Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About . . .

The Jane Sauer Gallery is one of my favorites in Santa Fe and I never fail to visit them when I’m in town. They feature high-quality, innovative, and exceptional work by carefully hand-picked artists. I always find something that delights me!

This month, mixed media artist MARY O’SHAUGHNESSY is featured and her show, “Daughters of Memory,” opens this Friday, October 2, with a reception for the artist from 5-7 p.m. The show runs through October 27th.

O’Shaughnessy’s work grounds itself in the curvaceous female form and makes fresh use of such materials as handmade abaca paper, neon, wood, doll furniture, beeswax, metal and text. Each is a narrative work, often related to the ironic aspects of being a woman, and frequently revealing the artist’s wry sense of humor.

Mary recently spoke with Jane Sauer about her work:

The figures look like torsos, the iconic headless, armless torsos that we associate with classic art, but I see them as the external manifestation of these internal dialogues. As a woman, I have struggled to overcome these internal dialogues, and see myself for who I am, not through the critical eye that was created by me as a reaction to words or events that have happened. . . . I know that we all have these demons, and by creating sculpture that addresses some of these universal concerns, in a humorous way, I hope to let others know they are not alone, and that they can move beyond the circular thinking that keeps them from moving forward.

If you are in Santa Fe, drop in and see these poignant, skillfully crafted "herstory" creations for yourself. You may find you can’t live without at least one!

Winter Gallery Hours:
Tuesday through Saturday 10-5; closed Sundays & Mondays

To see more images: http://www.jsauergallery.com

-- Rosemary Carstens
Carstens Communications

(Images: Left, "You Can Never Be Too Rich or Too Thin," 31" x 17" x 13"; right, "Bingo! Life Is a Game of Chance," 33" x 17" x 18")

Zooming in: James Atherton

Slender and fit, with silver-white hair and beard, Jim Atherton often appears from the outside to be deep in thoughtful repose. But if you had the super hero gift of reading minds, of “seeing” what is going on inside his head, you might rear back in surprise. Jim’s brain is on steroids—he’s seeing line and form, light and shadow, pattern and design as only a fine art photographer can. You can almost hear the click and whir of digital ASA settings and shutter speeds crackling through his brain as he calculates frame, angle, and negative space.

Atherton works in a private studio in Boulder, Colorado, which he says “becomes a stage where intimate performances play out under lights and in front of backdrops.” Because he does not want to simply report what he sees, but to penetrate the emotion and essence behind his subject matter, Jim loves photographing people. He works directorially, with a light hand, coaxing his subjects to forget he is there and to drop any self-consciousness or inhibition. He seeks revelation, something in the eyes, the line of a belly, the electric connection between people. Although Atherton says his passion is photographing people, the elegant shot to the right speaks volumes about his skillfully rendered still lifes.

Whether photographing individuals, mothers and their babies, a ruby-red cluster of tulips patterned against a stark black background, or the clasping of time-weathered hands, Jim Atherton (to the left) brings sophistication and an empathetic eye to the finished product, bridging the gap between subject and ultimate viewer with a message beyond the surface.

To see more of this fine art photographer’s work or to contact him: http://www.jamesatherton.com

-- Rosemary Carstens
http://www.CarstensCommunications.com

David Pearson: Grace, Dignity, and Delight in Bronze

Tomorrow, September 14, an exhibition of NEW WORK BY DAVID PEARSON will open at the Patricia Carlisle Fine Art gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, NM. It will run through September 23, with an opening reception this coming Friday, 9/18.

Pearson's work is about beauty, litheness, and eternal grace. He brings an element of emotion to each piece that must be seen personally to be fully engaged. To him, creation is a circle of connectivity between the artist, the gallery, and the collector. Pearson feels it is that circular energy that “completes the communication,” and there is no doubt that his figurative work inspires communication, creating a silent dialogue between viewer and sculpture that is fresh and exciting.

Through his imaginative use of proportion, abstraction, exaggeration, and minimalism Pearson captures a classic, renaissance aesthetic in his pieces. He sculpts ethereal figures that unfailingly portray a range of quiet emotions, figures caught unawares, in repose, in a moment of contemplation or unselfconscious pleasure.

Pearson’s mastery of his craft and his in-depth explorations of art history have led to his continually growing international reputation as a master craftsman. He built his studio on acreage outside Santa Fe that he and his wife purchased in the 1990s, and his work ethic is legendary. It is not unusual for him to work from sunup to sundown.

While his ability to bring his visions to fruition is a testament to his skill, he has said in interviews that his signature elongated, elegant figures “flow” out of him, inspired by mythology and history, the Etruscans, and by such artists as Modigliana and Giacometti. But, in the end, they are all Pearson, the stunning product of a rich mind and impressive talent.

More images can be seen at Carlisle Fine Art & on David Pearson's website.

-- Rosemary Carstens
Carstens Communications

(Top left: mirothea, 28”; right, misceo, 40”; bottom left, the artist; right, his studio)