WHIMSICAL WORLD
Santa Fe’s Paula Best is one of 185 artists participating in the Rio Grande Arts & Crafts holiday show
For three days, 185 artists will convene at Expo New Mexico to take part in the Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Holiday Festival. The artists from all over the country will sell their works — all in different mediums.
Santa Fe-based artist Paula Best is a regular exhibitor at the event and looks forward to the festival.
“I’ve done this festival for nearly 15 years,” Best says. “(Founder) Ruth (Gore) does an excellent job at getting a diverse group of people involved in each one. It’s great to be able to see new artists each time around.”
Best’s work is whimsical, with plenty of color and a strong point of view.
Primarily working with acrylic, she also draws and uses colored pencils.
“I like to mix textures and layers,” she says. “Putting patterns and colors together in unexpected ways is what I enjoy doing.”
Best is from Berkeley, Calif., and moved to Santa Fe about 10 years ago.
It’s in the City Different where she truly felt as home as an artist.
“I’ve drawn my whole life and I draw every day,” she says. “It wasn’t until I moved to New Mexico that I felt an artistic freedom to let myself expand. It’s really a perfect place to be an artist.”
The majority of Best’s pieces start by her drawing a face.
“Sometimes the ideas just come,” she says. “I’m not looking for them. They are just there.”
While she’s made a career in art, she didn’t go to school for it.
“I did take a lot of art classes,” she explains. “I didn’t choose to get a degree in art because I wanted to develop naturally by experimenting and discovering what was next. For some artists, the education thing is important. For me, it wasn’t. I wanted to learn and take hold of my own path.”
Festival founder Gore says the festival also features musical entertainment in both halls of the exhibit space.
“Professional pianists, carolers and mariachis will be there,” Gore says. There will also be a Kids’ Creation Station, as well as opportunities to see artists at work.
More information can be found at riograndefestivals.com.