Yucca Art Gallery
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Debi Smith
As a native New Mexican born in Albuquerque, I have a deep connection to my homeland. Joining the military out of high school and many duty stations later, including working on a master’s in art in 3D design, it took 36 years to make it back to the Land of Enchantment. As I retired from the government in 2022, while continuing to teach art part time, I have more time to focus on my passion to create with clay. I am inspired by the multicultural aspects and the sacred land of New Mexico. Primarily a clay artist, I love telling narratives with sculptures and organic shapes of my experiences and connections to earth and life itself. Life is fleeting and from time to time I capture in clay those subjects important to me. Through the shapes, textures and colors of my surrounding native land, I embrace the creation cycle from the raw earth to the finished piece. Vessels are organic in shape and might be finished with floral designs, Raku and Saggar treatments which mirror the landscape around us. Each vessel is focused on emergence, discovery and rebirth. It is through the openings (Sipapu) we emerge just as in the many beliefs from this sacred land. I am a member of New Mexico Clay and Pottery Artists and the New Mexico State Committee, National Museum of Women in the Arts.
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |
Greta Roskom
Greta Roskom retired from a long career as a public-school administrator which has afforded her the time and space to rekindle her passion for art and the natural environment. She enjoys drawing and painting but textiles are her favorite medium. From her vast collection of fabric scraps, she combines colors and shapes to create “interpretive” images of nature. On a background of fabric for her larger pieces or paper for her smaller ones, she pieces together and machine raw-applique stitch her designs. The larger finished pieces are backed, batted, and quilted using different threads and stitch patterns. She hangs them from sticks, dowels, or clothes hangers. The smaller pieces, sewn on paper backings, can be framed.
Randi Snidow
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
 |
Hi, my name is Randi and since my early teens I've been creating art. While in the late 70's at the University of New Mexico I studied sculpting and drawing. Also, during my early years I enrolled in a professional art institute program where I gained drawing skills utilizing the grid system. This helped me greatly in understanding visual perspectives regarding composition. Other than that, I am self-taught.
I've sold my art throughout my lifetime while working as a dental hygienist. After working 27 years as a dental hygienist I retired at the onset of the pandemic. My passion is painting. I have exhibited my art in a couple of galleries and restaurants. I've also exhibited in the Gallery With a Cause. My subject matter varies from animals to humans. The preferred medium I use is Gouache, but I will occasionally use oil paints & oil pencils. On rare occasions I have used pastels.
My latest venture in subject matter are things pertaining to ranch life. My most recent painting is that of a herd of cattle returning to the ranch. My goal as a professional Artist is to bring joy, laughter and happiness. The thrill of creating art that is admired is my desire, and that unequivocally inspires me to keep creating.
I love working in a private studio in my home where I draw, paint and make cards from my originals.
I hope to continue creating artwork that is appreciated and loved. And while creating, I hope to bring about the "WIN,WIN" for both Artist and Art Lover. Enjoy ART!
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |
James Walther
Jim Walther has been painting the environment for 50 years and has drawn inspiration from the beauty and light of the landscape in New Mexico for more than 25 years. A trained landscape plein-air and studio artist, Walther works in both watercolor and oil.
Born in South Charleston, West Virginia, Walther studied under noted painter John Hudkins, at The Sunrise Art Museum, then in 1978, received a BFA degree from West Virginia University in visual arts, with a focus on representational landscape painting. Walther served as Executive Director of The National Museum of Nuclear Science; History in Albuquerque since 1996, retiring in 2023. He resides in Albuquerque and continues to work as a painter creating views of the regional landscape full of light and color.
His early work held the complex shades of early academic painters such as John Singer Sargent and Andrew Wyeth. These subdued hues in greys, sepias, softer blues and greens are found in the flat light of eastern landscapes where brilliant colors are less prominent. After moving to New Mexico in 1996, he had to adjust my palette to the hot, brighter, harsher light, bright whites, washed out reflective brilliance and deep shadows of the landscape in the desert southwest. Capturing this overstated color palette continues to inspire and intrigue me in my work as an artist. Now he looks for the vivid hues of the desert, its stark beauty shown in deep shadow and almost blinding brilliant light. Capturing these hues without overriding the color saturation is a challenge that he embraces and enjoys. He finds great joy working “plein air” in watercolor and in my studio executing in oil, sometimes using the watercolor as a study.
To contact the artist:
jwalther99@comcasrt.net
505-977-6757