Most people might not look twice at an agave plant. They’re sharp, spiny, succulent porcupines, used for making tequila, and born into a desert wasteland where it seems like nothing grows. But artist Anna Lisa Leal knows that’s not true.
In her upcoming show, Agave Alchemy: Spirits of the Desert,Leal provides an enlightening perspective on this mysterious century plant and the poetic beauty it brings to the terrain of the Southwest. Through her paintings, Leal reveals the spirit beneath the agave’s rough exterior, weaving a story of life and death and the transitions in between.
Generations at Panther Junction, pastel, 48 x 24”
“When I think about this show, I hope people will see the beauty in [the agave] and the resilience,” says Leal. “Because we as humans need that resilience through life and these plants show us that—and also respect.”
An agave painting by Leal is more than just a pretty plant on canvas. It’s a love letter to the species. Her passion traces back to when she was a little girl growing up in Laredo, Texas. Her mother was a plant lover. Her father grew citrus trees. Leal herself was asked to teach botany labs after her first semester in college. Plants aren’t just a part of her life. They are her life, and she continues to educate people through her artwork.
De La Frontera Tres, pastel on panel, 32 x 16”
The show takes place at Hotel Paisano's Greasewood Gallery in Marfa, Texas, in conjunction with the annual agave festival. Gallery-goers will get to explore the beauty that unfolds with each stage of plant life and can reflect on their allegorical meaning.
Generations at Panther Junctionfeatures an agave in its prime with a tall shoot of voluminous flowers. To her right is a small pup that’s just sprouted waiting for its turn to bloom. And to her left, a fraying, dying agave turned golden with age.
Metamorphosis, pastel and metal leaf, 32 x 32”
She provides a close-up of the aging process in the painting Metamorphosis, capturing how the leaves take on almost a woodgrain texture. To convey this, Leal imagined the agave transforming into a precious metal and used copper leaf to reprise the effect.
“When I think about these dying agave, I think about is the respect that we should have for the life that they’ve lived and what they’ve done,” she says, adding that she wants people to understand the symbolism of getting older and how elders should be revered and not forgotten.
Gypsy in Bloom, pastel, 12 x 24”
Leal also uses agave to pay tribute to her background with a trio aptly titled De La Frontera Uno Tres Dos. The series depicts three agaves framed between what looks like a Zapotec rug. The title means “from the border,” a play on words referencing where she is from and the agave that grows there.
Agave Alchemy: Spirits of the Desert is a token of Leal’s appreciation for the botanical wonders of the desert and an homage to her roots. She hopes that people will take away that same appreciation and see agave as more than just a shot of tequila—but a radiant symbol of just how luscious and alive desert life can be.
Agave Alchemy: Spirits of the Desert opens on May 31 and runs through August 25 at Greasewood Gallery located in Hotel Paisano. A Reception will be held on June 7 from 6 to 8pm. —
Greasewood Gallery at Hotel Paisano 207 Highland Street, Marfa, TX 79843 • (432) 729-4134 • www.hotelpaisano.com
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