A MOMENT’S TIME
AIR
JORDAN CALDWELL
PLEIN AIR COLLABORATIONS: PALS (PLEIN AIR LANDSCAPERS)
AND
A MOMENT’S TIME: JORDAN CALDWELL
APRIL 25-JUNE 1, 2024
Harwood Art Center is pleased to present painting exhibitions: Plein Air Collaborations by PALs (Plein Air Landscapers) and A Moment’s Time by Jordan Caldwell. Plein Air Collaborations is a group exhibition that demonstrates the inspirational benefits provided by the practice of plein air painting, as well as the significance of group activities to better physical and mental health and creative output. In the Front Gallery, A Moment’s Time by Jordan Caldwell shows the everyday hidden beauty of this cold isolated developed world we live in. In situations that people would normally overlook or see as aimless, Caldwell chooses to find comfort and contentment.
Cover: Corner Store, Jordan Caldwell; Autumn In The Bosque, Catherine Alleva; Page 3: Top: Plein Air Collaborations (PALS) installation, 2024 Aziza Murray & Harwood Art Center, All Rights Reserved; Bottom: 5 Carlisle, Jordan Caldwell, 2024 Aziza Murray & Harwood Art Center, All Rights Reserved
PALS (PLEIN AIR LANDSCAPERS)
MEET THE ARTISTS
JORDAN CALDWELL
PLEIN AIR COLLABORATIONS: PALS (PLEIN AIR LANDSCAPERS)
Catherine Alleva is a New Mexico based artist and ceramist. Her vibrant, contemporary works are painted in acrylics, the medium of her youth. She draws from her career experiences in web development and graphic design to bring her bold perspective to canvas. Inspired by the beauty of nature, Catherine enjoys painting outdoors in a variety of environments. With bright colors and defined brushwork, her paintings evoke a strong sense of place with a touch of whimsy. Catherine’s work has been exhibited at The Gallery ABQ, The New Mexico Art League, The Rio Grande Art Association’s Encantada Exhibition and most recently at the Hawaii Island Art Alliance’s Plein Air Perspectives Exhibition.
Lisa Avila After a horse industry career in Texas, spanning 30+ years, Lisa found herself making a huge career shift when she became Performing Arts Director of a local gallery/cultural center. Additional part-time employment as an assistant to the gallery director led her to begin painting again and to apply for the Director’s job when the position was vacated, and a new world became her focus. Though an art major in college, it had been years since Lisa had wielded pen or brush, and she was suddenly inspired by the many artists who were part of the gallery where she worked. When she and her husband retired to Placitas during the pandemic, she finally had more time to paint, and the landscape and beauty of her new environs continue to astound and amaze her. She works in acrylics, watercolor and mixed media and dabbles with non-representational abstracts. However, her primary focus is “representational” – whether abstracted or less so. Different subjects lead her down a variety of roads when it comes to style. Her non-representational pieces generally reflect a mood or are a response to an occurrence in her life or the world and her representational work is often inspired by nature. Lisa’s piece “Painted Horse at Sunrise” graced the cover of the 2023 Placitas Studio Tour 36-page brochure; she has participated in that tour for the past two years and is one of the 79 artists in this year’s tour. Her painting “We Ride at Dawn” was one of 9 Honorable Mentions chosen from 73 works submitted for the 2024 Balloon Fiesta Serigraph Poster Contest.
Ann Blankenship was born and raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota. She got her Bachelor of Arts degree from Black Hills State University in Art and Special Education; a Master’s in Education Administration followed. She taught high school art for 30 years. Ann learned to weave and has spent 40 years as a textile artist. Upon retirement, she was introduced to plein air painting and fell in love with the fusion of being outside and the landscapes of New Mexico. Ann has taken classes from Bill Gallen, Natasha Isenhour, Peggy Immel, and Alice Webb. Ann is a member of the local painting group PALS and has exhibited in a number of their shows. The creative process keeps her in the now. Painting in New Mexico has given Ann an opportunity to slow down and really see. Landscapes, color, and canvas while being outside is pure joy. Ann is also represented by the Jemez Fine Arts Gallery.
Anna Escamilla’s love of drawing started in the 7th grade when she realized she could draw. Anna took classes at the community colleges and continued to do art while working and raising a family. Anna started her painting journey in oil, but works in acrylics as well. Anna loves the outdoors and plein-air painting has become something she looks forward to doing. The New Mexico landscape provides a variety of beautiful and stark landscapes. Anna looks forward to her weekly outings with the PALS plein-air painting group and learning from these wonderful people. It has been challenging learning how to deal with weather related issues compared to working in the studio. Anna has started to explore some abstract and mixed media pieces and working on combining drawing and painting as she tends to lean towards a representational style of work. Anna retired in 2022 and now has the time and freedom to see what she can accomplish. The sky is the limit and she is still working on her style as an artist.
Connie Falk enjoys painting in oils and focuses most of her efforts on the local landscape. Painting in plein air is a particular passion, as it combines sharing adventures with good friends and carefully observing the effects of changing seasons on light, color and form. In 2022, Connie was included in Southwest Art Magazine’s, “10 NM Painters to Watch.” In 2024, 18 of Connie’s paintings were rented by the movie “Miss You, Love You” and she was commissioned to paint an additional 3 paintings, including one partially finished that the star Allison Janney “finished” in the movie. Connie has called New Mexico home since 1988 when she began her academic career in agricultural economics at New Mexico State University. While on the faculty, she began taking art classes at NMSU in 2004, and continued taking classes until 2013 when she retired. She is a regular participant in the Placitas Studio Tour on Mother’s Day weekend, and in 2023 she was juried into the upcoming Corrales Studio Tour held the weekend before the Placitas Studio Tour in May. (cont’d Page 5)
Colleen Zacharias Gregoire grew up in the Midwest, and studied drawing and painting privately before receiving her MFA in painting from the University of Kansas, where she began a life-long love for the local landscape plein air. She has taught art and art history at the college level, as well as teaching youth and adults through local arts centers. She relocated to Placitas, NM in the fall of 2020, and immersed herself into the local arts scene. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries throughout the Midwest. She currently is involved with the Placitas Library Art Committee, the Wild Hearts Gallery in Placitas, and is the editor for the RGAA Palette newsletter. Embracing the landscape and architecture of New Mexico, Gregoire has enjoyed new-found inspiration for her oils and watercolor paintings.
Risa Taylor dreamed of being an artist and has eagerly painted towards that goal on most days of the last seven years. Much of her work is started in Plein Air and finished in her home studio. Both oil and acrylic paints are used to create dynamic, color filled canvases that convey the strength of her relationship with New Mexico’s landscapes and its spectacularly grand vistas. Risa’s truth is that she loves every part of the process of painting New Mexico. Her work is frequently included in local and regional art events and is forever grateful that her paintings are being enjoyed in collectors’ homes throughout the United States. Risa was named as “A Local Treasure” by ABQ ART Business Association is one of my proudest moments.
Alice Webb is a life-long artist, teacher and learner, Alice Webb has both a BFA and a MA in Art Education from the University of New Mexico where she graduated with Honors. Webb, who lived in Taos from 1973 until 1990 where she worked along-side many notable artists and studied with Fritz Scholder. “I like to think that I grew up as an artist in Taos”, says Webb. During the mid 90’s Webb taught classes and workshops to children and adults at numerous non-’profits in Santa Fe and Albuquerque including the Harwood Art Center. From 2003 until 2018 she taught art for Albuquerque Public schools and in the Art Ed department at UNM. In 2016 Webb was named an Albuquerque Art Treasure and this year her work was chosen by New Mexico magazine for publication in their annual calendar. Alice Webb has painted the South West for over forty years and her landscapes and abstracts have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are in numerous public, private and corporate collections.
Page 7: Plein Air Collaborations (PALS) installation, 2024 Aziza Murray & Harwood Art Center, All Rights Reserved; Page 8 Left: Staircase to Heaven, Alice Webb; Right: Stairway to Heaven, Anna Escarmilla; Page 9: Plein Air Collaborations (PALS) installation, 2024 Aziza Murray & Harwood Art Center, All Rights Reserved
Pages 10-11: Plein Air Collaborations (PALS) installation, 2024, Aziza Murray &
Harwood Art Center, All Rights Reserved
about pals
Plein Air Landscapers (PALs) is a group of painting enthusiasts who have enjoyed fellowship and the great outdoors on a weekly basis since 2017. Representing a variety of professional backgrounds and painting experiences, many of the artists are accomplished painters with numerous awards, gallery representation, and individual and group show experience, while others are exploring new boundaries in their painting development. Mentorship is a vital part of the group’s dynamic, and supporting everyone’s creative journey is key. Past shows that the PALs group has participated in are: Gutierrez-Hubbel House 2019, Gallery ABQ 2021, Open Space Visitor Center 2023, Placitas Artist Series 2023, Wild Hearts Gallery 2023, and GutierrezHubbel House 2023.
Pages 12-16: Plein Air Collaborations (PALS) installation, Aziza Murray & Harwood Art Center, All Rights Reserved; Page 17 from Left to Right: Lisa Avila, Water Under the Bridge; Ann Blankenship, Aki no hana; Alice Webb, Botanical Gardens
artist statement “
There are vastly different reasons artists chose to paint en plein air; exploring the contours of the landscape, experiencing the changing light, or simply enjoying the challenge of creating a painting while (sometimes) battling the elements of nature. Whether you win or lose the battle with the wind, the gnats or the heat, it is the impression of the landscape that you have captured on canvas that makes the venture worthwhile. Painting en plein air as a group is also beneficial: the comaraderie and support from fellow painters helps each participant grow as an artist.”
A MOMENT’S TIME: JORDAN CALDWELL
A Moment’s Time shows the everyday hidden beauty of this cold isolated developed world we live in. In situations that people would normally overlook or see as aimless. Caldwell chooses to find comfort and contentment. This exhibition appreciates small moments like leaving for school at dawn, being stuck in traffic, coming home at dusk, or walking on a rainy day.
about jordan caldwell
Being born and raised in Albuquerque Jordan grew up in a trailer park, the middle child in a single parent home. He always had this weird feeling to not expect much from life, content with simplicity and mundanity.
The painting that first inspired him was Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”. Hopper is Jordan’s primary influence on his style and subject matter. He connected with Hopper’s beautiful and lonely depictions of the world and time he grew up in. Another influence in his work is music, particularly jazz, invoking a sense of introspection.
Jordan wants to paint modern landscapes that depict the cold isolation and hidden beauty that he and others experience every day. He prefers to use oil paint on canvas, as well as creating his own canvases. In the future he hopes to grow his technical skills but primarily aims to have a clear understanding and depiction of his feelings.
22-25: Jordan Caldwell, A Moment’s Time installation, Aziza Murray & Harwood Art Center, All
artist statement “
I’m a local artist from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I want to show that Albuquerque is not all green chile and hot-air balloons. Through my cityscape paintings I aim to depict the beauty of the cold isolated world we live in. Similar to my primary inspiration Edward Hopper – who captures the struggles, isolation, and leisure of the common American at the time – I attempt to create an Expressive Realism aesthetic in my art. I achieve this through romanticizing the mundane world around me, emphasizing saturated colors, thick liquid-like textures, and realistic lighting. What I want the viewer to take away from my art is the feeling of complacency, the momentary appreciation of their surroundings. Reflecting on their lives at that time through an idle snapshot of beautiful mindlessness.”
Page 26: Jordan Caldwell, River of Lights - Cowboy; Page 27: Jordan Caldwell, River of Lights - Submarine, Oil on wood panel, 12x12, Pages 28-29: Jordan Caldwell, A Moment’s Time installation, 2024 Aziza Murray & Harwood Art Center, All Rights Reserved
Harwood Art Center is dedicated to providing exhibition, audience expansion and professional development opportunities to artists working in any media and from diverse creative fields. Featuring established, emerging, and youth artists, our Galleries Program engages a supportive process from concept development through installation and public opening. For more information visit: harwoodartcenter.org
JAN
JANUARY
18- FEBRUARY 24
Illumination: The Artists of ArtStreet, Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless Harwood Art Center and ArtStreet of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless co-present Illumination, a collection of works by the artists of ArtStreet that center around a desire to invite you into their inner world. This marks the 27th anniversary of this annual exhibition partnership.
Reception: Saturday, February 3 | 4:30-6:30pm
MAR
MARCH
7- APRIL 13
ENCOMPASS: Embodiments of Wonder
An annual celebration that is both a reflection of and an offering to our community, Encompass features Open Studios, art making activities, installations by student artists, and five invitational exhibitions including Embodiments of Wonder commissioned installations by Adrian Martin, Adrian Pijoan, Audrey Montoya, Monika Guerra, Sallie Scheufler, and Shawn Turung and Ithacan Mythologies/Whose Home? by Harley Kirschner.
Reception: Saturday, April 13 | 4:30-7:30pm
APR
APRIL 25 - JUNE 1
Plein Air Collaborations: PALs (Plein Air Landscapers)
Demonstrates the inspirational benefits provided by the practice of plein air painting, as well as the significance of group activities to better physical and mental health and creative output.
Jordan Caldwell: A Moments Time
A Moments Time shows the everyday hidden beauty of this cold isolated developed world we live in. In situations that people would normally overlook or see as aimless, Caldwell chooses to find comfort and contentment. This exhibition appreciates small moments like leaving for school at dawn, being stuck in traffic, waiting for a bus, coming home at dusk, or walking on a rainy day.
Reception + Artist Talks: Saturday, May 18 | 4:30-6:30pm
JUN
JUNE
13- JULY 27
SURFACE: Emerging Artists of New Mexico
SURFACE: Emerging Artists of New Mexico is the annual juried exhibition, endowed awards and professional development program presented by Harwood Art Center, to support the creative and professional growth of emerging artists and to expand their visibility and viability in our community.
Zuyva Sevilla: Surface 2023 Solo Exhibition Award Winner
Reception + Artist Talks: Saturday, June 22 | 5:00-7:00pm
Harwood offers four capstone exhibitions annually:
1 ENCOMPASS A multi-generational art event
2 SURFACE Emerging Artists of New Mexico
3 RESIDENCY for Art & Social Justice
4 12x12 Our annual fundraiser; all proceeds support our free community arts education, outreach and professional development.
AUG
AUGUST 8 - SEPTEMBER 14
Southwest Black Arts Collective: (BE)LOVED
In a world marked by injustice, inequity, and pain, how do we embrace the (BE)LOVED? Centered in the experiences of the artists as people of African heritage, this exhibition explores how (BE)LOVED exists within and extends beyond the personal realm.
Lauren Dana Smith: Recall: Sculptural Myth and Memory
This exhibition asks, "Where does the earth end and my body begin? Where does your body begin and where does it end?"
Sarah Aziz: Tumbleweed Rodeo
Tumbleweed Rodeo reconstitutes tumbleweeds into an inhabitable landscape drawing and positions the question of invasive species (what came first, and what’s truly invasive?) not as disasters but as displays of the majesty of nature and life.
Reception: Saturday, August 24 | 4:30-6:30pm
SEPT
SEPTEMBER 26- NOVEMBER 2
Residency for Art & Social Justice
Harwood’s Residency for Art & Social Justice features and supports artists working at the intersections of creative expression and social justice. The ten month program includes a private studio at Harwood, artist and material honoraria, project support and public exhibitions.
Resident Artist, Gael Luna: Lucha Libre Trans Queer Art Espectacular
Uplifting the lives of transgender and queer athletes in New Mexico
Reception + Artist Talks: Saturday, October 19 | 4:30-6:30pm
DEC
DECEMBER 6-13
12x12: Harwood’s Annual Fundraising Exhibitions
12x12, 6x6 and The Shop at Harwood features original work by established, emerging and youth artists from New Mexico. This event includes ~200 works that remain anonymous until sold, for the flat rates of $144 (12”x12”) or $36 (6”x6”). The Shop highlights the intersections of art, design and daily living with works by notable New Mexico artists.
Exhibition Reception: Friday, December 6 | 5:30pm-7:30pm 12x12 Online Store Opens: Saturday, December 7 | 6:00pm
Image Credits: (Left, Top to Bottom): Harley Kirschner, Lotus Morning on Lake Cayuga; Thomas Carney, 9.5x6.5; Zuyva Sevilla, Hyperlux 6; Gael Luna, Sky Ancestor; (Center): Audrey Montoya, ICE CREAM CONE; (Right, Top to Bottom): Alanna Airitam, Take a Look Inside; Sarah Aziz, LEMB, and CO-OPt, Tumbleweed Rodeo Drawing Workshop; Anna Escamilla, Liam's Pond Paint Around; Lauren Dana Smith, Obedience Plaster; Jordan Caldwell, Traffic Over the Rio Grande; The Shop Image Credit: Caitlin Carcerano, Asteraceae Risograph Card
Shop at
is a
for
Shop: harwoodstore.square.site
The
Harwood
boutique gallery currently representing the following artist
a calendar year: Kristin Anchors, Carrie Botto, Caitlin Carcerano, Jen DePaolo, Diego Medina, Linda Montagnoli, Gloria Olazabal, Emily Silva and Mark Weaver.
ABOUT HARWOOD ART CENTER
HARWOOD ART CENTER’S GALLERIES
are dedicated to providing exhibition, audience expansion and professional development opportunities to artists working in any media and from diverse creative fields. Our gallery program is curated and managed by our Chief Programs Officer and Associate Directors of Opportunity and Engagement. Artists are invited to exhibit during three of our annual capstone events, Encompass, Residency for Art & Social Justice & 12x12, the rest of our exhibitions are awarded to individuals and groups through a competitive application process. Most of our applications are free to apply, any collected fees allocated to replenishing Harwood’s endowed cash awards for the program. Each featured exhibition is a supportive process, we work with the artists from concept development to installation in the galleries. For each exhibition we create comprehensive outreach and digital materials including exhibition catalogs, virtual galleries and artist talks to support the unique visions and voices of our gallery artists.
Seeded in 1991, Harwood Art Center blooms the philosophy of our parent organization Escuela Del Sol Montessori, with recognition that learning and expression offer the most resilient pathways to global citizenship, justice and peace. Harwood engages the arts as a catalyst for lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and social change, with programming for every age, background and income level. We believe that equitable access to the arts and opportunities for creative expression are integral to healthy individuals and thriving communities. In all of our work, we cultivate inclusive, reflective environments where everyone feels cared for. We nurture long-term, multi-faceted relationships with participants, building programs with and for diverse communities of Albuquerque. We integrate the arts with social justice, professional and economic growth, and education to cultivate a higher collective quality of life in New Mexico.
HARWOOD ART CENTER’S OFFICIAL GALLERY & EXHIBITION PHOTOGRAPHER
We are so thrilled to have an official Harwood Photographer for our galleries program this year! We are able to present the SURFACE Emerging Artists of NM Award and Microgrant of $250 to each of this year’s artists thanks to the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, New Mexico Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and the McCune Foundation.
Aziza Murray is a New Mexico based artist working primarily in photography. In 2015 she graduated with an MFA from the University of New Mexico where she also worked as a pictorial archiving fellow for the Center for Southwest Research. Since then, Aziza has worked in different capacities in the film industry in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, further piquing her interest in cinematography. Much of her work stems from a well of nostalgia for objects and moments, the materiality of photography, and her personal history—from experiencing tragic loss at an early age, to her multilayered experiences as a biracial person growing up in Washington, DC. She has shown her work in DC at Connersmith and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, in Albuquerque at the Harwood Art Center, the UNM Art Museum and the National Hispanic Cultural Center and, at MASS Gallery in Austin, TX.
azizamurray.com azizamurray@gmail.com
Many thanks to our generous sponsoring partners: Albuquerque Art Business Association / ARTScrawl, Albuquerque Community Foundation, Downtown Neighborhood Association, McCune Charitable Foundation, New Mexico Arts and National Endowment for the Arts, City of Albuquerque Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, US Bank, and A Good Sign. Special thanks to Nusenda Foundation and Sandia Foundation for support of our Creative Roots program and to Fay Abrams and to Debi & Clint Dodge for support of our exhibiting and commission artists.