EXHIBITIONISM

A PEEK AT WHAT’S SHOWING AROUND TOWN

Adam Normandin, 07 (2018), oil and acrylic on canvas

LewAllen Galleries, 1613 Paseo de Peralta, 505-988-3250, lewallengalleries.com Trains may be at rest in a railyard or rushing by in a blur, but the train paintings by contemporary realist Adam Normandin capture the power of America’s locomotives. Meticulously rendered, his canvases convey the timeworn aspects of trains: tired paint jobs, rusted surfaces scrawled with graffiti. He invests each canvas with a sense of the character and history of his subjects. “For me, freight trains are underdogs — survivors, relentlessly pushing forward despite odds, conditions or circumstances,” he says in a statement. “They are travelers, each bearing unique marks of time and resilience.” Normandin’s exhibition Wanderlust is on view at the gallery or online through Aug. 8. A link to the online catalogue is available on LewAllen’s website.

Alcario Otero, Mary the Good Shepherdess (2020), carved wood with natural pigments

Blue Rain Gallery, 544 S. Guadalupe St., 505-954-9902, blueraingallery.com The art of the santero (saint maker) and santera is among the more prominent forms to emerge from the Spanish Colonial period in New Mexico. Many artists still gather the materials needed to make natural pigments and still use traditional woods by hand, like aspen and cottonwood for bultos (sculptures in the round) and pine boards for two-dimensional paintings called retablos. The iconography of Roman Catholicism is a prominent feature of these art forms. Numerous examples of the art of the santero are featured in Blue Rain’s Spanish Market Show, including works by Alcario Otero, Jean Anaya Moya, and Victor Goler. The show opens with a 5 p.m. reception on Friday, July 24, and runs through Aug. 8. A selection of works can also be viewed on the gallery’s website.

Jade Leyva, We Are One (2020), acrylic on canvas

Mill Contemporary, 644 Canyon Road, 505-983-6668, millcontemp.com Local artist Jade Leyva’s work is a celebratory exploration of the themes of love, unity, and the relationship between people and the Earth. Her influences range from pre-Columbian art to post-modernism, and she invests her paintings with a sense of magical realism. Leyva joins gallery artists Jamie Chase and Russell H. Baldwin for the gallery’s midsummer exhibit of new work. Virtual visits with the artists in their studios are included in the online component. The show also features work by Los Angeles artist Raymond Logan and a preview of new pieces by Denver artist Cheri Vilona, who will have a solo exhibition at the gallery in August. The midsummer show opens at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 24, and is on view through Aug. 31.

Melinda K. Hall, Letting the Cat into the Bag (2020), oil on canvas

Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art, 702 Canyon Road, 505-986-1156, giacobbefritz.com The domestic lives of animals are a prominent feature of the quirky paintings of local artist Melinda K. Hall. Cats and dogs, and maybe something a little more exotic, like a bat, interact with everyday objects. Sometimes, they’re immersed in very human activities, like playing cards. Often, inanimate objects are her subjects, which she renders with good-natured humor, merging images and text in a folk art style but with a sophisticated level of realism. In her solo exhibition, So, Watcha Been Up To? (through Sunday, July 26), numerous works reference the public response to the pandemic. Cats sport face masks, household pets wash their paws at the sink, and they maintain their social distance. Contact the gallery for a private tour or see the work online.

Peter Hagen, All in a Row (2020), oil

McLarry Fine Art, 225 Canyon Road, 505-988-1161, mclarryfineart.com In exploring the landscapes of the Northern New Mexico, plein air painter Peter Hagen is inspired by the ever-changing quality of weather and light. In soft, loose brushwork, he captures the atmosphere and idyllic beauty of the chamisa-studded hills, fields of wildflowers, and blooming orchards of the Southwestern terrain. Trained in graphic design at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, Hagen spent 15 years in the West in several unrelated fields, including real estate. He returned to an early love of painting after a move to Taos in 1988. Now residing in Santa Fe, he continues to evoke the unique qualities of the landscape and its seasonal changes. His solo exhibition Changing Moments opens with a 5 p.m. reception on Friday, July 24 (through Aug. 7). View the work online on the gallery’s website.