Charm V - Childers-West

We’re so excited to be showing new work by the husband and wife team of Justin Earl West and Josiane Childers. This Arizona duo creates gorgeous, contemporary painted sculptures with steel and Plexiglas. Their work is strikingly original and wonderfully creative in color, composition, design, style and texture.

Josiane’s medium is acrylic on canvas and Justin’s obsession with old cars and trucks naturally led him to work with metal. When these two collaborate, their painted wall sculptures reflect the influence of Arizona’s spacious skies and desert landscape.

Josiane was born in North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains and grew up in upstate New York, drawing and painting at an early age. Her high school art instructor, Nicholas Todisco, inspired her to pursue art, and she went on to study at New York’s Purchase College and in Amsterdam.

Justin was raised in Colorado, Germany, upstate New York and Arizona. He worked in construction and as a mechanic, honing skills that laid the foundation for his career as a metal artist. His painted steel sculptures depict landscapes, abstracts and three-dimensional textures.

“I have been a sculptor all of my life.” Justin says. “I love the freedom of mixing mediums. I have worked with almost anything you can think of from clay, Plexiglas or fiberglass, and wood to concrete, drywall or steel.  Whatever a sculpture needs, I can bring it in.”

For Josiane, color, lines and the very act of working with paint provide inspiration. “Every piece that I paint is an emotional journey through color,” she says. “I am continuously inspired by the extraordinary world around me as well as the exciting possibilities of infinite color relationships. Every single color is beautiful and has a place. I love how the colors ask for each other and vibrate in unison in creation of a new color world. Or one crooked line asks for another crooked line in the continuing quest for balance.

“My painting style always involves a search for perfection and balance in chaos,” she continues. “I begin most paintings with random choices and movements and then solve the puzzle as I go. I am always trying to reach a mathematical perfection with color and form. There is always motivation to paint and I am in love with the paint itself.”

Come in and see for yourself their amazing art. All of their creations are stunning, including their latest. We would like to congratulate the duo on the birth of their baby.  For more information and to see their pieces visit http://www.waxlander.com/artist/52/Childers–West.

 If purchasing a piece off the blog, mention that you found the piece on the blog and get a special discount!

Phyllis Kapp - You Are Perfect

This year’s ArtFeast is just a couple short weeks away. It is the weekend of February 24th-26th, and we hope that you will be able to join us for what has become one of the treasured events of the winter season here in Santa Fe. With three days full of food, dance, art, fashion, homes, and more food, it is a celebration of culture that is not to be missed!

The weekend kicks off Friday with the Art of Fashion runway show and luncheon, followed by the Edible Art Tour, which we will be participating in once again this year, and then Feast or Famine to finish off the night. Saturday’s events include the Art of Home Tour with the gala Gourmet Dinner & Auction that evening. It all concludes Sunday with day two of the Art of Home Tour and the Artists’ Champagne Brunch & Auction.

Edible Art Tour – Our Participation

Our annual participation in the Edible Art Tour is one event that we are looking forward to. It is sure to be a vibrant and exciting evening as you have the opportunity to enjoy more than 30 downtown and Canyon Road galleries. We are honored to once again team up with Executive Chef Charles Dale of Terra at Encantado.

If you have never had the pleasure of tasting the American Cuisine at Terra then you will not want to miss this opportunity. Chef Dale is preparing a Celtic themed menu for the evening, and the food will pair well with the Celtic music and drums that will fill the gallery for the night. Make sure to buy your tickets to join us for the tour, and support local art education.

Artists’ Champagne Brunch and Auction – Our Featured Artist

The weekend’s festivities conclude Sunday with the Artists’ Champagne Brunch & Auction. We are very proud to have world renowned painter, Phyllis Kapp, as our honored artist at the Brunch, as it gives just one more reason to attend this great event. It is the perfect chance to enjoy a wonderful brunch, champagne, and talk with some of your favorite Santa Fe artists.

“I love to play while I paint. I love to make people smile.” -Phyllis Kapp

Undoubtedly the Southwest’s most delightful watercolorist, Phyllis continues to capture in spontaneous fashion the landscapes of the state, all the while earning her the adoration and adulation of collectors and fans. Phyllis’ spirit pours through her work and elicits a sense of joy in all who experience it. “My art is about the land and sky,” she says, “but it is also about a state of mind, a feeling of joy, of being one with the universe.” Be moved by one of Phyllis’ works by clicking through to her artist page.

Again, please enjoy amazing treats from some of Santa Fe’s favorite restaurants while helping us to support art in the schools. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit ArtFeast online at http://artfeast.com/artfeast-events/.

If purchasing a piece off the blog, mention that you found the piece on the blog and get a special discount!

Chris Turri - Story Totem : Diamond Ridge

You have most likely heard the old adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Metal sculptor, and Waxlander artist, Chris Turri takes this statement very much to heart.

“I’ve always been a junk collector” he says. “There is so much waste in our world, I look at a lot of it and see a piece come together. It’s amazing the jewels people leave behind in the junk pile! I’ve landscaped, constructed buildings & furniture with the scrap left on a construction site, now I build sculptures. It’s the perfect transition for me. I love to see the old and new come together.”

A “near” native New Mexican, Turri spent years as a Silversmith and Tradesman. In time he began to take those skills and expand upon them, working on larger sculptures and with other metals. With roots in traditional native silversmith techniques, his love of and connection to indigenous cultures across the world and his desert environment, it is easy to understand why his work has become widely loved and cherished. His signature “Spirit Masks” and “Shaman” series are now collected around the country, including here at Waxlander Gallery.

When you view Turri’s work, you get the feeling of an artist who has with a deep connection to his work. In describing his process he says, “Sometimes I see the piece and I go out in search of the materials I need. Other times, the materials tell me what to create, and I just go with it.”

To see more of Chris Turri’s work, visit his artist page at http://www.waxlander.com/artist/28/Chris-Turri.

If purchasing a piece off the blog, mention that you found the piece on the blog and get a special discount!

The 3rd Annual Waxlander Gallery Art Auction is in full swing! The auction runs through next Saturday, February 4th with bidding coming to a close at 4:00 p.m. MST.

With the first two installments of the event available just to Waxlander collectors, we have opened this year’s event to all bidders to allow as many people possible the opportunity to add beautiful pieces of art to their collections. With the works set at the lowest prices of the year, it is a great chance for you to add them to your home or office at a great value.

There are close to 200 pieces up for auction this year featuring the work of many of our artists. We are very happy that this year’s participating artists includes many who have been with us for some time, such as Bruce King, Matthew Higginbotham, and Andree Hudson. We are also very pleased that some of our newest artists, including Christopher Owen Nelson and Phyllis Randall, are taking part as well!

Here is a full list of the participating artists: Lori Faye Bock, Childers-West, Jim Cohen, Paul Cunningham, Suzanne Donazetti, Michael Ethridge, Georgia Gerber, Sandy Graves, Higginbotham, Walter Horak, Hudson, Tony Jojola, King, Ana Lazovsky, Bernard Marks, Sharon Markwardt, Nelson, Marshall Noice, Sangita Phadke, Richard Pankratz, Linda Prokop, Randall, Slava TCH, Jono Tew, Chris Turri.

Additionally, we are happy to announce that special works from artist and gallery owner Phyllis Kapps’ personal collection will also be available!

A few tidbits about the bidding process: The opening bid for paintings has been set at 40% off the retail price. For sculptures, the opening bids have been marked at 25% off. If the opening bid for a piece has started at less than $1,000, then the bids increase in $50 increments. With pieces starting at $1,000 or more, the bidding increases in increments of $100. If there is a piece you absolutely must have and you do not want to take the chance of losing it to another bidder, you can purchase it at our ‘Buy It Now’ price which is set at 10% off retail.

For information on the artists and which of their pieces are available, please visit their artist page at http://www.waxlander.com/artists-santa-fe-art-gallery. Auction Items will be marked in red and will be the first images on each of the participating artists’ page.

For questions on the auction you can call the gallery at 505-984-2202 or email us at art@waxlander.com. To make a bid, the same telephone number and email address apply. The winning bidders for each piece will be notified by phone following the conclusion of the event.

Once again, we are very excited for this year’s auction. It gives us great joy to be able to offer so many great pieces and such great prices.

Happy bidding!!

Save the dates! This year’s ArtFeast is February 24-26th and we hope that you will be able to join us for what has become one of the treasured events of the winter season here in Santa Fe. With a weekend full of food, dance, art, fashion, homes, and more food, it is an event not to be missed!

The weekend kicks off Friday with the Art of Fashion runway show and luncheon.  Friday evening features the Edible Art Tour, which we will be participating in once again this year, and then Feast or Famine to finish off the night. Saturday’s events include the Art of Home Tour with the gala Gourmet Dinner & Auction that evening. It all concludes Sunday with day two of the Art of Home Tour and the Artists’ Champagne Brunch & Auction.

Now in its 15th year, ArtFeast is the winter fundraising event for ARTsmart, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping New Mexico’s children get the most out of art. Their mission statement: “ARTsmart ensures that Santa Fe and New Mexico youth have the opportunity to explore, experience and engage in the visual arts, a critical component of every student’s education.”

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit ArtFeast online at http://artfeast.com/artfeast-events/.

For more information on what we’re planning for the Edible Art Tour, please feel to call us at 505-984-2202 or email us at art@waxlander.com.