Outgoing Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers has long been known as a political maverick. In the last two years, Bowers nearly single handily beat back every attempt by members of his caucus to throw out the results of the 2020 election.
Bowers' refusal to back down led to his defeat in the primary for a seat in the State Senate. But it seems pretty clear the Speaker has already moved on.
"It's a hiding place of a different world that I can be in and it's only me," Rusty Bowers said describing his return to work, as an artist.
For most of his life, Rusty Bowers has traveled the highways and the backroads of Arizona, Utah and beyond.
He made plenty of stops along the way to capture the tranquility of a sycamore forest, memorializing the Boulder Mountain Campground where his parents spent their honeymoon, haystacks in Romania, a decaying farmhouse where the work of men gives way to nature.
"The first two hours are just grinding, but about two and a half to three hours that stuff starts to fall away and I become entranced by color and technique and theme and different harmonies and then it's like don't let me stop," Bowers said.
Hailed as an American hero and called a traitor by members of his own Republican caucus, Bowers' final year in the legislature will be forever remembered by his appearance before the January 6th Committee.
"Anywhere, anyone, anytime has said that I said the election was rigged that would not be true," Bowers told the committee as he recounted the attempts by former President Donald Trump and his attorney Rudolf Guiliani to change the outcome of Arizona's 2020 Presidential election.
But as Bowers prepares to exhibit his art at the Larsen Gallery in Scottsdale, there are no signs of regrets.
"People say 'how are you feeling? You okay?' And I go 'you're kidding. I just came out of the studio. I feel great!'"
Only the nervous anticipation of an artist hoping his works will be well received.
"It's not like I'm Van Gogh and have a brother who can buy all my work."
The Larsen Gallery in Scottsdale will exhibit Bowers' art along with works from Fritz Scholder and Ahmed Cannon throughout the month of February.
