Taos Artists Combo II Pop —
An eclectic showcase at Stables
The Taos Artist Combo II exhibition and sale at Stables Gallery at the Taos Center for the Arts, 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, happens this Friday to Sunday (Sept.23- 25) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Taos artists will offer work in a wide range of mediums and expressions, including paintings, pastels, graphics, photographic prints and craft work. There is an opening celebration with libations and nibbles Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.
According to the promoters’ press release developed by Nancy Glasgow and George Schaub — each person in the exhibit has deep roots in the Taos community and is immersed in the social and creative fabric of the town.
They are multi-talented and work as teachers, musicians, authors and gallerists, and have been spotlighted in local, regional and national exhibits, with works in enduring collections.
The artists and their work
Music is an artery to creativity. Several artists are accomplished musical performers and teachers: violinist Audrey Davis (pastels), a private music instructor who for many years was a musical instructor at Taos High School’s renowned mariachi bands and a member of the Jenny Vincent trio; and Frederick Aragn (paintings, giclée and art cards), who this year, with collaborator Chris Burton, won the New Mexico Native Music Award.
Painters, printmakers and craft work The mix of media and modes of expression manifests in the diversity of the show: Celesa “CJ” Lucien, an artist and interior designer offers works in oil, mixed media, printmaking and encaustics, as well as 3D contemporary Huichol beadwork; Sara Jean Gray’s recent work combines verse with graphic art, and will debut at the Stables.
The Lumina Gallery showed Margery Reading’s work. She is a member of the Taos Portrait Society, and continues producing portraiture and abstract and representational work; the shapes, colors and light of Northern New Mexico, each a stylized study of the churches, landscapes and adobe buildings that are the enduring symbols of the region, influenced Audrey Davis’ pastels — for her, the precise application of layers of pastel in order to pick up the qualities and hues of the old adobes is like mudding a wall.
Rob Nightingale has long been a champion of the arts and artists in Taos. His gallery, Wilder Nightingale Fine Art on Kit Carson Road has showcased the work of over 35 local and regional artists for decades. His paintings project charged depictions of landscapes and structures that serve as both metaphor and mystery, and his palette and gesture create energetic paths to follow, invitations that inspire thoughtful consideration. Frederick Aragón’s work reveals the beauty and mystery of the Southwest, and his intricate brushwork invites the viewer to explore the spaces between what we know, what we sense and the mysteries of fable and myth and how they intersect with our lives.
Photographers
The Taos area invites photographers from around the world, and several of the Combo artists are photographers who have taught or taught other photographers via tours and private lessons.
Author, photographer and guide Geraint Smith chronicles the beauty of Taos and the surrounding area. The Museum of New Mexico Press reprinted his book “Rio Grande del Norte: An Intimate Portrait.” He had a major showing at the Taos Art Museum at the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House.
Taos photographer Bill Davis, a lecturer in photography for many years, in Taos almost 50 years, has chronicled its people, land and architecture. He is exploring forms of photographic expression, often abstractions that allow the observer to delve into fresh visual conversations.
George Schaub has owned a home in Taos for decades and is author of over 20 books about photography and is an instructor in the medium. Gene Gray, found his creative flicker in the darkroom via silver prints that conjure both emotion and form in nature and architecture. Doug Yeager works with traditional media and creates toned and rendered images of the architecture, motifs, and hallowed places of the area, which are both expressive and enduring.
All artists will be in attendance for the launch Friday evening, from 4 to 7 p.m. Appointments with individual artists are available during the show from Friday to Sunday. All work is for sale.
FYI
Friday-Sunday (Sept. 23-25) The Taos Artist Combo II exhibition and sale of 12 Taos artistsStables Gallery, 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte. Hours 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Reception: Friday 4 to 7 p.m.