Painting the New West

It's a hot summer for me in New Mexico! Lot's happening with several exhibitions before our balmy autumn weather returns. Recent works painted over the last three years from East to West coast will be featured in four Albuquerque area exhibitions.

Currently three of regional paintings are being shown during the Rio Grande Art Association Members Show at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque, 5520 Wyoming NE, Albuquerque New Mexico 87109. Sales will benefit JCC educational programs.

"La Cueva", recently featured in Southwest Art Magazine, will be shown during Encantada 2015 Juried Exhibition and sale of fine art paintings sponsored by the Rio Grande Art Association, Fine Arts Building, EXPO New Mexico, 300 San Pedro Dr NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108. An artist reception will be held Friday July 10, 5 - 8 pm. Awards ceremony will be at 6:30 pm. The exhibition showroom is open Thursdays through Sundays, 10:30 am to 5:30 pm, from July 11 through July 26.

I am looking forward to my upcoming show "Landscape Connections" with Lee McVey at Purple Sage Gallery, 201 San Felipe NW, Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The opening reception will be held Friday August 7, 5-8 pm, and the show will run through August 29. Please come if you are in town. The theme of this show expresses our personal connections to this beautiful landscape surrounding us. I approach art as an observer of the soul, enlightening the viewer about the presence, wonder, and dignity of nature and life. My personal artistic mission integrates awareness of environmental conservation, community connectivity, and creativity. My works promote public awareness about the natural, historic, cultural, educational, and recreational aspects of conservation and critical water issues.

This past winter, I started creating monotypes using my plein air landscape studies as references. Monotypes, invented by the French Impressionists, are unique images created from blank plates where the image consists entirely of ink which has been added, removed, or otherwise manipulated on the plate.  The results are spontaneous, gestural and very painterly one-of-a-kind works of art which fall into the printing category because the image has been transferred from a printing matrix to paper using a printing press.

On Saturday September 26, 2-5 pm both my plein air landscape paintings and monotypes of New Mexico waterways will be featured during "Water in the Desert | Art in the Desert" at Sawmill Artists' Lofts, 1801 Bellamah NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The theme of the exhibition links the reality of water in a desert, creativity, and the idea that art is for all community members. The exhibition and silent auction will benefit the New Mexico Water Collaborative, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, proving resources for the people of New Mexico to support the implementation of water conservation strategies, and to education our communities about critical water issues.