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NEW MEXICO INSPIRATON | Artists
New Mexico has always been home to artists. Ancient Native Americans, although they had to work hard to survive, took precious time to paint their pottery and sometimes the walls of their dwellings. Clothing was also embellished and costumes made for ceremonial dances were elaborate.
Agnes MartinThrough the centuries, artists have been drawn to the state by its vast skies, spectacular landscape, and, of course, the company of other artists. Today, art is a major industry in New Mexico and Santa Fe is widely acknowledged as one of the most important art markets in the world.
Arts of all kinds flourish. Native Americans and Hispanics produce very high-quality traditional arts, but there are also those who innovate. There are still Anglo-Americans who paint and sculpt in the traditional, "Western" style, but in recent years, contemporary art has dominated. The art scene in New Mexico is truly international, with artists from many cultures and parts of the world living, working, and exhibiting in the state.
It is possible to visit many artists' studios with prior arrangements. Artists may be selected by medium, culture, or area of the state.
Ideas of Places to Visit: Past
Native American
• Allan Houser Estate. The estate of Allan Houser, near Santa Fe, houses many examples of the legendary sculptor's work. His contemporary sculpture of Native American figures in stone and bronze revolutionized the art of Native American sculpture. It is possible to tour his estate.
• Maria Martinez. Martinez is known the world over for reviving the classic black-on-black style of Native American pottery. Fine examples of her work exist in museums and galleries and many of her descendants create award-winning pottery.
Hispanic
• Cordova. This small village in northern New Mexico is renowned for traditional wood carving. There is a famous altar screen carved by santero Rafael Aragon in the Catholic church. Several carvers work in the traditional style and have studios in town. There is also traditional Hispanic Rio Grande weaving near Cordova.
Anglo
• Mabel Dodge Luhan House. Mabel Dodge Luhan, an Eastern heiress, moved to Taos in the early 20th century and attracted the artists and scholars of the day, including D. H. Lawrence, Carl Jung and Ansel Adams, to her salon. Her hacienda is now a small inn and conference center.
• D. H. Lawrence. The D. H. Lawrence Ranch is near Taos in San Cristobal. Lawrence, a friend of Mabel Dodge Luhan, lived in New Mexico for almost two years. His ashes are in a small shrine at the ranch and his wife, Frieda, is buried nearby.
• Peter Hurd Ranch. Visitors to the Hurd ranch in the lovely Hondo Valley in southern New Mexico will recognize many of the landscapes from Hurd's paintings. Hurd was married to Henriette Wyeth, the daughter of iconic artist N. C. Wyeth. A gallery on the ranch shows paintings by the Hurds and their many talented family members.
Ideas of Places to Visit: Present
Native American
• Potters. Traditional potters dig their own clay, build pots using the coil method, and fire them in an open fire. Each Pueblo has its own distinctive style. Contemporary Native American potters use a variety of methods.
• Weavers. The best known weaving is by Navajo Indians. Their magnificent rugs and blankets can be found all over New Mexico, but are best acquired in the city of Gallup and from the Crownpoint monthly auction of Navajo weaving.
• Basketmakers. Although not as prominent as other New Mexico Native American arts, there are numerous practitioners of fine basketmaking. Baskets are very tightly woven and often have intricate designs.
• Jewelry. The Navajos are known for heavy turquoise and silver jewelry. There is fine inlay work done at Zuni Pueblo and heshi, smooth discs of stone or shell, at Santo Domingo. There are many contemporary Native American jewelers working with a variety of metals and gems.
• Painting, Sculpture. Painting and sculpture in stone or bronze are relatively new Native American arts. There are well-known Apache, Navajo, and Pueblo sculptors and painters within the state.
• Beadwork. Beaded dolls, bags, moccasins, and clothing are among the items created by bead artists.
• Glass. Another new medium, glass art is being created by contemporary Native American artists.
• Fresco. The church at Zuni Pueblo is decorated with striking paintings of Pueblo Indian spiritual figures.
Hispanic
• Santeros. Santeros make images of the saints as bultos, which are carved and painted, and retablos, painted on wood. There is a great deal of variety and charm to their work, which is found primarily in northern New Mexico.
• Weavers. As a Spanish colony, New Mexico was prized for its fine weaving. A number of weavers still spin their own wool and weave in the traditional Rio Grande style, mostly in northern New Mexico.
• Straw Appliqué. Spanish colonists had no gold to inlay their crosses and other religious objects, so they used highly polished straw instead. Revived in the 1930s, this art now flourishes.
• Tinwork. The first tin cans came to New Mexico with the railroads in the 1880s. Hispanic artisans punched designs into them and used them for lights and other decorative objects. Tinwork is a popular, and usually inexpensive art.
Pamela AdgerAnglo
• Painting. Painting in a wide variety of styles is found throughout the state. Many internationally known artists live in New Mexico.
• Sculpture. Sculpture in stone, bronze, metal, or mixed media, both traditional and contemporary, is popular throughout New Mexico. Many galleries have wonderful sculpture gardens.
• Jewelry. Precious metals and priceless gems in custom-designed jewelry are a specialty in New Mexico. You will also find imaginative creations made from natural materials such as wood and shell as well as others that consists of beads and ornaments from around the world. There are many artistic jewellers in the state, especially in northern New Mexico.
• Pottery. Dinnerware, lights, sculpture, and vessels are among the items created by potters in many areas of the state.
Nina Morrow• Craft. Finely turned wooden bowls, metal and wood furniture, and hand-blown glass are among the huge variety of imaginative objects one will find throughout New Mexico.
