Partnering with the fifteenth convention of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), Gallery Hózhó opens New Mexico Chromatics: Contemporary Pastels, an exhibition of new pastel drawings by artists from New Mexico on Friday, June 7th, 2024, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The IAPS conference, which will be at Hotel Albuquerque from June 11-16, 2024, will include the finest pastel artists from across the globe. The curatorial team for IAPS and Gallery Hózhó’s director Suzanne Fricke have invited pastel artists from across the Southwest to submit works and the chosen pieces will be featured in New Mexico Chromatics.
Sarah Blumenschein makes her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her family. Many are surprised to find out that even though creating art was her first passion and first choice of a degree, she ended up earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering. As a result, she spent 14 years working in industry as an engineer before “retiring” to raise children and start working on her art again using pastels as a medium. Initially, Sarah thought she wanted to paint landscapes, but eventually found herself more interested and excited about painting still-life due to the variety of colors, shapes, textures, and reflective surfaces possible. She enjoys painting both and often experiments with mixing a still-life with a landscape. The pastel medium is appealing to Sarah because of the immediacy of the color, and the ability to build layers of colors. Her selection of subjects is often based on a desire to find and replicate the way light bounces around a scene or setup. For that reason, glass, china, and other reflective surfaces are often featured in her still life paintings. Flowers are also a favorite subject, whether as part of a still life or as found in nature. Sarah enjoys the challenge of capturing a strong sense of light and creating the illusion of 3 dimensions on a 2 dimensional surface. Sarah entered her first Art exhibition in 2003 and was honored to be awarded 2 nd place. Since that time she has won many local, national and international art competitions, including 1 st place in the Still Life Category of The Artist Magazine 2009 Annual Art competition, The Grand Prize in the Pastel Journal’s 2010 Pastel 100 annual competition, “Best of Show” in the 2014 New Mexico Masterworks competition and the 2015 Pastel Society of New Mexico National Exhibition, “The Pat and Bob Suggs Award for Still Life and Floral” in the 2021 Pastel Society of America “Enduring Brilliance” Exhibition, and 1 st Place in the Open Division of the 2021 International Association of Pastel Societies Web Show. In addition to awards, Sarah has also earned Signature status in the Pastel Society of America, Distinguished Pastelist status in the Pastel Society of New Mexico and Pastel Society of the West Coast, and Master Circle Status in the International Association of Pastel Societies. Her artwork has also been featured in magazine articles in both the Artist’s Magazine and the Pastel Journal. With each painting, Sarah hopes to inspire an emotional reaction in the viewer of joy or happiness. “I found I could say things with colors and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no word for.” – Georgia O’Keefe
Lorenzo Chavez. My Art reflects my deep and spiritual passion for the Landscape of the American West. My hope is that the qualities represented in the art traditions of American painters such as the Taos Society of Artists, Maynard Dixon, Edgar Payne, Ned Jacob and the Native American Indians and Hispanic cultures are also echoed in my work. I was born and raised in the southernmost point of the Rockies in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Through the years, while searching for subject matter, I have realized there are many similarities throughout the Rockies. I love the deep blue of the vaulting sky, clouds that float and dance, rabbit brush, Chamisa, pinon, pine and juniper, the willows that line the stream banks, the granite in the mountain ranges, aspens and the endless seas of grasses are all subjects for my ever-exploring eyes. I strive to represent landscapes that have a timeless appeal to them. I want the emotion I feel to come through in the surface textures of the art. The colors, textures and light of the western landscape inspire and guide my work. It is the simple glimpses into nature that move me to create. Wallace Stegner said it in brevity of words, "A few cottonwoods, the gurgle of water in a creek or ditch, can have as profound effect on me as the grandest view."
Lorenzo was born and raised in New Mexico. His first inspirations and foundation as a young artist were formed by the landscape and the art history in New Mexico. Lorenzo now makes his home in Parker, Colorado and uses this location as a base to travel and paint the American West and Southwest. Lorenzo enjoys painting in both pastel and oil. He participates in several national invitational and international group exhibitions and has won major awards including the Pastel Society of America in New York; His work has been chosen to represent PSA in the Butler Art Museum, Ohio. Pastel Society of Spain, Pastel Society of France, Artists of America Show in Denver, Rims to Ruins Exhibition, Plein Air Painters of America, Buffalo Bill Center for the West, Albuquerque Art Museum, Maynard Dixon Country, 100 Gold Medal Exhibition at The Pasadena Art Museum, The Brinton Museum, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, The Brinton Museum, Coors Show in Denver, Butler Art Museum, Laguna Art Museum, Gilcrease Museum, Steamboat Art Museum. Legacy Gallery, Cape Cod Art Museum, Blue Rain Gallery Santa Fe, Helena Fox Fine Art Settlers West Gallery, Howard Manville Gallery, Gallery of the Southwest, Trailside Galleries. He was featured in a successful one-man show at the C.M. Russell Museum and has participated successfully in several C.M. Russell Art Auctions. Feature articles have appeared in Southwest Art, Art of the West, American Artist Magazine, Plein Air Magazine, Artists Magazine, Western Art Review, American Art Review, Pastel Journal, and Denver Post. Nine new books feature his art: Les Mitres de Art France, Painted Sky, Art Journey America Landscapes, Colorado Landscapes, and Pure Color: The Best of Pastel 1 &2 and Plein Air New Mexico and Beautiful Landscape paintings outdoors. Lorenzo is a nationally known Fine Art instructor who has taught numerous workshops across the United States since 1993. Lorenzo is represented by many major fine art galleries and many private and corporate collections both nationally and internationally. Lorenzo is Past member of the, Plein Air Painters of America. Member of the Western Rendezvous of Art, California Art Club-Signature Member, Pastel Society of America, Past member of the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, Master Signature Member of the Plein Air Painters of Colorado, Pastel Society of Spain, and the American Impressionist Society- Signature Member.
Brian Cobble
Christine Debrosky. It is likely that you have come across many artists whose source of inspiration is nature in all its’ glory. For me, however, it is the sense of wonder itself that is the driving force behind my work. Every day I take great joy in the discovery of a beautiful shape, an unexpected combination of color, or a simple object transformed by a shaft of sun. It is not about finding beauty, but beauty finding me…sometimes in unusual subjects; the overlooked corners . As a landscape painter, it is necessary for me to paint en plein air, as well as in the studio. When I go out, I feel a deep connection with our surroundings, whether in rugged canyons, or in carefully cultivated gardens. Sometimes simply stepping outside and gazing upwards at an impossibly blue sky, or losing myself in a carpet of stars is enough to forge a bond. As a pastel painter, I am excited whenever I open my “ box of crayons”. The sticks of dry pure pigment are perfect for capturing the nuances of the Southwest. As time has gone by and I have become more adept in my work, the focus has shifted from the rendering of a specific place to the quality of light as it dances across the landscape. Dappled, dazzling full brilliance, subtle and moody, glorious and glowing, and night’s inky mystery …all moods catch my eye. This gets me excited and engaged every time! It is my life’s work to share that sense of wonder and joy with others. “If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden” Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden.
A decade and a half ago, Christine Debrosky relocated to northern Arizona to paint the abundant sunlight. She grew up in NY State’s Hudson Valley, with easy access to Manhattan’s world class museums and galleries, and close proximity to the historic art colony of Woodstock, which inspired her to pursue a career in art. Early on, her work was commended by Lowry Sims, a curator of paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Encouraged, she started exhibiting and painting en plein air in all seasons, learning about color, light, and pigments. She then took a workshop in pastel, which marked a change in her work, to a looser, more impressionist bent and started to earn rainbows of ribbons and numerous exhibition opportunities. Gallery representation, as well as invitations to show with such groups as American Women Artists, and L”Art du Pastel en France echoed her growing career. She has earned signature status with numerous groups, such as the American Impressionist Society, American Women Artists, was inducted in to Master Circle with the International Association of Pastel Societies, and is an artist member of the prestigious California Art Club. Her work has been included in numerous national and international magazines such as American Artist, the Pastel Journal, Pratique des Artes, Southwest Art, and PleinAir magazine, as well as on the set of “Nights in Rodanthe” a Hollywood movie .She has been listed in Who’s Who of American Art , is published world- wide by Winn Devon, and is in the collections of numerous universities and corporations , such as Standard & Poor’s, and Pfizer Chemical, to name two. She was one of a few American artists invited to exhibit with Societe des Pastellistes de France, an organization which boasted Edgar Degas as one of the original members. She was further honored by the group to have one of her paintings selected for the invitations, posters, and billboards advertising the show. In the spring of 2022, she was again invited to exhibit in France as one of a group of ten women, in “Pastels of the World”, in Montlucon . With the life changing move to Arizona, her work reflects an understanding of earth forms, forces and color, and the continued love of capturing natural light. Wanting to share her accumulated experience, she has taught for over 30 years, in numerous locations across America, as well as in Venice and Tuscany Italy, and Burgundy France. She is always happy to return to her North Arizona home, where she lives with husband Wayne, replete with a custom dream studio. There, overlooking the red rock glow of Sedona, the abundant sunlight, jewel toned shadows and nuanced greys of the high desert inspire continued learning and sharing.
Marilyn Drake. Named "Local Treasure, 2014" by the Albuquerque Art Business Association. Among the many reasons I moved from New York City to New Mexico was the dramatic landscape the vistas, the light, the unusual geologic formations and native plants. That fascination awakened my desire to be a fine artist, after years spent operating my own graphic design business. Eventually my earlier figurative training prompted me to begin painting figures and portraits. Now, concentrating on painting people and places, I strive to capture a likeness, evoke a mood, and create visual harmony... Part of my development as an artist has included study with a number of prominent local and nationally-known artists. Their classes and workshops provided valuable information and contributed greatly to my continuing growth as a painter. Involvement with art organizations, such as the Pastel Society of New Mexico, Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, and the New Mexico chapter of the Portrait Society of America has also enhanced my experience, knowledge and fulfillment, both artistically and personally.
Bethany Fields, (PSA, IAPS-MC, AWA) I was born in Canyon, Texas near Palo Duro Canyon State Park and it has informed so many chapters of my life. Growing up in the shadows of its cliffs, I would come home covered in red clay soil. Now, I paint the same colors with my fingers and my hands are the ones that are covered! My goal with this pastel painting was to rejoice in the shimmer of the colors as the heat bears down. It is intense and heavy, but beautiful and wild.
Katherine Irish, (IAPS-MC, PSA-MP, PSNM/DP, APAA/DP, SPS- MP, PSWC, PSSW) When I returned to New Mexico, I made a conscious decision to contribute beauty to the world through art. The infinite variety of color and abstract patterns found in New Mexico skies offer a limitless source of inspiration. Cloud composition and colors are ephemeral. However, what is constant is that the beginning and end of each day is marked by the rising and setting of the sun. The sky fills with vibrations of color that catapults observers to consciousness. This regularity is assuring and encourages us to make sense of our world and fills us with hope, despite the unpredictability of life. The beauty found in the skies inspires us. Throughout history, philosophers, scientists and artists have looked to the skies to gain a sense of order and meaning. My paintings are an effort to bring focused attention on our shared connection with the natural order.
Albert Handell
Natasha Isenhour, (AWA, PSA, PSNM-DP, PAPNM) Contemporary American Realist Natasha Isenhour expresses her emotional response to unpopulated spaces with an edgy lonesome starkness that defines the very essence of her work in oil and pastel. Isenhour exhibits throughout the southwest and teaches 4-6 workshops/year. Ludwig Pastels introduced “Isenhour, Essential Alchemy” set of 60 pastels spring 2023. She has received two awards with Oil Painter’s of America over the last year.
Vasili Katakis. My goal is to transport the viewer to another place using imaginative realism. I combine classical painting techniques with traditional narrative subjects transforming them into what might be seen, what might be real, and what sometimes might be the impossible. Much of what I paint is organic because it captivates me like nothing else; it's as if there is a living presence providing an intimate and sensual landscape for me to paint. My medium of choice are pastels because of their luscious texture and vibrant hues. I blend colors together to form a deep, rich, continuous pattern where soft gradations move the eye throughout the scene. I choose earthly natural tones to melt light and shade together. The result has been described by others as romantic, mysterious and ethereal. Vasili Katakis Biography Vasili "Vas" is a first generation Greek American who grew up surrounded by his culture's classical design and aesthetic. Vas studied at Ox Bow School of Arts, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the American Academy of Art. He studied under Irving Shapiro, Bill Parks and Ed Paschke. His work is influenced by Raymond Johnson, Agnes Pelton, and Georgia O'Keefe. Vasili's teaching experience includes 6 years at Chicago's Columbia College, and 15 years at the New Mexico Art League. He is a Signature member in both the Pastel Society of New Mexico, the Pastel Society of America, and a member of the Rio Grande Art Association.
Julia Lambright. Painter Julia Lambright was born and raised in Russia. She earned a BFA and MFA with Distinction from the University of New Mexico. Working in oil in the past, her prime medium of choice is egg-tempera, knowledge she acquired from masters in Russia and the United States. While searching for a personal spiritual experience, Julia began exploring iconographic canons, formulas, and techniques of 17th century icon painting. Her works document the silent and persistent dialogue between past and present and served as a voice to address memory, vision, and childhood experiences.
Through the years, Lambright has allowed her artwork to evolve and shift. Her continuous fascination with materials led to an exploration with soft pastels that offer a new visual perspective. Searching for a more immediate expression and greater experimental capabilities, she challenges the traditional approach with materials with the desire to express sensation that evokes her inner world. In this visual dialogue, Lambright invites the viewer to have their own subjective experience and interpretation. She lives and works in Albuquerque.
Mike Mahon’s (PSNM, PSA, PPNM) style is impressionistic realism. His portraiture and landscape seem to intensify and exaggerate the story he wants to tell in them. Ordinary people and places are suddenly transformed when Mike focuses on the heart and soul of his subjects. As Hunter Ingalls, art educator and art critic, stated in a newspaper interview, " Mike Mahon is an artist with a clear command of both the oil and pastel media... (his) works reveal an ability to single out simple, unassuming details for special emphasis, elevating the imagery into radiant, dream-like originality. "Taos Rooftops" pictures the not too distant town as seen from the broad fields on the outskirts of El Prado. Early Autumn's golden foliage contrasting against the soft blues of the mountains is what drew me to the scene. A soft violet hue emanating from the Taos rooftops accentuates the aerial perspective and unifies the scene.
Lee McVey (PAPNM-Master, PSA, IAPS-Master Circle, PSNM Distinguished Pastelist, PAAC). Lee McVey’s first trip to New Mexico occurred in 1992 while she was living in central New York state. The main purpose of the trip was to see where Georgia O’Keeffe had painted. Lee visited Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, Bandelier National Monument, Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch. Something surprising happened she returned home. She felt homesick for New Mexico even though the geology, weather, and culture are vastly different than central New York. After retirement from teaching art in the public schools, Lee moved to Albuquerque and immediately felt she was at home. The Abiquiu area is one of Lee’s favorite places to paint. The Neopolitan colored cliffs of the area, as well as the sage, chamisa and beautiful skies, continually inspire Lee to paint, either en plein air or in studio with either pastel or oil. Compositions that place the cliffs close-up and more panoramic vistas both inspire her. Lee a Master Signature member of Plein Air Painters of New Mexico and a Master Circle member of International Association of Pastel Societies, a Distinguished Pastelist in Pastel Society of New Mexico and a Signature member of Plein Air Artists Colorado and Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod.
Paul Murray has been making art since he was 19, working as an illustrator and designer during college for a printer in Santa Fe. He was self-employed as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator in Albuquerque for 35 years, winning several local and national awards and features in national and international magazines. His clients included Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Public Service Company of NM, and Mountain Bell (now Century Link). He has a degree in fine art with honors from the University of New Mexico. In the mid-90s he transitioned from Graphic Art to Fine Art. He’s been represented by several galleries over the years. Paul continued to win awards including the Prix ‘d Pastel at the 2001 International Association of Pastel Societies and the Prix ‘d Pastel in the Pastel Journal Top 100 in 2006. "I'm a curious person. My paintings are not so much statements as they are a series of questions." Albert Einstein said, “The mysterious is the most wonderful thing we can experience. It is the source of all Science and Art." As long as I can see things and wonder why they are the way they are, I'll continue to grow as a painter. And isn't that one of the great goals in life – to continue over time to get better at what you do?”