The 2024-2025 Visual Arts
September 20 - October 31 2024
Exhibiting artists this month are Kay Naranjo, Painted Native New Mexico Rocks; Judith Roderick, Hand-Painted Silk Art Quilts; Gail Sacharczuk, Soft Pastel on Paper; Nancy Schrock, Pastel and Colored Pencil. Join us beginning at 1:30 p.m. on September 22nd for a NEW pre-concert talk, then meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on September 22nd and October 20th. Then stay for the concerts on those same dates at 3 p.m.
Placitas Artists Series
Music & Art in the Foothills
Website by Bhakti-Shakti Design Studio| © 2010-2024
Please report website technical issues to:
webmaster@placitasartistsseries.org
PAS
Music & Art
Concert and Art Exhibit dates/times may be subject to change. See this website for changes
November 01 - December 12 2024
Exhibiting artists this month are Michelle D’Amour, Oil on Canvas; Virginia Primozic, Paper on Canvas; Katie Thomas, Mixed Media Art; Iwren Walraven, Mixed Media Art. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on November 10th and December 8th. Then stay for the concerts on those same dates at 3 p.m.
December 13 2024 - January 23 2025
Exhibiting artists this month are Tom Fore, Photographic Color Prints; Karl Hofmann, Acrylics, Pastels, Linocuts; Karen Melody Shatar, Fused Glass & Functional Ware; Natasa Vretenar, Acrylic Painting. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on January 19th. Then stay for the concert that same day at 3 p.m.
January 24 - March 6 2025
Exhibiting artists this month are Christiane Couvert, Porcelain, Clay, Wood, Stone; Anna Escamilla, Acrylics and Oils; Jo Anne Fredrikson, Quilt Art Pieces; Carolyn Grady, Acrylic Abstract Painting. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on February 16th. Then stay for the concert on that same day at 3 p.m.
March 7 - April 17 2025
Exhibiting artists this month are Dale Jenssen, Wall-hung Fibre and Mixed Media; Cherie Martin Irwin, Fiber and Mixed Media; Logan Ortwerth, Natural Pigment Oils, Watercolors and Acrylics; Mary Louise Skelton, Mixed Media Embellished Gourds. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on March 23rd. Then stay for the concert on that same day at 3 p.m.
April 18 - May 29 2025
Exhibiting artists this month are Laverne Bohlin, Oil on Panels; Jeri Burzin, Fine Art Photography; Katherine Irish, Pastels on Sanded Pastel Paper; Kurt Wuerker, Copper and Copper as Mixed Media Construction. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on April 27th and May 29th. Then stay for the concerts on those same dates at 3 p.m.
Kay Naranjo is one of the newest additions to the artists residing in Placitas, NM. She spent over 35 years
working in finance and accounting positions in Washington, DC and here in New Mexico. After studying
and practicing mandala rock techniques, she transferred what she learned to larger and more picturesque
images concentrating on her southwest favorites. She has painted and resined over 900 rocks to date, and
you can find her work being enjoyed and displayed all over the United States.
Kay says: “What a joy to have found a creative outlet that utilizes my "accounting brain" in my new-found
retirement. I look at each rock with joy know that the skills used throughout my career are neatly placed on
each and every rock”.
No online presence.
Judith Roderick was a Painting and Design major in college and has been making art ever
since. For the last 15 years, her focus has been hand-painted silk Art Quilts which are shown
both locally, at Wild Hearts Gallery, and in National and International shows.
Judith says: “We all live on this beautiful, diverse, resilient planet. It is difficult to watch what
we humans are doing to each other and to the Earth. The focus of my Art is to illustrate and
appreciate some of the richness and beauty that still abounds here”.
www.JudithRoderick.com
Gail has always been making art and wanting to make creativity a career. Having won two
scholarships to attend Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, PA, she pursued
Painting as a major before pivoting to Fashion Design. With a career as an apparel designer and
developer and traveling the world for business and pleasure, New Mexico was a frequent
destination, drawing her in with its beauty and earthy soulfulness. In 2021, retirement brought
Gail here for life as a full-time artist.
Gail says: “My art is a reflection of my love for pastel painting, emphasizing expressive mark-
making in a wide array of subject matter. Portraiture, urban scenes and natural landscapes are
favorite themes, with structural elements a dominant visual presence”.
Find Gail on Facebook.
Nancy has found New Mexico an inspiring place to be an artist, not only because of the rich and varied
landscapes, but also because of its community of artists. As a relative newcomer to the Albuquerque area,
she quickly settled in when she joined The Gallery ABQ in the fall of 2019. Nancy has participated in art
communities, shown her work, and won awards from Texas to Michigan to Florida. Although she started in
oils, her primary media are colored pencil and pastel.
Nancy says: “Since moving to Placitas in 2019, I have been inspired by its community of artist. With my
artwork, I try to capture something fascinating but fleeting, like images, ideas, or feelings, so I can give
those to you, the viewer.
https://njschrock.com/
https://www.facebook.com/nancy.schrock.733
Michelle D'Amour. is an oil painter who has exhibited in New Orleans at the New Orleans Art
Association National show, Palmer Park Arts Market New Orleans, New Orleans Academy of
fine arts, Center Gallery New Mexico, Southampton, New York Summer Art show, New Mexico
Art League, local art shows and studio art shows.
Michelle says: “My oil paintings are mostly florals but in recent years I have been painting
waters from various sources, landscapes and dessert caucus and vegetation. I like to get up
close and personal with my subjects”.
www.michelledamour.com
Virginia Primozic works in the paper medium in a non-traditional way, creating “paintings
without paint.” Her work encompasses western landscapes, portraits, florals, abstracts, and car
portraits. Virginia chooses subjects that she finds meaningful or intense, or communicate
simple truth, goodness, and beauty. She considers her work successful when it touches more
than the viewer’s eye and draws them into a shared moment, memory, or emotion beyond the
limited rendering on the canvas.
Virginia says: “Paper is my paint. I layer the unique textures, weights, and colors from an array
of options - sheer lace paper from Japan, heavy bark paper from Mexico, and varieties in
between. The process makes each canvas an experiment in technique and method”.
https://www.virginiaprimozic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/virginia.primozic.fine.art/
Katie Thomas is originally from Connecticut and has a degree in business administration. She
moved to New Mexico in 1977 and worked in corporate human resources. In 2009 she left HR
and opened a retail fair trade store in Taos, NM named Moxie. At the same time, she pursued
her interest in various art mediums. She is a self-taught artist working with textiles, metal,
wood, clay and found items.
Katie says: “I have always had an interest in a wide variety of art forms. I have made quilts,
spirit women, shaman and most recently, I have been creating mixed media pieces using beads
and recycled jewelry”.
No online presence
From her childhood spent playing with every type of animal collectible to her finding work as a
wildlife rehabilitation technician in her 20’s , bird bander in her 30’s, bird survey conductor in
her 40’s, and now as a wolf and wildlife advocate, Wren ’s muse has never changed. Her love
and respect for all critters wild shows in her expressive animal paintings. She began her career
doing design work for various non profit conservation organizations and painting bird portraits.
Iwren says: “The wildlife that I portray are filtered through my own life experience in choice of
color, expression, texture and experimentation. Although the work is playful, I am laser focused
on the fragility of wildlife and wild lands”.
www.wrenzart.com
Tom Fore, a transplanted mid-westerner who has lived in New Mexico for a little over 4 years,
has been a photographer for the past 53 years. His specialty is floral photography, especially
macro (close-up) photography, but is not limited to nature studies. As a Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Company photographer in the mid-80s to mid-90s, he is also experienced in industrial
photography as well as owning and operating a wedding photography business for
approximately 15 years.
Tom says: “I believe that any photographs I create should reflect my own tastes regarding
color, composition, subject matter, etc., while also attempting to appeal to a wide range of
tastes and interests of the viewing public”.
https://tomfore.myportfolio.com
Karl Hofmann taught humanities and art at universities around the country. In 1976 in found
himself in Placitas in a community of artists. While teaching art at Sandia Prep for 19 years, he
also worked on his craft of pottery and did art fairs. He thinks of his pots as New Mexico
landscapes in clay and hopes that like the mesas, they will last in their beauty and usefulness.
Since retiring from teaching, Karl has explored other interests and attended printmaking and
pastel workshops.
Karl says: “My work is based on personal experiences. I am "process oriented" reveling in the
material itself, like when a lump of clay turns into a shape or blocks of linocuts come together
to make an image or pastel layers merge into a landscape”.
No online presence
Karen has found her creative passion in the art glass medium. She combines myriad of
techniques, skill and imagination in developing beautiful and expressive works of art as well as
fun and functional ware. She is inspired by nature, by her love of color and light and by her
willingness to think and do in out-of-the-box explorations as well as out of her travels and stays
around the world.
Karen says: “Glass has inspired me from my earliest years. Exploring this medium has created
a passionate and exciting inner state that is reflected in all that I create, from the simple to the
imaginative discovering my inner explorer reflecting fun and nature”.
No online presence.
Natasha's dedication to making art is a lifelong endeavor. Her heart is firmly planted in a desert,
and New Mexico is her permanent home. She loves gardening and animals, and many of her
paintings have flora and fauna in them.
Natasha says: “I often express ideas through animal portraits and try to capture their essence
on canvas. I find inspiration in fables, myths and legends of my ancestors, and am interested in
exploring the symbolism of different animals in these stories”.
https://www.instagram.com/mangvps/
Christiane was born into a family of artists beginning with her father who worked with wood
and other media. Her brother is a sculptor and her sister is a professional in the art industry.
Additionally, Christiane is deeply influenced by the multi-cultural experiences gained through
years of traveling throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Christiane also brings
into her work her 30 plus years of working as a physical therapist.
Christiane says: “My art is a product that evolves from a practice of finding my center. Clay,
has a fixed center on the wheel, however, it’s design evolves around the feel, look, and
questions about how the clay and glazing will express itself as an art object”.
www.BelgianCeramics.com
Facebook - Christiane Couvert; Instagram - Belgian Ceramics
Anna realized her love of art in middle school while taking an art elective. Anna continued
taking art classes all through high school and community college. Anna retired in 2022 and
finally realized her dream of painting whenever she wanted. Since her retirement she have
joined the PALS plein-air painting group and has participated in the NM Cancer Center Gallery
with a Cause show and various other shows.
Anna says: “I love the outdoors and plein-air painting has become something I look forward to
doing. The New Mexico skies and landscape provide beauty throughout the year. I am also
exploring abstract, mixed media and drawing.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001454851096
Jo Anne Fredrikson is a retired educational leader--teacher, administrator and grant developer.
Much of her work focused on contemporary issues and social change. She helped create and
institutionalize seatbelt law and DWI prevention in New Mexico. Her efforts supported women's
issues and developing youth leadership among teens. Her quilts have resulted in new
friendships across the region.
Jo Anne says: “I love designing and creating quilted art. It is a passion that engages me in
exploring and learning new techniques, sourcing new fabrics and working in a community of
quilters”.
www.quiltsbeyondtradition.com
Carolyn Grady was born in a snowstorm in Buffalo, NY. After forty years living in a small college
town in western New York state, she moved three years ago to New Mexico. She has had a
varied career as an elementary Montessori teacher, a college English teacher, a yoga and
meditation instructor, and finally, as a fine art painter. She finds her many years of meditation
have led her to an intuitive mode of painting.
Carolyn says: “I explore a broad gamut of states of mind. Fear, anxiety, happiness, confusion --
all of the feelings that make us human and form our individual paths. I'm also interested in
portraying the physics of matter, energy, space, and time in the world”.
https://art.carolyngrady.com
A lifelong artist, Dale sewed professionally in her 20s, then created a line of colorful plastic and
rubber jewelry that was wholesaled nationally. She transitioned into found art sculpture, which
segued into designing metal light fixtures. Dale made hundreds of sconces, hanging lamps, and
illuminated wall pieces for both residential and commercial settings. All this while, she
continued working with fabric. Dale now creates one-of-a-kind wearable and wall-hung art in her
Las Vegas, NM home.
Dale says: “Textiles of all kinds have been a lifelong passion of mine. For several years now
I’ve been experimenting with combining fabrics with hardware cloth, telephone wire, and
various embellishments to create visually exciting and intriguing pieces of art”.
Www.dalejenssen.com
Facebook.com/DalejenssenArt/
Cherie Martin Irwin was Director of Community Arts for Cambridge, MA, Associate Director of
Boston Film/Video Foundation, & an adjunct film professor at Boston University. Cherie has
served 15 arts grant panels, including the NEA. She has been staff for 4 film festivals, produced
artist open studios, programmed film master classes & park performances for children. Cherie
is a working artist in New Mexico while earning a BA in Studio Art from UNM.
Cherie says: “I am drawn to work that is primitive and untrained. That is my approach as a
maker, although there is plenty of irony and snarkiness at play. I take making things with a huge
grain of salt and an assumption that I will learn something new”.
bit.ly/touchedbytaz
Logan specializes in oil paintings using mineral and earth pigments sourced directly from the
land. Drawing from her experiences as a young mother, Logan infuses her artwork with a sense
of wonder and reverence for the sacredness of life. Her paintings serve as visual meditations
on the themes of creation, spirituality, and the enduring power of love. The colors of the earth,
ethereal textures, and profound depth of emotion characterize her work.
Logan says: “Rooted in the tradition of mineral and earth pigment painting, my art is a journey
of discovery, seeking the sacred within the ordinary and the divine within the earthly. My art is a
reflection of my deepest beliefs and experiences with Jesus”.
https://loganortwerth0.wixsite.com/home/portfolio
https://www.instagram.com/loganortwerth
Mary Louise became enthralled with the wood like quality of a gourd after taking a class at the
community center in 2011. Since her first gourd she says that they are so much fun even
though hard to prepare. She loves seeing what they turn into. Many of her pieces are done with
a southwestern flair and more and more she is looking for the peace, beauty and spiritual
connection in art. Mary Louise absolutely LOVES the extra little details she includes which
allow us to feel the magic of this art.
Mary Louise says: “Gourds are magic for me to work with and each gourd plant has its own
shape & quality lending to its uniqueness. Recent works may include other art media which
opens up my work to even more possibilities. It’s just fun to see the work grow.
www.skeltonhealth.com
Landscape paintings by Laverne Bohlin have been described as serene, tranquil and peaceful.
Using pastel or oil paint, her contemporary impressionist work strives to capture the poetry and
mood of the unique New Mexico landscape.
Laverne says: “The natural world has always been my muse and inspiration. Simply put,
painting brings me great joy. My hope is the viewer will experience the solace, power and
serenity that exists in nature when they see my art”.
www.lavernebohlin.com
https://www.instagram.com/laverne.bohlin/
Jeri has been a teacher, educational therapist, and educator most of her life and the desire to
capture and bring back beautiful images while sailing in the Caribbean years ago first sparked
her interest in photography. Photography workshops in beautiful places such as Yosemite,
Monterey, the White Mountains, Sequoia National Park, Ghost Ranch and training with the CSU
Summer Arts program enhanced her knowledge, confidence, and passion for photography.
Jeri says: “My challenge as a photographer continues to be finding beauty to photograph in
my ‘backyard’ as well as in my travels. “Designs in Nature” are often the subject of my work
and I enjoy showing how the commonplace may become the unusual with my images”.
www.jeriburzin.com
Katherine studied art at DePauw University. She attended Tyler School of Art in Rome and
interned with Willard Midgette in New York. She attended classes at Pratt Institute, School of
Visual Arts and was a frequent visitor to Europe and New York’s magnificent art museums.
Katherine moved to New Mexico in 1982, exhibiting her oils in Southwest galleries. Katherine
began working seriously in pastels in 2002. She is an award winning artist who exhibits
nationally.
Katherine says: “When I moved to New Mexico, I made a conscious decision to contribute
beauty to the world through my art. I find the world of natural color to be endlessly inspiring -
whether it be reflections from a setting sun or light dancing on leaves”.
www.katherineirish.com
Kurt lived in Wisconsin until his retirement from the IT field, and moved to New Mexico shortly
afterward. His lifelong hobbies have often involved making custom home furnishings. Copper
has often been a favorite material and he enjoys the relative ease at which it can be cut and
shaped. He also enjoys biking the many off-road trails found throughout the valley. Kurt lives in
Mariposa with his wife Lori.
Kurt says: “Like many artists, my work is inspired by the surroundings that drew me to New
Mexico. I am inspired by the landscape. I seek to make common forms interesting by
representing them in copper and combined with wood or other materials when needed”.
https://copperaccent.com
Instagram: copperaccent
The 2024-2025 Visual Arts
Contacts
Info@placitasarts.org
505.867.8080 voice mail
Website by Bhakti-Shakti Design Studio | © 2010-2024
September 20 - October 31 2024
Exhibiting artists this month are Kay Naranjo, Painted Native New Mexico Rocks; Judith Roderick, Hand-Painted Silk Art Quilts; Gail Sacharczuk, Soft Pastel on Paper; Nancy Schrock, Pastel and Colored Pencil. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on September 22nd and October 20th. Then stay for the concerts on those same dates at 3 p.m.November 01 - December 12 2024
Exhibiting artists this month are Michelle D’Amour, Oil on Canvas; Virginia Primozic, Paper on Canvas; Katie Thomas, Mixed Media Art; Iwren Walraven, Mixed Media Art. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on November 10th and December 8th. Then stay for the concerts on those same dates at 3 p.m.December 13 2024 - January 23 2025
Exhibiting artists this month are Tom Fore, Photographic Color Prints; Karl Hofmann, Acrylics, Pastels, Linocuts; Karen Melody Shatar, Fused Glass & Functional Ware; Natasa Vretenar, Acrylic Painting. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on January 19th. Then stay for the concert that same day at 3 p.m.March 7 - April 17 2025
Exhibiting artists this month are Dale Jenssen, Wall-hung Fibre and Mixed Media; Cherie Martin Irwin, Fiber and Mixed Media; Logan Ortwerth, Natural Pigment Oils, Watercolors and Acrylics; Mary Louise Skelton, Mixed Media Embellished Gourds. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on March 23rd. Then stay for the concert on that same day at 3 p.m.April 18 - May 29 2025
Exhibiting artists this month are Laverne Bohlin, Oil on Panels; Jeri Burzin, Fine Art Photography; Katherine Irish, Pastels on Sanded Pastel Paper; Kurt Wuerker, Copper and Copper as Mixed Media Construction. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on April 27th and May 29th. Then stay for the concerts on those same dates at 3 p.m.January 24 - March 6 2025
Exhibiting artists this month are Christiane Couvert, Porcelain, Clay, Wood, Stone; Anna Escamilla, Acrylics and Oils; Jo Anne Fredrikson, Quilt Art Pieces; Carolyn Grady, Acrylic Abstract Painting. Come meet and visit with the artists at the visual artist reception, 2 p.m. on February 16th. Then stay for the concert on that same day at 3 p.m.
Kay Naranjo is one of the newest additions to the
artists residing in Placitas, NM. She spent over 35 years
working in finance and accounting positions in
Washington, DC and here in New Mexico. After studying
and practicing mandala rock techniques, she
transferred what she learned to larger and more
picturesque images concentrating on her southwest
favorites. She has painted and resined over 900 rocks
to date, and you can find her work being enjoyed and
displayed all over the United States.
Kay says: “What a joy to have found a creative outlet
that utilizes my "accounting brain" in my new-found
retirement. I look at each rock with joy know that the
skills used throughout my career are neatly placed on
each and every rock”.
No online presence.
Judith Roderick was a Painting and Design
major in college and has been making art
ever since. For the last 15 years, her focus
has been hand-painted silk Art Quilts which
are shown both locally, at Wild Hearts
Gallery, and in National and International
shows.
Judith says: “We all live on this beautiful,
diverse, resilient planet. It is difficult to
watch what we humans are doing to each
other and to the Earth. The focus of my Art
is to illustrate and appreciate some of the
richness and beauty that still abounds
here”.
www.JudithRoderick.com
Gail has always been making art and
wanting to make creativity a career. Having
won two scholarships to attend Moore
College of Art and Design in Philadelphia,
PA, she pursued Painting as a major before
pivoting to Fashion Design. With a career as
an apparel designer and developer and
traveling the world for business and
pleasure, New Mexico was a frequent
destination, drawing her in with its beauty
and earthy soulfulness. In 2021, retirement
brought Gail here for life as a full-time artist.
Gail says: “My art is a reflection of my love
for pastel painting, emphasizing expressive
mark-making in a wide array of subject
matter. Portraiture, urban scenes and natural
landscapes are favorite themes, with
structural elements a dominant visual
presence”.
Find Gail on Facebook.
Nancy has found New Mexico an inspiring place to be
an artist, not only because of the rich and varied
landscapes, but also because of its community of
artists. As a relative newcomer to the Albuquerque
area, she quickly settled in when she joined The Gallery
ABQ in the fall of 2019. Nancy has participated in art
communities, shown her work, and won awards from
Texas to Michigan to Florida. Although she started in
oils, her primary media are colored pencil and pastel.
Nancy says: “Since moving to Placitas in 2019, I have
been inspired by its community of artist. With my
artwork, I try to capture something fascinating but
fleeting, like images, ideas, or feelings, so I can give
those to you, the viewer.
https://njschrock.com/
https://www.facebook.com/nancy.schrock.733
Michelle D'Amour. is an oil painter who has
exhibited in New Orleans at the New Orleans Art
Association National show, Palmer Park Arts
Market New Orleans, New Orleans Academy of
fine arts, Center Gallery New Mexico,
Southampton, New York Summer Art show, New
Mexico Art League, local art shows and studio
art shows.
Michelle says: “My oil paintings are mostly
florals but in recent years I have been painting
waters from various sources, landscapes and
dessert caucus and vegetation. I like to get up
close and personal with my subjects”.
www.michelledamour.com
Virginia Primozic works in the paper medium in a
non-traditional way, creating “paintings without
paint.” Her work encompasses western
landscapes, portraits, florals, abstracts, and car
portraits. Virginia chooses subjects that she
finds meaningful or intense, or communicate
simple truth, goodness, and beauty. She
considers her work successful when it touches
more than the viewer’s eye and draws them into
a shared moment, memory, or emotion beyond
the limited rendering on the canvas.
Virginia says: “Paper is my paint. I layer the
unique textures, weights, and colors from an
array of options - sheer lace paper from Japan,
heavy bark paper from Mexico, and varieties in
between. The process makes each canvas an
experiment in technique and method”.
https://www.virginiaprimozic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/virginia.primozic.fine.
art/
Virginia Primozic works in the paper medium in a
non-traditional way, creating “paintings without
paint.” Her work encompasses western
landscapes, portraits, florals, abstracts, and car
portraits. Virginia chooses subjects that she
finds meaningful or intense, or communicate
simple truth, goodness, and beauty. She
considers her work successful when it touches
more than the viewer’s eye and draws them into
a shared moment, memory, or emotion beyond
the limited rendering on the canvas.
Virginia says: “Paper is my paint. I layer the
unique textures, weights, and colors from an
array of options - sheer lace paper from Japan,
heavy bark paper from Mexico, and varieties in
between. The process makes each canvas an
experiment in technique and method”.
https://www.virginiaprimozic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/virginia.primozic.fine.
art/
Katie Thomas is originally from Connecticut and
has a degree in business administration. She
moved to New Mexico in 1977 and worked in
corporate human resources. In 2009 she left HR
and opened a retail fair trade store in Taos, NM
named Moxie. At the same time, she pursued her
interest in various art mediums. She is a self-
taught artist working with textiles, metal, wood,
clay and found items.
Katie says: “I have always had an interest in a
wide variety of art forms. I have made quilts, spirit
women, shaman and most recently, I have been
creating mixed media pieces using beads and
recycled jewelry”.
No online presence
From her childhood spent playing with every type
of animal collectible to her finding work as a wildlife
rehabilitation technician in her 20’s , bird bander in
her 30’s, bird survey conductor in her 40’s, and now
as a wolf and wildlife advocate, Wren ’s muse has
never changed. Her love and respect for all critters
wild shows in her expressive animal paintings. She
began her career doing design work for various non
profit conservation organizations and painting bird
portraits.
Iwren says: “The wildlife that I portray are filtered
through my own life experience in choice of color,
expression, texture and experimentation. Although
the work is playful, I am laser focused on the
fragility of wildlife and wild lands”.
www.wrenzart.com
Tom Fore, a transplanted mid-westerner who has
lived in New Mexico for a little over 4 years, has been
a photographer for the past 53 years. His specialty is
floral photography, especially macro (close-up)
photography, but is not limited to nature studies. As
a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company photographer in
the mid-80s to mid-90s, he is also experienced in
industrial photography as well as owning and
operating a wedding photography business for
approximately 15 years.
Tom says: “I believe that any photographs I create
should reflect my own tastes regarding color,
composition, subject matter, etc., while also
attempting to appeal to a wide range of tastes and
interests of the viewing public”.
https://tomfore.myportfolio.com
Karl Hofmann taught humanities and art at
universities around the country. In 1976 in
found himself in Placitas in a community of
artists. While teaching art at Sandia Prep for 19
years, he also worked on his craft of pottery
and did art fairs. He thinks of his pots as New
Mexico landscapes in clay and hopes that like
the mesas, they will last in their beauty and
usefulness. Since retiring from teaching, Karl
has explored other interests and attended
printmaking and pastel workshops.
Karl says: “My work is based on personal
experiences. I am "process oriented" reveling in
the material itself, like when a lump of clay
turns into a shape or blocks of linocuts come
together to make an image or pastel layers
merge into a landscape”.
No online presence
Karen has found her creative passion in the art
glass medium. She combines myriad of
techniques, skill and imagination in developing
beautiful and expressive works of art as well as
fun and functional ware. She is inspired by nature,
by her love of color and light and by her
willingness to think and do in out-of-the-box
explorations as well as out of her travels and stays
around the world.
Karen says: “Glass has inspired me from my
earliest years. Exploring this medium has created
a passionate and exciting inner state that is
reflected in all that I create, from the simple to the
imaginative discovering my inner explorer
reflecting fun and nature”.
No online presence.
Natasha's dedication to making art is a lifelong
endeavor. Her heart is firmly planted in a desert,
and New Mexico is her permanent home. She
loves gardening and animals, and many of her
paintings have flora and fauna in them.
Natasha says: “I often express ideas through
animal portraits and try to capture their essence
on canvas. I find inspiration in fables, myths and
legends of my ancestors, and am interested in
exploring the symbolism of different animals in
these stories”.
https://www.instagram.com/mangvps/
Christiane was born into a family of artists
beginning with her father who worked with
wood and other media. Her brother is a
sculptor and her sister is a professional in the
art industry. Additionally, Christiane is deeply
influenced by the multi-cultural experiences
gained through years of traveling throughout
Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Christiane also brings into her work her 30
plus years of working as a physical therapist.
Christiane says: “My art is a product that
evolves from a practice of finding my center.
Clay, has a fixed center on the wheel,
however, it’s design evolves around the feel,
look, and questions about how the clay and
glazing will express itself as an art object”.
www.BelgianCeramics.com
Facebook - Christiane Couvert; Instagram -
Belgian Ceramics
Anna realized her love of art in middle school
while taking an art elective. Anna continued taking
art classes all through high school and
community college. Anna retired in 2022 and
finally realized her dream of painting whenever
she wanted. Since her retirement she have joined
the PALS plein-air painting group and has
participated in the NM Cancer Center Gallery with
a Cause show and various other shows.
Anna says: “I love the outdoors and plein-air
painting has become something I look forward to
doing. The New Mexico skies and landscape
provide beauty throughout the year. I am also
exploring abstract, mixed media and drawing.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001
454851096
Jo Anne Fredrikson is a retired educational leader-
-teacher, administrator and grant developer. Much
of her work focused on contemporary issues and
social change. She helped create and
institutionalize seatbelt law and DWI prevention in
New Mexico. Her efforts supported women's
issues and developing youth leadership among
teens. Her quilts have resulted in new friendships
across the region.
Jo Anne says: “I love designing and creating
quilted art. It is a passion that engages me in
exploring and learning new techniques, sourcing
new fabrics and working in a community of
quilters”.
www.quiltsbeyondtradition.com
Carolyn Grady was born in a snowstorm in
Buffalo, NY. After forty years living in a small
college town in western New York state, she
moved three years ago to New Mexico. She has
had a varied career as an elementary Montessori
teacher, a college English teacher, a yoga and
meditation instructor, and finally, as a fine art
painter. She finds her many years of meditation
have led her to an intuitive mode of painting.
Carolyn says: “I explore a broad gamut of states
of mind. Fear, anxiety, happiness, confusion -- all
of the feelings that make us human and form our
individual paths. I'm also interested in portraying
the physics of matter, energy, space, and time in
the world”.
https://art.carolyngrady.com
A lifelong artist, Dale sewed professionally in her
20s, then created a line of colorful plastic and
rubber jewelry that was wholesaled nationally.
She transitioned into found art sculpture, which
segued into designing metal light fixtures. Dale
made hundreds of sconces, hanging lamps, and
illuminated wall pieces for both residential and
commercial settings. All this while, she continued
working with fabric. Dale now creates one-of-a-
kind wearable and wall-hung art in her Las Vegas,
NM home.
Dale says: “Textiles of all kinds have been a
lifelong passion of mine. For several years now
I’ve been experimenting with combining fabrics
with hardware cloth, telephone wire, and various
embellishments to create visually exciting and
intriguing pieces of art”.
Www.dalejenssen.com
Facebook.com/DalejenssenArt/
Cherie Martin Irwin was Director of Community
Arts for Cambridge, MA, Associate Director of
Boston Film/Video Foundation, & an adjunct
film professor at Boston University. Cherie has
served 15 arts grant panels, including the NEA.
She has been staff for 4 film festivals,
produced artist open studios, programmed
film master classes & park performances for
children. Cherie is a working artist in New
Mexico while earning a BA in Studio Art from
UNM.
Cherie says: “I am drawn to work that is
primitive and untrained. That is my approach
as a maker, although there is plenty of irony
and snarkiness at play. I take making things
with a huge grain of salt and an assumption
that I will learn something new”.
bit.ly/touchedbytaz
Logan specializes in oil paintings using mineral
and earth pigments sourced directly from the
land. Drawing from her experiences as a young
mother, Logan infuses her artwork with a sense
of wonder and reverence for the sacredness of
life. Her paintings serve as visual meditations on
the themes of creation, spirituality, and the
enduring power of love. The colors of the earth,
ethereal textures, and profound depth of emotion
characterize her work.
Logan says: “Rooted in the tradition of mineral
and earth pigment painting, my art is a journey of
discovery, seeking the sacred within the ordinary
and the divine within the earthly. My art is a
reflection of my deepest beliefs and experiences
with Jesus”.
https://loganortwerth0.wixsite.com/home/portfolio
https://www.instagram.com/loganortwerth
Mary Louise became enthralled with the wood like
quality of a gourd after taking a class at the
community center in 2011. Since her first gourd
she says that they are so much fun even though
hard to prepare. She loves seeing what they turn
into. Many of her pieces are done with a
southwestern flair and more and more she is
looking for the peace, beauty and spiritual
connection in art. Mary Louise absolutely LOVES
the extra little details she includes which allow us
to feel the magic of this art.
Mary Louise says: “Gourds are magic for me to
work with and each gourd plant has its own shape
& quality lending to its uniqueness. Recent works
may include other art media which opens up my
work to even more possibilities. It’s just fun to see
the work grow.
www.skeltonhealth.com
Landscape paintings by Laverne Bohlin have
been described as serene, tranquil and peaceful.
Using pastel or oil paint, her contemporary
impressionist work strives to capture the poetry
and mood of the unique New Mexico landscape.
Laverne says: “The natural world has always
been my muse and inspiration. Simply put,
painting brings me great joy. My hope is the
viewer will experience the solace, power and
serenity that exists in nature when they see my
art”.
www.lavernebohlin.com
https://www.instagram.com/laverne.bohlin/
Katherine studied art at DePauw University. She
attended Tyler School of Art in Rome and
interned with Willard Midgette in New York. She
attended classes at Pratt Institute, School of
Visual Arts and was a frequent visitor to Europe
and New York’s magnificent art museums.
Katherine moved to New Mexico in 1982,
exhibiting her oils in Southwest galleries.
Katherine began working seriously in pastels in
2002. She is an award winning artist who
exhibits nationally.
Katherine says: “When I moved to New Mexico,
I made a conscious decision to contribute
beauty to the world through my art. I find the
world of natural color to be endlessly inspiring -
whether it be reflections from a setting sun or
light dancing on leaves”.
www.katherineirish.com
Kurt lived in Wisconsin until his retirement
from the IT field, and moved to New Mexico
shortly afterward. His lifelong hobbies have
often involved making custom home
furnishings. Copper has often been a favorite
material and he enjoys the relative ease at
which it can be cut and shaped. He also enjoys
biking the many off-road trails found
throughout the valley. Kurt lives in Mariposa
with his wife Lori.
Kurt says: “Like many artists, my work is
inspired by the surroundings that drew me to
New Mexico. I am inspired by the landscape. I
seek to make common forms interesting by
representing them in copper and combined
with wood or other materials when needed”.
https://copperaccent.com
Instagram: copperaccent