A bronze sculpture on Canyon Road in Santa Fe. Courtesy Santa Fe Tourism. Photo by Brenda Kelley.
There’s an air of enchantment about Santa Fe, New Mexico. The culture of the historic city is shaped by the thousands of years of Indigenous inhabitants and remains home today to a diverse population of peoples, both Native and non-Native. It’s also the home of landmark architecture like San Miguel Mission and the Palace of the Governors. With its plentiful art galleries, public installations and events, metropolitan Santa Fe is one of the great art cities in the world.
The city itself is broken into several prominent arts districts. In the heart of the city is the Downtown Arts + Museum District where visitors can find the Palace of the Governors and experience a plethora of galleries and museums all congregated near the famed Santa Fe Plaza.
The Railyard Arts District, located between Guadalupe Street and Cerrillos Road, is a formerly underused patch of land near the railroad tracks that has transformed into one of the most popular and vibrant areas of the city. Here, visitors will find contemporary galleries, like Blue Rain Gallery, as well as the SITE Santa Fe museum.
Finally, there’s Canyon Road, the wondrous half-mile stretch of galleries that plays host to a variety of arts events throughout the year, including the Canyon Road Spring Art Festival tentatively held May 8 to 9, and the Historic Canyon Road Paint and Sculpt Out happening this October 16 to 17.
Throughout Santa Fe and the surrounding area, art lovers can dive into a variety of other galleries and museums as well as get acquainted with artists. Among them are Albert Handell, La Galería @ The Shaffer, Ray Darnell and the Santa Fe Society of Artists.
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Blue Rain Gallery
544 S. Guadalupe Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 954-9902
info@blueraingallery.com
www.blueraingallery.com
The exterior of Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe.
“Santa Fe remains a major national player in the art market. More and more, we see people coming to Santa Fe for an art experience because they know they can see a range of art expressed here. Southwest art, Native American art, contemporary, modern and historic works of the region all find representation in our beautiful city.”— “Shannon” Denise Phetteplace, executive director, Blue Rain Gallery
Blue Rain Gallery represents established contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds working in a variety of mediums such as paintings, ceramics, bronze, glass and jewelry. The gallery is eclectic in its approach yet maintains a special focus on regional, Native American and studio glass art. Dennis Ziemienski recently joined the gallery’s talented roster of artists.
Blue Rain Gallery has a full calendar of shows and special events for 2020. They are particularly enthusiastic about the Invitational Glass Show curated by artist Shelley Muzylowski Allen. This show brings together 22 artists who have devoted their lives to working in the challenging medium of glass. Each artist will contribute three to four pieces for the exhibition. Over a period of three days surrounding the show opening, the gallery has several special events planned such as a panel discussion with the participating artists, glass blowing and flameworking demonstrations, artist lectures and an opening night reception.
Blue Rain Gallery, Tarn, blown and hand sculpted glass, concrete and horsehair, 18 x 22 x 10", by Shelley Muzylowski Allen.
Blue Rain Gallery, One Day Like This, patina on bronze, 37 x 26¼", by Nathan Bennett.
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Albert Handell
1109 Don Gaspar Avenue
Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505) 983-8373, (505) 603-1524
www.alberthandell.com
Landscape painter Albert Handell is inspired by the brilliant scenes of Santa Fe.
“I visited Santa Fe for the first time one afternoon 42 years ago. I remember the visit clearly,” says the artist. “It was a pleasant summer moment. My wife and I were sitting at an outdoor café on Canyon Road…I was mesmerized by the quiet of the city, the unexplainable, unique light found here illuminating the subtle earth colors of the adobes, which contrasted with the rich darker greens of summer.”
Albert Handell in his Santa Fe studio.
Handell’s oil paintings and pastels have a soft, tranquil aesthetic, inviting viewers and collectors to slow down and take in the moment. After several visits, Handell and his wife permanently moved to the historic New Mexico city. “The brilliant billowing whites of the cumulus clouds, the dark soft edges of the virga clouds…those incredible blue skies…the adobe buildings…with their lovely round corners and their mellow earth colors…For me it was all just something else and breathtaking,” he says.
Albert Handell, A Summer Evening's Last Light, oil, 14 x 11"
Albert Handell, Invitation to Spring, oil, 18 x 24"
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La Galería @ The Shaffer
103 W. Main Street
Mountainair, NM 87036
(505) 847-1137
lagaleriashaffer@gmail.com
www.lagaleria-theshaffer.com
Artists Linda Marie Carroll and Rebecca Anthony opened La Galería @ The Shaffer on June 29, 2019, in the rooms off to the side of the historic Shaffer Hotel lobby. It’s an ideal venue for an art gallery as the Shaffer Hotel and the Shaffer Hotel Café are on the National Register of Historic Places because of the Southwest Art Deco appointments and structural features.
The interior of La Galería @ The Shaffer in Mountainair, New Mexico.Currently La Galería has six resident artists including Carroll and Anthony, of whom live locally within 10 miles of Mountainair, New Mexico. One of the gallery’s primary goals is to promote New Mexico artists, starting with local residents, so they do not extend invitations to artists who live outside the state.
La Galería @ The Shaffer, Memories of Ancient Times, oil on canvas, 20 x 16" (framed), by Linda Marie Carroll.
La Galería @ The Shaffer, The Other Side of the Mountain, original Scherenschnitte (paper collage), 30 x 40", by Rebecca Anthony.
Carroll paints portraits, Indigenous peoples and landscapes in both oil and watercolor. Her passion is the play of light and shadow in her art. Anthony currently prefers working with paper on wood panels. Using a variety of heavily textured and smooth paper of vibrant and subdued color, she expertly uses her medium to portray scenes and animals native to New Mexico. The gallery’s resident artists include Ray Darnell, Dianne Doan, Kathy Baur and Dean Schroeder. Events and exhibitions opening in the near future include Cowgirl Attitude on May 2, Sculpting New Mexico Gems on July 11, Two Nations Two Brothers Unite on August 1, Enchanted Landscapes on September 5 and New Mexico Scenes - Paintings by Karen Dressler Argeanas on November 7.
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Ray Darnell & Dianne Doan
Ray Darnell: (505) 250-2590, applewoodmtn@gmail.com
Dianne Doan: (505) 859-9450, dididoane@gmail.com
www.lagaleria-theshaffer.com
Ray Darnell has been involved in art his entire life. “I have always had an endless thirst to read, research and observe others. I am still learning and working to elevate the technical skills needed to control my art. Inspiration for my art is all around me,” he says. He works with the uninhibited nature of watercolors and enjoys applying that fluidity to oils as well, primarily painting women “because they are so varied and endlessly challenging.”
Ray Darnell, State Fair Queen - 1952, oil on canvas, 30 x 20"
Ray Darnell, Jolene, oil on canvas, 24 x 18"
Dianne Doan, Las Floridas, oil on board, 18 x 36"Darnell’s sister-in-law Dianne Doan has lived her adult life in New Mexico and loves to express the beauty around her through vibrant colors. She says. “Taking artistic license with what nature provides, I see myself as an expressionist and colorist.”
Both artists are represented by La Galería @ The Shaffer in Mountainair, New Mexico. Darnell will have a solo show, Cowgirl Attitude, opening May 2 at the gallery, while Doan will be one of three featured artists in the gallery’s Enchanted Landscapes show in September. Darnell will also have two additional figurative art exhibitions this year, one of which will focus on nudes.
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Santa Fe Society of Artists
SFSA Gallery
54½ W. San Francisco Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 926-1497
info@santafesocietyofartists.com
www.santafesocietyofartists.com
Santa Fe Society of Artists, Moving Eye, in camera photograph printed on aluminum panel, by Grace Berge.
“After riding the waves of the ever-changing art market for almost 40 years, we remain enthusiastic about the Santa Fe art market for collectors and casual buyers alike. Accordingly, we are opening our first year-around gallery in 2020 and look forward to our popular outdoor season this year..”— “Shannon” Judy Boyd, president, Santa Fe Society of Artists
Collectors can browse fine art in a variety of unique styles and mediums at Santa Fe Society of Artists’ outdoor fine art shows and in the organization’s new downtown gallery. Society members are juried from the concentration of multitalented, professional artists that make their homes in Santa Fe County. Artists are local, and dozens are on hand at every outdoor show to share their personal visions and unique artwork, including painting, fine printmaking, sculpture and photography. New artists are accepted to the group on a regular basis to keep offerings fresh.
The Society’s outdoor shows are held most weekends under the cerulean skies of Santa Fe from mid-April through mid-October in historic, downtown Santa Fe, with more than 70 local artists displaying their work. The group’s nearby gallery overlooking the city Plaza will celebrate its grand opening in May 2020 and will feature monthly exhibitions throughout the year. —
Santa Fe Society of Artists, Remnant Totems, copper, brass and aluminum with original patinas and metal texturing methods mounted on baltic birch panels, 36 x 3" and 48 x 5", by Cassidy Watt.
Santa Fe Society of Artists, Alone in the Field, acrylic on canvas and gallery wrapped edges finished, 36 x 36 x ½", by Ron Patterson.
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