January Visual Arts
Artistic Theme: Abstract
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Elizabeth Potter moved from Texas to New Mexico in 2016. Since her early
childhood, she has always looked for ways to express creativity by
producing art in various forms. Now living in Placitas, Elizabeth continues
to explore artistic opportunities and to find ways to burn her creative
energy. Exploring a variety of mediums and observing other artists help to
inspire her work. Elizabeth’s most recent works are “paper quilling”
inspired by paper artists encountered during artistic explorations. Not one
to follow traditional methods or rules, she calls her quilling style “Twisted
Traditional.”
Elizabeth says, “When I moved to Placitas in late 2018 and realized the
dream of having my own studio, I no longer had to curb my creativity.
Dabbling in various mediums, I’m currently dedicated fulltime to quilling
which is a paper artform that was popularized during the 18th century.
Not one to follow traditional methods or rules, I define my quilling style as
“traditionally twisted.” Switching back and forth from traditional, easily
recognizable forms to free-flowing abstracts keeps the work fresh and me,
the artist, interested. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy
creating.
Eapotter1010@yahoo.com
Steve Palmer began his artistic career in 2015 after moving to Placitas. For
the previous 40+ years he was a professor of Psychology and Cognitive
Science at U.C. Berkeley. There he taught courses and published 100+
research articles about visual perception, culminating in his pioneering
book, Vision Science: Photons to Phenomenology. Steve devoted the last
decade of his scientific career to the study of visual aesthetics, exploring
what kinds of visual stimulation people like and why they like what they
do. After retiring, he pivoted to making art, teaching himself how to create
abstract images of structured colors, textures, and motion. His work is
available at the Wild Hearts Gallery in Placitas and on his website (palmer-
photoart.com).
Steve says, “I have always been fascinated by the limitless complexities of
natural materials, like polished marble, agate, jasper, and petrified wood,
but I was hopeless at capturing them in paint with brushes on canvas!
About three years ago, I began experimenting with the art of pouring paint
instead of brushing it, and suddenly I found that I could create an amazing
variety of abstract compositions whose colors and textures I found
remarkably appealing! It was a whole new ball game for me!”
Bobby Lopez is a native of Albuquerque. He retired from Sandia Labs,
where he designed and cared for landscapes and interior-scapes for foyers,
large patios and atriums throughout the campus. In 2003 he designed and
built his home in Placitas. Then he began to paint.
Bobby says, “I use acrylic paints because it is so versatile and non-toxic,
allowing me to mix it with various mediums to create different effects. I
bring my love of landscape into my paintings with the same elements of
vibrant color found in flowers and plants, the lines and patterns in rocks
and the flow of water. One evening while painting a sunset, the variation of
shapes and changing colors in the clouds began my interest in a more
abstract style.”
Janet Bothne’s artwork focuses on the limitless possibilities color presents
as subject matter. Having lived in Boston and Los Angeles, she relocated to
New Mexico in 2013 and now works from her studio in Los Ranchos. She
has exhibited across the country in numerous venues such as The Los
Angeles County Museum’s Sales & Rental Gallery, The Santa Monica Art
Museum and Spectrum Miami.
Janet says, “To imagine the puzzle and then solve it, is what abstract
painting requires. It’s about letting go of preconceived plans and allowing
oneself to respond to cues that present themselves. It feels like you’re
working ‘backwards’, pushing back—constantly reevaluating what the
materials reveal. It’s also about my life-long excitement for color. It’s light
held captive—an energy source with limitless possibilities. Its collaboration
with surface and context make each endeavor an engrossing new challenge.
The joy in the process is why I show up everyday to solve these puzzles... if
that emotion comes across, I’ve done my job.”
Email: janetbothne@mac.com
A magazine ad Allen Bourne saw at age 11 triggered his lifelong interest in
the visual arts, especially photography. He earned a degree in
Journalism/Advertising, which he followed with a career in ad agencies and
corporate marketing and the ongoing study of contemporary painting,
sculpture, and photography. Over the last 10 years, Allen has focused on
capturing the abstract in the natural and built environments. New to
Placitas, Allen’s work has been featured in Houston at the Art Car Museum,
Williams Tower Gallery, Lawndale Art Center and Fotofest 2018, in
Oklahoma City’s Artspace Untitled, and the Amarillo Museum of Art.
Allen says: “Visual imagery is today’s lingua franca, which makes sense with
cameras being virtually everywhere. While vanity and social
awareness/outrage are popular topics in the digital realm, I aim to provide a
visual haven in print from the hyper-politicized, armed-camp environment
that dominates the media, a momentary oasis that delights through abstract
color, form and mystique. My recent bodies of work-- influenced by abstract
artists such as Richter, Kiefer, Louis and Rothko—invite viewers to see the
beauty in surprisingly ordinary objects, many altered by time and chemistry,
that have been discarded or are off the beaten path.”
