Sienna Fleming: Playing Hookey

Last Friday, I headed southeast toward Roswell, New Mexico not looking for any UFO sightings, but to experience the artistic talents of up and coming artist Sienna Fleming. Fleming’s exhibition, Playing Hookey, is an eclectic mix of both her past and current work including photographs, collages, hand held mirrors, bottle caps and graphic works available both as post cards and greeting cards.

Her digital photos start with a figure interacting with the landscape or architecture. After printing, cutting, layering and re-photographing the newly constructed collage, the finished artwork becomes a visual play between the narrative and imaginative as seen in her “Walls and Dolls” series. Fleming also exhibits a collection of bottle caps which have been accessorized with circular cutouts from stray encyclopedias and affixed with magnets on the back. Thinking outside the box, Fleming has found a way to use the frame of a hand held mirror to house her drawing series of animated faces which are featured tastefully next to her display of bottle caps. Fleming’s artwork is both youthful and girlish coupled with the finished and professional quality of a trained artist. 

Sienna Fleming was born and raised in Roswell, New Mexico. She was one of the 27 students in the inaugural graduating class at the New Mexico School for the Arts (NMSA) located in Santa Fe, after having spent her first semester of high school at St. Margaret’s School in Aberdeen, Scotland, and a year and half at Roswell High School.  Fleming will attend the School of Visual Arts in New York City beginning this August where she is enrolled in the Advertising Department. Fleming parents, Stephen and Nancy, have operated the Roswell Artists in Residence program for years.

Playing Hookey will hang through July 30 at The Tinnie’s Mercantile Store & Deli, 

412 West 2nd Street, Roswell, NM 88201, 575.622.2031

New Mexico Veteran's Art

Little did I know that my invitation to the New Mexico Veteran’s Art show at the Old Schoolhouse Gallery would be a standing room only visit. The gallery was packed with both young and old veterans and their families, buzzing with conversation and reunion hugs. What a dynamic display of art from every medium, each created by a veteran with a colorful back story to go with his or hers artwork.

Initially, I was drawn to the sculpture, In A State of Flux, by Jim McManus, the current president of the New Mexico Veteran’s Art group. This surrealist piece includes the front end of an antique car, a portion of Route 66, the shadow of a New Mexico license plate, and a scene of sand and surf complete with sand castles, shells, and a surfer on a surf board. McManus shared with me that the original veterans gallery began on Kirkland Air Force Base many years ago and was exclusive to military personnel. However, in recent years it has moved off base to Gibson & Louisiana, been renamed Kirkland Gallery and is now open to both veteran and civilian artists.

Other noteworthy artwork at the gallery include those created by Michael Christiana, Richard Troyanowski and the novelist and watercolor artist Albert Noyer. Take a moment to study the layered expression on the woman’s face in Christiana’s oil painting. He told me that he’s never finished with his paintings, always adding another nuance here or different color there. Troyanowski is currently exhibited a series of miniature paintings which he says are best viewed at a distance. He often creates a tapestry effect with his dry brush and occasional glazing similar to the Fauvism and Post Impressionistic art movements. Noyer says his paintings often “deal with the transient: the new stucco church, a crumbling adobe, the old cars and fire engines, arroyos, mountains, animals - and us - all will succumb to the Erosion of Time and eventually revert to the earth from whence all came.”

The purpose of the New Mexico Veteran’s Art group is to recognize, support, and promote the talents and skills of artists who are veterans or who are serving in the active-duty military or in the Reserve or National Guard forces. For further information regarding membership and upcoming events visit www.nmveteransart.com.

The New Mexico Veteran’s Art show will hang through the month of July at the Old Schoolhouse Gallery, 12504 North Hwy. 14, San Antonito, NM, 505.281.1250, http://www.theoldschoolhousegallery.com

Raymond Wiger: 26 years of Wire Mesh Sculpture

Amid the monsoon rain, last Friday’s ARTScrawl at Sumner & Dene was the opening reception for the Taos sculptor Raymond Wiger. With a noted seven year absence from exhibiting his work due to illness, Wiger was back in perfect form and with him he brought 20 of his small and large wire mesh creations. His sculptures are both exquisite and mesmerizing. Wiger describes his sculpting process as follows, “Sculpting in wire mesh equally involves the use of the right and left halves of the brain; the creative and the analytical. Beginning with a square, rectangular, triangular or other polygonal piece of mesh, the transformation to figure occurs without the use of any tools but the hands – in essence, skin against skin. As important, the integrity of the initial geometric shape is never compromised by the removal of "excess" material. To do so would be to reduce a rather complex process to merely one of just cutting out paper dolls. The final piece must include all the original material intact.”

Wiger first started working in wire mesh as a sculpting material in the late 1980s. Beginning with screen left over from repairing a window in a cabin in a national park, after six months discovered a more workable material with the same properties while sitting in front of a fireplace screen in Seattle, Washington. He uses no models or photographs from which to work, but relies for reference on a background of anatomical studies at the anthropology and art departments of the Smithsonian. Since the 1980s, Wiger has exhibited his work in galleries throughout the Americas and Europe, and his sculptures can be found in private collections around the world.

Wiger was born in Washington, D.C. in 1960 and received his education in parochial and public schools and at the University of Maryland. From 1978 until 1992, he spent part of each year working at the Smithsonian Institution or the Library of Congress, and from 1982 through 1997 a part of each year working as a park ranger in National Parks across the United States. Each year he travels around the world living among other cultures while studying their history and art. Wiger's training in art is derived from his years of work at the Smithsonian Institution, and since the early 1980s it has been in the quiet moments and solitude of the National Parks where he has found the most conducive environment for his artistic and writing pursuits. He currently lives in Taos, New Mexico.

Raymond Wiger: 26 Years of Wire Mesh Sculptures will hang through July 29 at Sumner & Dene Creations in Art, 517 Central Avenue, NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102, 505.842.1400, www.sumnerdene.com

New Mexico Arts & Crafts Fair

This past weekend I escaped the beastly heat by visiting the New Mexico Arts & Craft Fair at the State Fairgrounds. This delightful three-day summer event included artist demonstrations, a youth art exhibition, a silent auction and, best of all, endless booths featuring over 220 established and emerging New Mexico Artisans. A big part of the show was promoting Youth in Art. The Annual Youth Exhibit has grown to over 1,000 entries from throughout New Mexico with entrants ranging from preschool through high school. 

I was particularly captivated by the metalwork of Greg Gowen. His artwork is rough and weathered from the raw elements of the earth and yet refined with beauty and elegance. Brilliant sunsets explode with color over the muted tones of the desert sand and find their way into the copper plates and copper canvases that Gowen designs and paints with fire. The simplicity of Native American culture contrasts with the busy city life and emerges in the Soul Warrior statues and Traditional Southwestern pieces, which are elegant and rustic at the same time. The movement of the desert wind and the life giving waters of the Rio Grande pour forth in the peace and beauty of Grace Dance, a work that has been praised as the pinnacle of Gowen’s creations. To capture the scope of Gowen’s artwork in depth, visit his online galleries at http://www.galleryg7.com/galleries.html

The New Mexico Arts and Crafts Fair started in 1962 and was held in Old Town Albuquerque as part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of New Mexico’s statehood. A few years later the fair was moved to the State Fairgrounds when it outgrew Old Town, and has been held there ever since. 

The Fair recognizes that the arts are a unique and intriguing part of our culture. It has provided many well-known artists with beginning opportunities for their art careers. The Fair is the only art show open exclusively to artists and craftspeople from New Mexico. For more information about the annual Fair visit http://www.nmartsandcraftsfair.org/

Duke City Darlins: Sophisticated Vandalism

The opening reception for Sophisticated Vandalism is this Friday, June 15, from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM at Archetype Dermigraphic Studio/Gallery. I recently spoke with Dezy Hardin, the founder and CEO of the Duke City Darlins, about the upcoming show. Hardin described Sophisticated Vandalism as a collection of paintings, drawings, prints, designs, photography and other works by the members of the Duke City Darlins. Since most of their group events revolve around charitable fundraising for the community, this art show gives the members a chance to showcase their artistic talent to the public. 

The Duke City Darlins have partnered with Archetype Dermigraphic Studio/Gallery as the venue for their art exhibition. This studio is all about promoting a high ethical standard and a sense of community and brotherhood for those who are in the tattoo industry. Not only a tattoo studio, but a place for artists of all mediums to collect knowledge from one another and to inspire each other to branch out and tap into new veins of thought. Sharing their mantra, the Archetype Dermigraphic Gallery believes, “Art is for sharing, not only imagery, but reaches to the gut and root of human experience. They invite all those who love art. Whether you produce it, like to look at it, or love to wear it.” 

The Duke City Darlins are a dynamic group of women who specializes in organizing, hosting, and managing local and national charity functions in New Mexico. The Darlins are the epitome of grassroots humanitarians. They are women of the "alternative lifestyle" being tattooed or otherwise modified. The Darlins have the common goal of bettering the community as well as educating the public on safe tattoo and body modification practices. By contributing greatly to society, the Duke City Darlins hope to change the negative stigma placed on modified women and create a sisterhood of lifelong friends. For more information visit www.dukecitydarlins.com.

Sophisticated Vandalism will hang during the month of June at the Archetype Dermigraphic Studio/Gallery, 529 Adams Street, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108, (505) 265-0972, www.archetypetattoo.com.

Tara Massarsky: Conveyance at The Art Salon at Inspire

First Friday’s ARTScrawl led me to The Art Salon at Inspire in Downtown Albuquerque.  The idea for this urban salon is unique.  Designed for an intimate and comfortable experience by offering visitors avant-garde hair design, the Inspire Salon also provides an appreciation and understanding of art and its role in society through direct engagement with original artwork. 

Tara Massarsky, the featured artist for June and July, opened last Friday with her exhibition Conveyance. Massarsky consciously develops her own visual language by using a restricted palette or through extravagant abstraction. She finds that these ideas are best developed through a series of paintings, allowing the viewer to witness the X and Y of creativity. This concept can be seen in her series, Solve et Coagula, which allows the viewer to “tap into places of stillness and uncomfortableness, places one naturally resists tampering with.”

Massarsky has been influenced by great artists such as Dorothea Tanning, Arshile Gorky, Egon Schiele, Ad Reinhardt, Max Ernst, Willem De Kooning, and Adolph Gottlieb for their mastery of disinclination, passion and knowledge of art making. She also admires the minds and earnestness of the American Abstract Artists for their geometric adherence to a picture’s internal structure. Massarsky was academically trained at The Art Student's League in New York City and The Corcoran School of Art in Washington D.C. She has been exhibiting her artwork since 1988 and has numerous works in private collections in New York, California, and New Mexico. In May 2012, Massarsky was awarded Best of Show at the New Mexico Showcase Juried Exhibit at 516 Arts.

Conveyance will hang through July 31 inside The Art Salon at Inspire, 423 Fourth Street, SW, Albuquerque, NM, 505.242.4549, inspireartsalon.com. Get acquainted with the evolving visual language of Tara Massarsky at the Artist Talk and Closing, July 28 from 7:00 - 9:00 PM, taramassarsky.com.

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

Travis Bruce Black - New Kungfu

Carolyn Carroll of Bright Rain Gallery invited me back to her gallery for the opening reception of Travis Bruce Black’s New Kungfu exhibition. What a treat to meet the artist behind the Chirp watercolor series that has attracted a steady stream of loyal fans since Black himself owned the Bright Rain Gallery from 2007 - 2011. His new figurative works are tightly composed and watery with the color saturation turned way up. The environment of these pieces are clouds of color with a hard edge architectural structure.

The bird portraits of Travis Bruce Black are in a category by themselves. These are not your ordinary birds. Black’s technique pulls viewers into his paintings until their reality blurs with his fantasy. Vivid colors and subtle flirtations are paired with his abstract technique, bringing a dreamy quality to his artwork. 

In particular, Chirp 200, his milestone piece and largest watercolor to date at 37 x 51 inches, shows it’s domestic scene of two magnified birds perching on an oversized geranium branch. Black, a graduate of UNM, contends, “My aim is to create compelling works that bring joy, optimism, and mystery; art that expresses my lust for life and the simple exuberance of being.

He also states that, “To express the fullness and my experience of life, I try to work in paradoxes like straight lines vs. curved lines, for example the difference between architecture and plants. Even more interesting to me is how curves and lines commingle, like in the aesthetic of shoes or cars. I try to show the spectrum of difference between abstraction and naturalistic form to illustrate how layered reality is and to flesh out a more inclusive picture of what “real” feels like. An overarching theme for my work is how complex creatures are and how every living thing is a little package of total mystery.”

Travis Bruce Black’s New Kungfu exhibition will run through May 31 at Bright Rain Gallery located in Old Town’s Patio Market, 206 1/2 San Felipe NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104, (505) 843-9176, www.brightraingallery.com

Frank McCulloch ~ Imagenes de mi Tierra

The art show and book signing for Frank McCulloch opened Friday, May 4 to a standing room only crowd at Sumner & Dene Creations in Art. The gallery buzzed with positive energy as many locals came to meet McCulloch in person and to admire his life’s work. McCulloch, who is best known for his modernist-leaning landscapes and geometric abstract prints, was warm and welcoming to all who stopped by to visit with him.

Born in Gallup in 1930, McCulloch began his craft, painting, as a child. He then went on to earn a BFA from UNM and a Masters of Arts from NM Highlands University, along with a MFA from Instituto Allende in Mexico. He is one of the most prolific and successful artists in the state, as well as a musician and a retired teacher whose students often became successful artists themselves, such as Angus Macpherson. McCulloch has often been called the “granddaddy” of Albuquerque artists. His retrospective exhibit in 2008 at the Albuquerque Museum was a testament to his vast career and enormous talent. 

A recipient of the New Mexico Governor's Award in the Arts, University of New Mexico Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, Albuquerque Arts Alliance Bravos Award, and AABA Local Treasure, is just a partial list of his recognition as a painter and an artist. McCulloch’s legacy has been covered in Southwest Art Magazine, New Mexico Magazine, Art News, and American Artist to name a few. He has a steady base of collectors who love his New Mexico landscapes, abstracts and prints. If he is not in his studio painting, you can find him somewhere in town performing with his band, Frank McCulloch y Su Amigos, keeping old New Mexican folk songs alive. 

Frank McCulloch’s art exhibition will hang through May 26 at Sumner & Dene Creations in Art, 517 Central Avenue, NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102, (505) 842-1400, www.sumnerdene.com

Jo Diane Kasper at Bright Rain Gallery

Last Friday’s ARTScrawl led me to Old Town where I met angel artist, Jo Diane Kasper at Bright Rain Gallery. As the featured artist of the month, Jo’s mystical combinations of oils, pastels and watercolors filled an entire wall at the gallery. Each of her paintings are beautifully framed to accentuate the haunting subtlety of spirituality that runs throughout all of her artwork.

Jo grew up in the mountains of Arizona, studied fine art and photographic art at Arizona State University and the University of Iowa.  She lived in New York City for many years working in fine art photography and exploring several fields including horticulture. Jo returned to the Southwest in 1997 and made New Mexico her home. 

Growing up in Arizona gave Jo a deep love and appreciation for the subtle and often mysterious beauty of the land and the ancient places of the Southwest. Her angel paintings, watercolors, sepias, and oil paintings of these ancient ruins and sacred places capture the divine and mystical connections between Spirit, Nature, and Humans. Her paintings reflect these connections in a transcendent impressionistic technique; evoking a sense of the precious and eternal oneness of the universe in which we live.

Along with being an angel artist, Jo is also an angel reader. Her gifts include dream interpretation, animal communication, situational assessments and counseling with extended personal sessions of guidance in ongoing life experiences as well as business. Her understanding is that we are all connected to each other, to our planet and to our universe. She believes that the divine energy of Spirit flows through all that is. Jo's specialty is her angel reading and pastel, in which she combines an Angelic psychic reading with a pastel drawing of the Guardian Angel she "sees" with the client.

Jo Diane Kasper’s art show will hang through April 30th, at Bright Rain Gallery located in Old Town’s Patio Market, 206 1/2 San Felipe NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104, (505) 843-9176, www.brightraingallery.com