Panel Discussion Organized by the Harwood Couse Foundation, September 3

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Members of the Taos Society of Artists, ca. 1932, photo courtesy of The Couse Foundation

Members of the Taos Society of Artists, ca. 1932, photo courtesy of The Couse Foundation

On the first Saturday of September, The Couse Foundation is collaborating with the Harwood Museum to present a panel discussion with three distinguished scholars of western art: Taos Society of Artists: Western Art or American Art? The lecture will be held at the Harwood Museum, Arthur Bell Auditorium, located at 238 Ledoux Street, Taos, NM 87571. Tickets are available for $10.00 from the Harwood Museum at 575-758-9826. The program begins at 10:00 a.m. on September 3, 2016.  The Couse Foundation will be holding their regularly scheduled open house on Saturday, September 3, from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. The Couse-Sharp Historic Site is located at 146 Kit Carson Road, Taos, NM 87571.
 

John Moyers and Terri Kelly Moyers: Time-honored Traditions in Painting

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John Moyers, August Sky, oil, 16" x 16"

John Moyers, August Sky, oil, 16" x 16"

Nedra Matteucci Galleries' late summer exhibition will open with an artists' reception from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 13; the work will remain on display through September 10.

Husband and wife artists, John Moyers and Terri Kelly Moyers, will present their newest collection of original oil paintings, showcasing a broad range of locations. Their work includes traditional, small, plein air paintings and large, figurative works, often with expressive and inventive narratives that capture the imagination. John, especially, invites a sense of history to his Native American themes, and Terri achieves insightful sensitivity through her expression of character. The couple's shared love of the Southwest remains a focus of their work, and their art reflects a dedication to their established rhythms in contemporary painting.

Terri Kelly Moyers, Beyond the Mission Walls, oil, 30" x 40"

Terri Kelly Moyers, Beyond the Mission Walls, oil, 30" x 40"

The Moyers are both accomplished, award-winning traditional realist painters. Among many accolades, Terri Kelly Moyers has won the Frederic Remington Painting Award at the Prix de West Invitational twice. John Moyers has also won numerous awards, including the prized Robert Lougheed Memorial Award at the Prix de West in 2013. Together, the couple has studied with fine painters such as J. Noel Tucker, Ramon Froman and notably with their friend and mentor, Robert Lougheed. The couple met at a two-month painting workshop Okanagan Game Farm in British Columbia. Now, they live and paint in Santa Fe.

For more on the exhibition, please see the recent articles in Western Art Collector and Southwest Art.

The Distance Podcast Features Nedra Matteucci Galleries

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The Distance, a podcast about longevity in business, recently featured Nedra Matteucci Galleries. Here's the opening for the episode, Humble Adobe:

Santa Fe, New Mexico is home to around 200 art galleries. Even in this thriving art scene, Nedra Matteucci’s gallery stands out. The 44-year-old gallery, which she bought in 1988, is housed in an adobe compound spanning two acres, and the business takes a grounded approach to fine art. If visiting the Nedra Matteucci Galleries feels like you’re stepping into someone’s home, it’s because Nedra, a New Mexico native who got her start selling paintings on the road, has made approachability part of the overall experience.

Enjoy the full transcript or listen to the podcast on TheDistance.com.

 

 

Wyeth-Hurd Guest Ranch Featured in New Mexico Magazine

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The April issue of New Mexico Magazine features the Wyeth-Hurd guest ranch, the "plainspoken paradise cultivated by Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth." The article includes the history of the ranch, and details about the artists' lives and work. Read the article: nmmagazine.com

Peter Hurd, The High Plains, watercolor on paper, 7 3/4" x 14"

Peter Hurd, The High Plains, watercolor on paper, 7 3/4" x 14"

2016 Exhibition Schedule

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Dan Ostermiller, bronze, The Jackal, 15" x 32" x 5 1/2"

Dan Ostermiller, bronze, The Jackal, 15" x 32" x 5 1/2"

Our 2016 exhibition schedule features the work of contemporary artists Chris Morel, Dan Ostermiller, John Moyers, and Terri Kelly Moyers. “We are delighted to show the art of these exceptional contemporary artists,” says Gallery Owner Nedra Matteucci, “thus continuing the tradition of introducing their newest work every few years. These much anticipated events honor their dedication and artistic evolution, opening exciting new chapters of their art with each exhibition.” 

Natural Wonders: Paintings by Chris Morel and Sculpture by Dan Ostermiller, June 25 – July 16

A past President and member of the National Sculpture Society, the talent of Dan Ostermiller is widely recognized. His ability to express the personality, characteristics, and physical traits of animals in bronze is unparalleled.  From his innovative studio in Loveland, Colorado, Dan’s inspired compositions have grown from his youthful love for and thorough knowledge of animals gained from his years working, studying, and traveling throughout the West and Africa. Ostermiller’s sculpture reflects a lifelong adventure in animal art.  

Chris Morel, October Display, oil, 30" x 40"

Chris Morel, October Display, oil, 30" x 40"

 

Chris Morel has focused on painting in oils for over 20 years, sharing his keen observation of southwestern beauty through exquisite, light-filled compositions.  “I'm certainly looking for something different in my work,” says Morel of his latest paintings.  In his search for perspectives, he focuses on the interplay between color, sunlight, and mood. Morel is the featured artist for the 2016 New Mexico Artist Calendar, and his enchanting paintings have won numerous awards, including the Best of Show Maynard Dixon Country. 

 

 

John Moyers and Terri Kelly Moyers: Time-honored Traditions in Painting, August 13 – September 10

In August, husband and wife artists, John Moyers and Terri Kelly Moyers, will present their newest collection of original oil paintings, showcasing the couple’s shared love of the Southwest, each with their distinctive interests and techniques.  From a broad range of locations painted in traditional, small plein air style to large, figurative work that keenly reflect the history of the Southwest’s multi-cultured inhabitants, Terri and John remain focused and dedicated to their established rhythms in contemporary painting.

The Moyers are both accomplished, award-winning traditional realist painters. Among many accolades, Terri Kelly Moyers has won the Frederic Remington Painting Award at the Prix de West Invitational twice. John Moyers, too, has won numerous awards, including the prized Robert Lougheed Memorial Award at the Prix de West in 2013. Together, the couple has studied with fine painters such as J. Noel Tucker, Ramon Froman and notably with their friend and mentor, Robert Lougheed. They met at a two-month painting workshop Okanagan Game Farm in British Columbia. Now, they live and paint in Santa Fe.

 

Historic & Contemporary Retablos in New Mexico

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In the 16th century, Spanish settlers brought a new kind of art to Santa Fe: small, bright devotional images called retablos. These are typically carved or painted images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, or any number of saints on a panel of wood. The gallery has a number of these beautifully preserved Spanish artifacts on display. 

The settlers who traveled north through Mexico to settle what would eventually be Santa Fe included a mix of pioneers, Franciscan monks, and traders. Faith would endure as a hallmark of Spanish colonialism, as evidenced by the city’s name, which means “Holy Faith”. The same religious devotion naturally passed on to the artwork settlers brought with them and later adapted. 

When retablos were first introduced in Europe during the Middle Ages, they were essentially components for altarpieces. They were painted panels that framed fully sculpted figures. These helped to emphasize specific stories and events that the priest would include in his sermons. Ratablo comes from the Latin word retrotabulum, for “behind the table or altar”. The retablo itself later evolved into a portable altar for conquistadors and missionaries journeying far from home. 

Just as settlers had to adapt to a new way of life upon arrival in the southwest, so too did their art. This was not a place with great stone cathedrals that demanded altarpieces or statues measuring several feet in length. The array of materials available to artists would have been much more limited, not to mention the number of craftsman.

Like a rosary or a crucifix, a retablo can be a product of high craftsmanship or a relatively simple design. Older European examples were made of enamel, metal, or even ivory with finely sculpted and painted features. Mexican retablos were painted on tin, copper, zinc, or wood; and Peruvian examples were generally portable boxed narrative scenes with carved figures. New Mexican retablos are usually painted with water-based paints on locally sourced pine wood. These are modern interpretations that evolved from a melting pot of Spanish colonialism, Mexican folk art, and pueblo Indian craft.

Just like in Europe, South and Central America, the Virgin Mary remains the single most popular subject in liturgical art and naturally the most recognizable. It was sensible to chose a sympathetic figure when so many retablos are displayed in home shrines. Formal upright poses with carefully composed facial features continue to be the norm. Despite this, the figures are often more stylized in contemporary examples, much like characters in Indian ledger drawings. In some cases, the figures will be depicted in clothing like that of Pueblo Indians. Depicting a well-known narrative in contemporary dress is a practice that dates back to the Middle Ages. It serves to make the subject matter more relatable to audiences. 

This is art that makes the intangible tangible. It is an article of faith to direct prayers, which is small enough to hold in your own hands and carry with you. Retablos are also objects of beauty widely collected to decorate homes and public spaces.