capture moods and the odd colors from the opened earth and mining activities.

Architects in particular appreciate that while most anyone can draw a plumb building, capturing the skewed buildings of Jerome and depicting that it is not an error in the art, but rather architecturally correct, underscores Bassett’s outstanding skill as an artist.

The Arizona State Parks Department commissioned Bassett to do 13 drawings, which are on display at the Douglas Mansion, Jerome’s State Historic Park, etched in metal, and comprise Bassett’s first major public installation.

Arizona Highways and Southwest Profile are but two of Bassett’s numerous publishings. Her work has been shown at Arizona State University, where she studied and worked in the Art Department. Other shows were with Arizona Arts & Humanities Council, Phoenix’ Women’s Center, Verde Valley Art Association, and the Flour Garden in Telluride, Colorado. Bassett also has taught painting and figure drawing at the Phoenix Art Museum. She now shows at the Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery, which she co-founded in 1996.

Bassett studied at A.S.U. from 1965 to 1975 and did an apprenticeship with Rainbow Tourraine from 1977 through 1981.

“I love my subjects and am thrilled when people notice this. I credit years of figure drawing and portraiture for the ability to reveal character in my art. It is an intimate thing to be absorbed into the subject by drawing from life. I believe we capture the soul.”

Of recent works in ink, watercolor and serigraphy of Indian relics Bassett says:

“It was exhilarating working at Canyon De Chelly, Mesa Verde, V-V Ranch and Wupatki, and very like depicting Jerome. Creating art where the history and land are magical is a spiritual experience.”

Bassett’s latest accomplishment is the ink for a new map of Sedona commissioned by Discovery Maps. It boasts inserts of Oak Creek Canyon, Village of Oak Creek, Tlaquapaque, and Jerome. The achieved goal was to “Blow all the other maps out of the water.”