As many of you of know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer last November followed by surgery and chemotherapy. My surgery went well but, as you can imagine, my chemotherapy treatments were a roller coaster ride. I experienced the usual hair loss and neuropathy, however, it was the severe nausea that caused me to lose twenty pounds. Thankfully, with the love and support of so many friends, I was able to pull through. You may read my art reviews for Q CLAPS following the First Friday ARTScrawl of each month.
To get my feet wet again, I visited The Gallery ABQ last Friday, May 3rd, for their “Eyes of the Beholder” artists’ reception from 12 - 8 pm. What a treat! This gallery is beautifully appointed and the reception was well attended. The featured artists for this show were Sandra Baca, Fran Ryan and Patricia Klomborowski Williams.
First Friday’s ARTScrawl brought me to The Gallery ABQ for the opening reception of 2 Perspectives, featuring water media and drawings by Jerry Love and oil paintings by Jean Porter. In addition, Rebecca Nolda was present with her mixed media series Hidden City in the gallery salon. Art enthusiasts crowded the gallery as we all listened to Porter give her presentation on Artist Insights. 
Originally from New Jersey, Jean Porter was trained as a technical illustrator. Her varied experience includes electrical layouts, topography, electrical schematics to all kinds of illustration for publication. Porter has produced graphic designs, one of which was selected for the logo of the New Mexico Arts and Crafts Fair. Porter says, “My genre is Surrealism, using allegory, parody and analogy to make a statement, to a large extent I think that reality only exist in it’s perception.” Many times, Porter juxtaposes seemingly unrelated objects into a piece of art for the purpose of seeing their meanings in a whole new way. 