May Flowers at The Old Schoolhouse Gallery

The Old Schoolhouse Gallery has moved their first Friday ARTScrawl to the second Friday of each month. This month's exhibition titled May Flowers proved to be a double treat. In addition to the gallery artists who submitted various art mediums with a focus on flowers, the gallery hosted an opening for Nancy and Stephen Attaway who create one-of-a-kind jewelry designs.

Nancy has been cutting gemstones since 1987. She learned to facet colored gemstones from several master gem cutters in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Steve carves gemstones and renders the gold work with hand-fabrication and lost wax casting.

Nancy and Steve's designs are true collaborations as sometimes they even work on the same gemstone. In 2004, Steve and Nancy were involved in a special project with the Smithsonian Institution studying the Hope Diamond. Nancy has three gemstones in the Smithsonian's gem collection, including a replica of the French Blue Diamond, from which the Hope Diamond was cut. 

Also, noteworthy in the gallery this month are paintings by Tricia Love, Semiramis and George Howard Hayes III. Hayes, nicknamed Hauie, which often appears on his artwork, paints with vivid colors and subtle nuances; all carefully crafted with precise attention to detail. Hauie’s broad range of paintings include everything from Abstract, Fantasy, Flower, Myth to Nature and Portraits. He has a handful of visually pleasing paintings at the gallery but to really understand the breath of his work you must visit his website at www.hauieart.com.

May Flowers will hang through May 31st at The Old Schoolhouse Gallery, 12504 North Hwy.14, San Antonito, NM, 505.281.1250, www.theoldschoolhousegallery.com

Hearts & Kisses Art Show

The Old Schoolhouse Gallery is currently hosting the Hearts & Kisses art show featuring jewelry, paintings, sculpture, prints, ceramics and photography that center around the concept of love and romance in the spirit of Valentine’s Day this month. Three artists in particular stand out when you view this exhibition: Carrie Benvenuti, Cheryl Kabala and Lois Bradley.

Metal artist Carrie Benvenuti’s jewelry is exquisite and captivating to the eye. Combined with glass and semi-precious stones, her art jewelry reflects the textures and colors of the living world around us. Carrie’s work has been published in several issues of Bead Trends Magazine. In particular, the Nefertiti piece was featured in the February 2012 issue and the Route 66 piece was featured in the May 2010 issue. To view her work online visit: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BenvenutiStudios.

Cheryl Kabala originally began her career as a professional weaver. She owned and operated Fibers Studio and Gallery in Safety Harbor, Florida. She actively showed her artwork at juried outdoor art shows such as Disney Festival of the Masters, Dallas 500 and Virginia Beach Boardwalk Show. Recently, she has focused her artwork on using beads to make jewelry. Cheryl uses the Peyote stitch, which is an off-loom bead weaving technique, to make her Cripple Creek necklace featured in the Hearts & Kisses show. To view her work online visit: http://www.etsy.com/people/ItsaKabala.

Lois Bradley is a visual artist, illustrator and author, working in acrylics, watercolor, pen/ink and mixed media. She has illustrated the book Blind Tom: The Horse Who Helped Build the Great Railroad by Shirley Raye Redmond, Mountain Press Publishing and most recently the cover illustration and design for The Eyes of Pharaoh by Chris Eboch and Rattled by Kris Bock. Her award-winning paintings can be viewed at Framing Concepts Gallery in Albuquerque and The Old Schoolhouse Gallery in San Antonito, New Mexico. In addition, Lois was recently celebrated as "A Local Treasure" by the city of Albuquerque in 2011. Her art piece, Unbreakable, a combination of fibers and metal is a must-see at the Hearts & Kisses show. To view her work online visit: www.loisbradley.com.

The Hearts & Kisses Art show will hang for the month of February at The Old Schoolhouse Gallery, 12504 North Hwy.14, San Antonito, NM, 505.281.1250, 

http://www.theoldschoolhousegallery.com

The Old Schoolhouse Gallery

The Old Schoolhouse Gallery is currently hosting the New Mexico Colored Pencil Association annual show in its back alcove gallery through the end of November. Don’t miss this opportunity to see exceptionally beautiful work by some of New Mexico’s finest colored pencil artists including new work from Melinda Beavers, Rex Barron, Audrey Minard, Les Lamkin and Betty Lehnus. I was fortunate enough to visit this show mid month when many of the drawings were still available for sale. I couldn’t resist adding the dramatic piece titled, “Oh, Really?” to my collection of art at home. Take a look for yourself to see why this drawing in particular stood out among the rest.

The main gallery is currently featuring an eclectic blend of acrylic, egg tempera, fused glass, watercolor and oil pastel by well-recognized artist V. Adair Peterson and recent Local Treasure honoree Lois Bradley. V. Adair Peterson alternates between two passions: Egg Tempera and Fused Glass. As different as these two media are, both reflect her love of composition and design as well as her focus on scientific methodology as demonstrated in her painting below. Adair is founder of the Rio Grande Artist Association.

Lois was recently celebrated as being "A Local Treasure" by the city of Albuquerque. Her most recent series, Quilted Landscapes, explores the connection between family and landscape in deeply saturated oil pastel and mixed media. Besides being a fine artist and graphic illustrator, Lois is responsible for most of the marketing efforts and the website for the Old Schoolhouse Gallery.

The Old Schoolhouse Gallery, 12504 North Hwy.14, Sandia Park, NM  505.281.1250 ~ http://www.theoldschoolhousegallery.com 

Fall Treasures

A visit to The Old Schoolhouse Gallery is always a delightful experience. Sharon Marks, gallery owner, has assembled a Fall Treasures show from artists that include Lois Bradley, Casey Pendergast, Tricia Love, Lesley Long, Cheryl Kabala, David Schneider and two new artists, Gene Case and George Howard Hayes III. I've been a fan of Casey’s ceramic art for some time. His clay pieces are influenced by both organic themes and industrial design. Tricia Love is also a favorite of mine with her realistic watercolor paintings and limited edition pen and ink prints. I recently purchased two of her classic pieces, “Milk Cans” and “Tailgate Chilis," for my guest room at home. 

It was the artwork of Gene Case that caught my eye today. Her multi-media, wall sculptures are made of reclaimed metal, ribbons, twistie-ties, book marks, and jewelry pieces, meticulously woven together and mounted on polished wood frames. The artwork is beautiful. Only upon closer inspection do the materials used look familiar to the viewer. Also, noteworthy is the work of George Howard Hayes III (nicknamed Hauie, which often appears on his artwork). Each of Hauie’s paintings feature vivid colors and subtle nuances; all carefully crafted with precise attention to detail. Hauie’s broad range of paintings include everything from Abstract, Fantasy, Flower, Myth to Nature and Portraits. He has a handful of visually pleasing art on view at the gallery but to fully understand the breath of his work you must visit his website at www.hauieart.com.

Fall Treasures will hang during the month of October at The Old Schoolhouse Gallery, 12504 North Hwy.14, Sandia Park, NM ~ 505.281.1250

Stories in Print ~ Fringe Photography

A visit to The Old Schoolhouse Gallery became a transformative experience. David Schneider’s Fringe Photography is utterly breathtaking. Schneider is a wildlife and nature photographer, focusing on bringing to live each animal and scene his camera sees. All of Schneider’s prints are metallic, amazingly rich and vibrant, with a subtle three dimensional quality.

His most noted work is the Classic Wave, a moving print of one of our hidden treasures, The Wave, located in the very northern part of Arizona. It wasn’t easy for Schneider to photograph The Wave as there are no roads that lead to it. According to Schneider, “to reach it one must walk miles through the unmarked desert, transversing drifting sand, slip rock, and at the end, face a steep climb in sand. Not an easy trek . . . not at all. But one that is more than worth it, as you can see.” 

It was this print in particular that I found most mesmerizing and peaceful. Schneider’s camera so carefully captures the sloping ridges of the drifting sand that to the observer’s eyes it feels as if the sand is moving. At first, I wondered if the scene was a real land formation or if the photographer had manipulated his work to create such a beautiful sight. The print is authentically real and Schneider chronicles his journey to this natural wonder in a story that accompanies his work. 

It isn’t often that I will buy artwork upon a first time viewing. I usually contemplate the art further and try to determine the artist’s message. The work must transcend the traditional limits of the art medium and become a truly unique piece of art. With Schneider’s Classic Wave, I immediately felt drawn to the print as it evokes tranquility and a sense of moving forward with one’s life. 

David Schneider’s Fringe Photography will hang during the month of September at The Old Schoolhouse Gallery, 12504 North Hwy.14, San Antonito, NM