November Visual Artists

Mary Lee Dereske has been an avid photographer her entire life. Dereske has attended workshops, college courses, and training online to hone her craft in both photography and graphic design. She has exhibited in juried shows in New Mexico. Dereske began selling her photographic work online in 2013 and her artwork has been purchased by clients from across the United States, England, and Australia. She refuses to be constrained by any one subject matter other than the play of light in a scene, resulting in a wide-ranging body of work. As a natural outgrowth of her love for not only photography, but for the story behind the photographs, Dereske now presents her work in photo books. In 2018 she successfully published a short run of the book, ‘Trees Are My Muse - A Tale of Love and Friendship,’ which was featured in the Sandoval Signpost and in the Sunday Albuquerque Journal. For the Placitas Artist Series, Dereske presents the photo book, ‘A Walk in the Village (the Placitas Project),’ for the first time to the public. Mary says: “I can’t really tell you what type of photographer I am. Trying to describe it is as difficult as catching that perfect fleeting moment of light on a scene. And it becomes even more difficult now that I am creating photo books that cross the line between ‘photo book’ and ‘story’ or ‘personal documentary.’ This past year has been a leap of faith for me to present my images in book form. I put a lot of personal feeling into the final product, and when it goes out into the world, I don’t know how it will be received. The books are more than photos - they are a reflection upon how I see the world.”

Mixed media artist Rebecca Nolda received her Master of Arts in studio art from the University of Minnesota and spent several years in the corporate world as a graphic designer and technical illustrator before moving to New Mexico and pursuing art full time. She has exhibited artist’s books, paintings, collage, and drawings nationally and internationally with pieces in the collection of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago Library, the Tweed Museum of Art, and Artists’ Books USA (United States Information Service, India). Rebecca says: “I love to explore the subtle relationships between what we see and what we imagine. The little bits and pieces that are floating in my paintings or that are collected together in my collages look like they represent stories--the leftover content of something that has happened. They are a suggestion of a story, a hint at the elapse of time, and a history of occurrences and events.”

Erica says: “Following my retirement five years ago, I was so overwhelmed with artistic ideas I knew, right then and there, art would play an enormous role in the next chapter of my life. I find beauty and inspiration in front of me all the time – animals, birds, clouds, and flowers – and from this my ideas and art flow.”

P.K. Williams’ first career was teaching. When she and her husband relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2010 she began walking a different path. She taught part-time with Art in the School. Locally, Williams has been juried into Masterworks, the New Mexico State Fair, the Placitas Artists Series, Rio Grande Art Association Encantada, and several New Mexico Watercolor Society and New Mexico Art League exhibitions. She also participates in the yearly Alameda Studio Tour. Some of her awards include becoming a signature member of the New Mexico Watercolor Society in 2014, First Place in Mixed Media at the Texas & Neighbors Regional Exhibition in 2017, and First Place in Mixed Media at the National Greeley Art Exhibition in 2018. Williams now serves as President-Elect for the board of Art in the Schools, and is a member of the New Mexico Watercolor Society, the Rio Grande Art Association, the New Mexico Art League, Artists ‘Round Town, and New Mexico Women in the Arts. P. K. says: “For several years I struggled with finding a consistent style or subject matter but have since discovered I enjoy being versatile. There are many processes to explore and I am not content using only one medium or concentrating on a similar subject matter. I enjoy working with various media and continue to investigate different surfaces, techniques, and possibilities. Experimenting with these various elements peaks my enthusiasm and stirs my imagination. I've heard the expression about being ‘a jack of all trades and a master of none.’ I'm happy exploring every possibility both life and art have to offer.”