Corrales fires imagination of local artists
Fruits of labor on display this weekend at the Art & Studio Tour
Corrales has become an art mecca over the years.
And today and Sunday artists will open up their studios and homes to the public during the annual Corrales Art & Studio Tour.
This year’s poster artist is Corrales resident Barbara Clark.
Clark began painting with pastels but couldn’t continue with the medium because of problems with the dust.
“I then started working with oils, and the viscosity of how wet or dry it can be is amazing to me,” she says. “It took me a while to figure out the technical aspects.”
Clark is on her second career, which began in 2006.
Previously, she was an accountant and doesn’t mention it too often because it seems like a lifetime ago.
“For anyone else who dreams of a different life, my story is important because it shows all things are possible,” she says. “My journey brought me here, without the financial assistance of a pension, inheritance or a partner. … And now I paint. I understand how lucky I am.”
Since she started painting just over 10 years ago, Clark has picked up enough awards to help her feel confident.
“Along about 2010, I started flirting with oils and gouache, which is an opaque watercolor,” she says. “Oil painting did not come to me like a duck to water. I struggled and experienced a fair amount of frustration. What I knew I could do easily and effortlessly with pastels was elusive in oil. And to make it even more difficult, I became fixated on learning how to paint en plein air, or outside, on location. A good friend reminds me that ‘time on task’ is what it takes. For those who think it’s simply innate talent, well, I disagree with that notion. One percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.”
Clark has become accustomed to painting quickly, as she often does it plein air.
She can’t spend too much time outside because the light changes, which affects the shadows.
“When I’m outside, that’s when I really just get lost,” she says. “When I am painting outside, there could be a bus behind me and I wouldn’t hear it. I enter this zone of pure bliss. I’m surrounded by lots of beauty in Corrales. I can
step out and look a different direction and see something I want to paint.”
From the bosque to the ditches, Clark can find inspiration in her surroundings.
“I know I’m very lucky to land here,” she says of Corrales. “And to be able to do what I love is a dream come true. I’ve finally come into my own and feel very comfortable in my art. I can’t wait to show the community what my process is like.”
The tour provides an opportunity for the public to meet the artists, see their work, and learn about their creative process.
This year’s festival features more than 80 Corrales artists participating.
As in past years, many of the studio stops will feature multiple artists in locations throughout the village.
Maps and catalogs will be available in tents on the south end of the village, on Corrales Road, and at Loma Larga and Meadowlark. The local Boy Scout troop will be manning the tents and selling water. You may also pick up catalogs and maps at the preview gallery, local sponsors, galleries, wineries and art studios throughout the village.