September 2022: Keeping It Simple

September tends to kick off the busiest time of year— new school year starts up, poetry and art events increase, and in Albuquerque tourists arrive in greater numbers as the weather cools down. In spite of these challenges I’m trying to keep my life simple by taking one day at a time!

September 2nd First Friday Art Events

I’m looking forward to checking some of these First Friday art events around Albuquerque this coming Friday!

September 3rd in Placitas

Save the Date for Let’s Get Metaphysical!
Opening at Tortuga Gallery on Friday, October 7 from 5-8pm

This provocative show features work by nine Albuquerque artists whose work is grounded in metaphysical explorations from the microscopic to the metagalactic, and from the soma to the psyche. Historically, humans have explored the nature of existence and expressed their limited understanding of it through philosophical, mathematical, and creative arts. Metaphysics, as a branch of philosophy, attempts to explain that which is unseen yet impacts the physical world.

In this show, each of the following visual artists present works that makes the invisible, visible:

Caitlin Padilla is a Spiritual Surrealist painter, focusing on oil and chalk pastel. She uses metaphysical  imagery and the feminine form to show power through vulnerability and connection on a universal level.

Carol Roullard creates stunning award-winning micro-crystal art that has been widely shown and written up in publications both nationally and around the world. Her recent micro-crystal jewelry gives the wearer the opportunity to take her incredible art with them wherever they go.

Denise Weaver Ross explores her understanding of the world through images richly layered with mythological, natural, cultural and historical references. An award-winning artist and poet, Denise will be presenting work from her 
I Ching series, based on the 64 hexagrams of the 2000-year-old Chinese divination system.

Diane Arthur aka Cosmic Bird, is a multi-disciplinary artist whose rich tapestry of spiritual beliefs and experiences serves as the foundation for all her creations. Her work represents  her soul’s magical experiences and the love that has grown inside her as a result.

Jenn DeSantis aka LadyJennD, is a visual DJ and much like a DJ remixes sounds to create new music, she combines samplings of imagery and text to create her unique visions. Her cerebral mixed media collages are in collections worldwide.

Jona Lou Batt credits the Japanese concept of Yugen as the inspiration behind the intuitive applications of vibrant color that create her cosmic imagery. A NM State Fair Blue Ribbon winner in the oils and acrylics division, Jona hopes her work will continue to inspire a renewed sense of awe and wonder about our shared existence.

KD Neeley currently works as the Graphics Specialist for The Corrales Comment newspaper. She is a Marine Corps Veteran recovering from severe PTSD and uses artwork as a vehicle toward recovery from trauma.

Roe LiBretto creates internationally collected allegorical paintings that use an obtuse visual conglomerate of cross-cultural metaphysical and mythological symbolism. As a visionary artist, Roe is a conduit for visual representations of experiences stored in what Carl Jung refers to as the universal unconscious.

Sonia Luévano Campbell is inspired by Pope John Paull II’s Letter to Artists which guides her to express beauty in what might otherwise be darkness. Sonia reaches beyond her formal training in liturgical art to create unique, visually powerful, narrative works. 

Stay healthy and safe!