OUR MISSION

It is the mission of Thunderbird Artists to further enhance the art culture with the local communities by producing award-winning, juried, sophisticated fine art festivals throughout the Southwestern United States.

Thunderbird Artists has played an important role in uniting nationally recognized and award-winning artists with patrons from across the globe. A family run business, Judi Combs and daughter Denise Colter, have worked side by side with a passion for the arts and the artists.

They feel that it has been a pleasure and honor knowing and working with so many talented artists. Thunderbird Artists have continued to provide emerging artists a unique marketplace to sell their artworks and contribute to the launching of many artists’ careers. Thunderbird Artists has received numerous awards and high ratings in the top 100 shows in the nation from prestigious magazines for the last 20 years. Be sure to make it a point and come out to see why patrons and artists travel from throughout the world to witness these celebrated, nationally recognized juried, fine art and wine events.

Thunderbird Artists was founded in 1981 by Judi Combs, CEO, and is still owned and operated by Judi. She began with small, local shows in Arizona until March of 1992, when she produced her first juried fine art festival in Scottsdale. The overwhelming success of Thunderbird Artists’ first festival led to additional festivals in Carefree, Sedona, Denver, Lake Tahoe, Tucson, Colorado and Scottsdale.

For more than 40 years, Thunderbird Artists has produced almost 400 fine art events, attracting millions of patrons who share in our love and appreciation for fine art. Thunderbird Artists isn’t a job to our family; it is a passion that plays a central part in all of our lives. Our goal is to provide an outstanding variety of mediums, subject matters, sizes and price ranges that satisfy the desires of each and every patron that strolls through one of our festivals. We want people attending to find something that appeals to their liking and to walk away with special memories of a first class event.

Our success has been primarily due to the consistent quality of fine arts and selected fine crafts juried for each event. Our festivals have developed a reputation as collector’s shows, due to the unwavering standards that are applied during our jury process. We have built our reputation on trust and consistency, with our patrons, artists and corporate partners alike. This has earned us an unprecedented level of credibility in our local business community and the art industry as a whole.

Thunderbird Artists Festivals are outdoors and three days in length. Each festival consists of sensational oil paintings on canvas, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, charcoals and mixed media. Other mediums include spectacular small, medium and life-size bronzes, luminous glass sculptures, small, medium and monumental sized metal creations and fabulous batiks. There is also hand thrown clay, Raku pottery and sculptures, traditional and color scratch board, hand woven baskets, inlaid wood turned bowls, unique and one of a kind jewelry, black & white or color photography, elegant stone, copper, clay and mixed media sculptures. Subject matters range from southwest and traditional to contemporary and abstract, figurative, floral, wildlife, European, African, Native American and much more!

In addition to the fabulous gathering of artists at each of our festivals, live musical entertainment can be heard throughout, including classical, jazz, Indian and reggae. Fantastic gourmet food and first class wines are a constant at all of our events. We produce Arizona’s three largest wine-tasting events, featuring wines from all parts of the world, including Germany, France, Italy, Chile, Australia and of course, Arizona.

We are most excited about our 2024/2025 Festival Season. If you are one of the many who has supported our festivals, then we thank you and you already know about the diverse quality of work on display. If you have yet to attend a Thunderbird Artists’ Festival, you have been missing out on a unique and wonderful experience and we cordially invite you to see first hand these truly remarkable and outstanding gathering of artists!