Sallyann Paschall

I'm so happy to finally have this work to show you. Sallyann is all the best things about a Woman of the West -- elegant and smart and talented and confident, with an easy laugh and a wide smile and not a whiff of pretention. And she's an artist to keep an eye on -- her sense of design is impeccable, subtle enough to love all the time, but it packs a punch when you're in the mood to engage. Paschall has work at the Insitute of American Indian Art giftshop in Santa Fe (one of my favorite places in the world), and has been recognized and awarded for her expressionist prints and paintings that address Native American heritage.

Australian Aboriginal Art at Shumei International Institute

Imagine a vast landscape, red earth covered with lush and varied vegetation in soft shapes and subtle shades of green and the colors of spring, with a naked blue sky that reaches beyond the horizon in any direction. Look close and you will see goannas, snakes and perentie lizards and look afar without looking and you will see the buff colored dingos, grey emus and red kangaroos move out of their camouflage. Be still and feel the pulse of a quiet, gentle, resourceful people who have walked and thrived upon the earth for 60,000 continuous years.

So begins the publicity flyer produced by Andra Archer, who will be presenting on her work with artists from the heartland of Australia. The exhibit will be up July 8 through the end of August at Shumei, with a symposia gathering Sunday, July 15, at 3:00 p.m.

I've added an image by Joe Zinn, a photographer from Monte Vista -- you'll just have to come to Shumei to see the down-under stuff! Call 719-588-9044 or email Katherine@InsightArtConnection.com for directions and more information.

TrulyScene series by John Stevenson

John's doing some very serious work with a cheery edge to it. This is digital art with roots in 18th century illustration, although it reminds me also of Romantic gravitas. Blooms are sometimes scanned over a few days' time, dramatizing their decay in a few images. This is the juicy, painful, delicious, squeaking-through and letting-go process of ripening.

The combination of full, richly colored scanogram and delicate illustration is a little like peeking at the skeleton while the flesh is still supple and warm. Eerie and inviting, bitter and sweet all at the same time.

Rock Composition 20 by Jude' Silva

Rock Composition 20
Jude Silva
Textile, Netted Rock Forms, Installation
6'x8'
$9000

Jude' is a Buena Vista artist who seems to like working with contradictions. See how that one is as strong as the group? Is it approaching or leaving the others?

Her rock installations are like well-built prayers -- solid with potential reality, floating through the universe. Sometimes wishes that come true require more hard work than those that remain unfulfilled. These pieces remind me of the courage it takes to ask for more, and then to receive it all with grace.

New paintings by Linda Wooten-Green

I just published my ezine talking about Linda Wooten-Green's very evolved and voluptuous style. These paintings feel very feminine -- a celebration of Mother Earth without needing to beat anyone over the head about it. Her palette is rich but disciplined -- through these colors, she maintains integrity for her current home in southern New Mexico.

This is a leit motif for Linda's work, actually: each of her bodies of work, from Georgia, the Heartland, southern Colorado, and now New Mexico, has a very distinct set of colors. There are other things that change, as well -- like eating an artichoke, her work gets better the further she goes.

Here's my favorite from the current show at San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center.



Golindrinas II
Linda Wooten-Green
Oil on canvas
24x30"
$2000

Kris Gosar at San Luis Valley Brewing Company

I'm in love with the quiet, direct, forgiving mood Kris Gosar creates with his paintings. He talks about the histories captured by each of his portraits -- every person has innumerable stories bubbling beneath the surface. Figurative work is a rare meeting of accurate draftsmanship and personal expression. In his words, "The moments are precious and rare when I can really look at a person, then let the visual information travel into my eyes, through my brain, heart, and out my hand onto the canvas."

Fifteen of those rare moments are on view now at the Brewery in downtown Alamosa -- just in time for this week's Firefighters' Academy at Adams State College June 2-8, and Summerfest on the Rio, June 1-3.


Here's one of my favorites: an old-timer who's seen his share of happiness and pain, and still has plenty of kick-up left in his heels. It reminds me to keep my chin up and give my kerchief a chance to catch some air.

Cowboy
14"x18"
Oil on panel
$3000

Ann L Hense

This painting is as magical as it looks. It was painted as part of a campaign to designate an historic farm as protected open space.

The light reminds me of early summer mornings in the North country -- there's just one quiet and quick-stepped moment when everything is still and cool and dewy.

That memory brings another one: the moments in between inhalation and exhalation, when everything is still and full of infinite possibility.

What a miracle to have captured something so elusive by nature -- I love this painting!


Exhibit A Keller Farm Open Space
Ann L Hense
30"x22"
Watercolor
$975 (unframed)