Fresh Apples – Sangita Phadke

Sangita Phadke had been playing with pastels for years when she decided to become a full-time artist. Still, there are some things you just can’t prepare for when you entirely devote your life to art—especially when your subject matter is edible.

“Whatever fruit or vegetable I’m doing, I’ll go the farmer’s market and buy tons and tons of them. I sit there at the apple bin for an hour looking at every little shape and color,” Sangita says. When she started, store employees would give her confused looks, but it was the artist’s husband who was the most clueless. “The first time I did it, he ate half my stuff,” she says. “I was like, ‘Oh no! It took me so long to pick those!”

From then on the artist labeled her prized produce with a “Do Not Eat” sign, and soon found that the work it inspired was as irresistible to collectors as eating it had been to her husband. In her 7 year career, she’s won over 50 awards and a spot on Southwest Art Magazine’s “21 Young Artists to Collect Now” list. That’s quite a juicy taste of success.

“I just started creating paintings and the reaction was so great,” Sangita says. “I never had to have that period where I second-guessed the decision, and I’m so grateful for that.”

The Apricot Family – Sangita Phadke

The artist partly attributes her rapid rise to the fact that she knew her medium when she started. “In high school, I experimented with every medium out there,” she says. “I did some work in colored pencil, and then I wanted to work on a larger scale. Pastel was right away the most natural thing. I loved it.”

Despite her talent, Sangita didn’t consider becoming an artist right out of high school. Instead she indulged her love of math and majored in finance at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, though she did take portrait commissions to support herself. It wasn’t until she got married that she considered taking her art to the next level.

“My husband and I were discussing, ‘In a dream world, what would I do?’ and I said, ‘I’ve always wanted to be an artist,’” Sangita explains. “He said, ‘Go for it!’”

The Purple Tulip – Sangita Phadke

Selecting subject matter was a natural process. Sangita indulged her inclinations for heavy layering and a high key palette by placing fresh fruit, veggies or flowers under bright spotlights. You couldn’t exactly label her photorealistic work still life, though. Beneath chiaroscuro lighting, the objects explode from their frames with all the vigor of Baroque portrait subjects.

“I feel like they all have their own stories,” Sangita says. “I’ll see something and be like, ‘This looks like a professor!’ I’ll think of emotions while I’m painting them.”

Sangita starts each piece by taking multiple photos of her subjects and selecting particularly appealing angles. Then she arranges the fruits or veggies based on the photos and works from life, lightly sketching the scene in pencil and layering her pastels from top to bottom and left to right to avoid smudges. The finished works are so realistic that we often find Waxlander visitors with their noses nearly smudging their surfaces.

Luckily for Sangita’s husband, most of the fruit is still good by the time she’s done with it. “We’ve been doing a lot of creative cooking since I started doing this,” Sangita says with a laugh.

You can see more of Sangita’s work here, and follow our Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages for updates on all of our artists.

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

A Sunflower For Fukushima

In their recently opened group show, “Not Your Mother’s Pastels,” acclaimed artists Phyllis Randall, Marshall Noice, and Sangita Phadke take viewers on a journey. We are given the chance to explore the natural elements of the Southwest, rendered with Randall’s command of light and color; to marvel at the many landscapes of the U.S. National Parks, portrayed whimsically and truthfully by Noice; and, with the help of Sangita Phadke, to take a trip to the farmer’s market, like none other we’ve taken before.

Indeed, Sangita’s paintings of fresh produce, blooming flowers, and raw, unbroken eggs are anything but ordinary. Inspired in part by her passion for locally grown foods, Sangita’s paintings are more realistic than most photographs and also more meaningful. “My series of paintings pay tribute,” she says, “to the land, the people who harvest our food, and of course the delicious and beautiful products of their care and hard work.”

Her subject matter is at once commonplace and spectacular, human and beautiful. It is Sangita’s incredible talent and overwhelming faithfulness to the vegetables, fruits, and flowers she paints that inspires the viewer to stop and, of course, pay attention to their beauty, too.

The Citrus Family

Sangita’s gift to this viewer is “an experience in taste, flavor, fragrance, color, and a sense of place.” No detail is spared in her paintings. The familiar texture of a lemon is conveyed meticulously. The moistness of its skin, the slight discoloration near its stem, the scratch that mars its left side—these details are captured with care, as if they alone distinguish this lemon from all the rest, as if they are essential to its makeup.

In Sangita’s paintings, the details are essential. Using the peculiarities of each fruit or vegetable or flower or egg, she decides on a personality and an accompanying story line. A pear becomes the star of a Broadway play. Six lemons and a lime form a citrus family. A flawless and shimmering pink tulip becomes a debutante.

This aspect of whimsy, combined with the realism of her paintings, creates a one-of-a-kind experience that has earned Sangita much acclaim. In her five years of painting, the self-taught artist has been awarded the distinction of “Master Pastelist” by the Pastel Society of America and has been inducted into the Master Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies. Her paintings have been featured widely in magazines and in prestigious venues around the world.

The Blue Lotus Bowl

Now her marvelous pastels will grace the walls of Waxlander Gallery, where they will inspire an appreciation for an integral part of the human experience. “’Food,’” Sangita points out, “is an ‘experience’ shared by every culture. Whether it is a spicy chile or a sweet apricot, it evokes a sense of respect for the land and its people.” And while Sangita’s paintings encompass many senses—taste, touch, sight, and smell—it is this sense, a sense of respect, that viewers will carry with them when they walk out the gallery door.

“Not Your Mother’s Pastels” opened at Waxlander on June 5th and runs through June 18th, with an Artists’ Reception on Friday, June 8th, from 5 to 7 PM.

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

Sweet Cherries -Sangita Phadke

Here at Waxlander we are excited about one of our new artist, Sangita Phadke. We think you too will love the captivating works she creates with pastels…

Sangita has come a long way in her short life as a painter. Fortunately for the art world, she gave up a career in finance and consulting to pursue art full time in 2007 and has acquired an impressive resume since.
Sangita’s subjects aren’t just still lifes. They are everyday fruits, vegetables or flowers that hold a second life in her art. Her larger-than-life vegetables, fruits and flowers now hang in U.S. embassies, private collections, and fine galleries around the country.

The self-taught artist was also named one of the “21 young artists to collect now” by Southwest Art Magazine. She was inducted into the International Association of Pastel Societies Master Circle in 2010 and was awarded the distinction of “Master Pastelist” by the Pastel Society of America in 2011.

Confetti Rose - Sangita Phadke

Nature Brought to Life

Sangita’s newest collection is titled “Purely Pastel” and is inspired by the rich bounty of fruits and vegetables available during the spring harvest season.

“Every week new flowers, fruits, and vegetables flood the markets, and I am the first in line to get my hands on them, “ she says. “I am on a never-ending quest to find bold, colorful, and exciting subject matter that will inspire me to create my next painting.”

Juicy Tomatoes-Sangita Phadke

A Story of Its Own

Sangita has always been drawn to storytelling, and each of her pieces has its own story, with a narrative forming in her mind as she paints.

“Each story evolves while I am painting and finishes as I sign the piece,” she says. “The stories are mostly whimsical and are inspired by the fruit, vegetable, flower or egg I am painting.” Often the name she gives a painting offers a hint to its story.

In the painting “Take a Bow,” for example, a pear occupies a bright spot of light. It looks simple, but Sangita’s rich imagination has woven an entire back story for the painting. The first thing she noticed was the dramatic bend in the middle of the pear. She placed the piece of fruit in a bright spot of light, and her story began to take shape. She imagined the pear as the star of a Broadway play at the end of a rousing performance. While taking its final bow, the crowd erupts into applause, leaving the pear overjoyed.

Peaches - Sangita Phadke

An Eye for Detail

Color, light, and an obsessive attention to detail are the hallmarks of Sangita’s paintings, and her newest collection is no different. With each piece displaying rich textures and multiple layers, you have to look closely to fully appreciate its depth.

“The collection will showcase everything from the smooth translucent texture of a rose petal to the bumpy, uneven texture of a lemon,” she says. “If you look closely you will find a scratch, a dent, a glistening dew drop, or some characteristic that makes each piece distinctive.”

You have to see Sangita’s work up close and in person to truly appreciate its detail and beauty. Stop in at the gallery for the chance to discover the intricacies of your favorite piece. We are sure you will find yourself lost in its beauty!

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!!

With the new year upon us we are busy putting the finishing touches on what was a great 2011. And as we move into 2012 there is a great deal that we are looking forward to.

There is much from the last year that we are very grateful for. From all of the wonderful artist shows, to our many events such as the Canyon Road Paint Out, to welcoming new artists to the Waxlander family, the past year was successful and fulfilling in so many ways. And, of course, we are very thankful for the support of our friends and families. We certainly couldn’t do what we love without all of you!

Looking ahead to 2012, we cannot help but be excited about what we have in store to share with everyone. In just a few weeks we have one of the jewels of the winter art season with ArtFeast. It is always a great weekend filled with food, fine art, fun, and more food. For information on this treasured event, visit http://artfeast.com/.

We are also looking forward to further introducing everyone to our newest artists, Phyllis Randall and Christopher Nelson. A self-described ‘East coast girl’, Randall is an accomplished and highly regarded pastel painter who focuses her efforts on capturing the beauty of what she calls her ‘home away from home’, the Southwest.

In a short period of time, Nelson has established himself as one of the top young talents to emerge from the vibrant Denver art community. His natural abilities and intense desire to explore the artistic nature within have given rise to an entirely new approach to traditional landscape, figurative and abstract work.

Christopher Nelson - Depth Perception

Phyllis Randall - After the Rain

Along with being one of our new artists, we are also pleased to announce that Nelson will be kicking off the 2012 summer art season with his one-man show which runs from May 22nd to June 4th. We could not be more delighted to showcase his talent and his new and refreshing style at the beginning of this summer.

Following Nelson we are pleased to share that we will be having our first ever group pastel show, featuring the works of Sangita Phadke, Marshall Noice, and our matriarch, Phyllis Kapp. After our group pastel show, we will be bringing you individual shows featuring Noice, Andree Hudson, Suzanne Donazetti, Bruce King, and Matthew Higginbotham.

Black and Red Grapes - Sangita Phadke

Marshall Noice - River View Maples

"One Wonderful Day" Watercolor by Phyllis Kapp!

The unofficial end to the summer art season comes with this year’s edition of the Canyon Road Paint Out. The Paint Out gets better each and every year, and this year is sure to be no different. And to finish out the year we will be hosting our annual holiday show featuring new works by many of our artists!

We are certainly going to be keeping ourselves on our toes this year, making sure to bring you the very best in vibrant, fine art. To keep abreast of everything going on at Waxlander this year, come back and visit us weekly.  As always, please feel free to call the gallery, as well, at 505-984-2022.

Andree Hudson - Show Time

Suzanne Donzanetti - Flames of Nim

Bruce King - Unveiling the War Lance

Matthew Higgenbotham - Last Hour on Canyon Mesa