UU Santa Fe hosts various art installations by local artists; these change bi-monthly. You will find on this page our featured artist(s).
Art on Barcelona is facilitated and curated by Virginia Asman.
Art on Barcelona is facilitated and curated by Virginia Asman.
Art on Barcelona
Our 2019 summer exhibit at Art On Barcelona is a trilogy of the work of three local Santa Fe artists: Mary Jo Dorr, Sandra Sparks and Kathy Urmson, all showing abstract paintings.
TRILOGY
July–August, 2019
Reception: August 2 5-7pm
Each artist chose her own theme:
Mary Jo Dorr describes her oils, acrylics and watercolors as Reflections in Time— "Form arises out of color. When I am painting, I let the color speak to me, and then follow the characteristic gesture it wants to take. Color first, imbued with light, moving, meeting other colors, sometimes harmonious and sometimes not. In the meeting of these colors, a form may arise. Color affects us on a soul level. It can inspire and uplift as well as bring about a range of other emotions. I strive to create a bridge between the spiritual world of color and the physical world of form – a bridge built of movement, color, tone and form."
Mary Jo Dorr was born in the Midwest. As a child, she spent much of her time alone in nature, developing a deep relationship with the outdoors and an appreciation for nature’s many manifestations. After leaving high school, she attended the Minneapolis School of Art and Design, and continued her studies at the University of Northern Iowa.While on a trip to India, she encountered the work of Rudolf Steiner. Several years later, she attended Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California, where she received her diploma in Waldorf education. She studied painting with Maulsby Kimball, Ted Mahle and Leszek Forczek. Mary Jo continues to pursue her own painting, and also teaches Nurturing Arts in Santa Fe, NM.
Sandra Sparks is showing acrylics and acrylic pours in Coloring My World—"The work in this exhibit includes an acrylic painting and a whole collection of works created by using various acrylic pouring techniques. Not a formally trained artist and a person who experiences the challenges of ADD, I find myself jumping from one medium to another, from detailed watercolors to the abstract work you will see here. It fits my personality to try new mediums and techniques, experimenting to see what will happen. No expectations, just interesting and beautiful surprises."
Sandra (Sandy) Sparks is a trained mathematician who taught mathematics for 9 years at Gallaudet University, the world’s only University for the hearing impaired. From there she joined the Computations Department at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (now LLNS) where she worked for 23 years. The highlight of that employment was managing CIAC, the computer security incident response team for the US DOE complex. After retiring, she began to explore the creative side of her brain and tried different mediums of expression including stained glass and watercolors. Today inspired by the artists around Santa Fe, she is exploring the world of acrylics and alcohol inks.
Kathy Urmson has titled her acrylic and mixed media paintings Alive in Repose— "For me, the experience of painting is visceral, alive, full of possibility, vulnerability, adventure. And although my paintings are “active” because I truly love to play with paint, my goal is, to paraphrase Ghandi, that they be “vibrantly alive in repose.” I strive to be true to the honesty of gesture, to follow the urge to experiment and move in new directions, dancing and dialoging with the canvas."
Raised in New England, Kathy Urmson studied painting and metal work at University of Arizona. In the mid 70’s she moved to NYC and began a long career as a theatrical craftsperson painting sets, props, masks and crafting costume pieces for the Metropolitan Opera, Broadway theater, ballet, films, and TV. Kathy’s commissioned work includes murals and faux finishes; her paintings are included in private collections nationwide.
TRILOGY
July–August, 2019
Reception: August 2 5-7pm
Each artist chose her own theme:
Mary Jo Dorr describes her oils, acrylics and watercolors as Reflections in Time— "Form arises out of color. When I am painting, I let the color speak to me, and then follow the characteristic gesture it wants to take. Color first, imbued with light, moving, meeting other colors, sometimes harmonious and sometimes not. In the meeting of these colors, a form may arise. Color affects us on a soul level. It can inspire and uplift as well as bring about a range of other emotions. I strive to create a bridge between the spiritual world of color and the physical world of form – a bridge built of movement, color, tone and form."
Mary Jo Dorr was born in the Midwest. As a child, she spent much of her time alone in nature, developing a deep relationship with the outdoors and an appreciation for nature’s many manifestations. After leaving high school, she attended the Minneapolis School of Art and Design, and continued her studies at the University of Northern Iowa.While on a trip to India, she encountered the work of Rudolf Steiner. Several years later, she attended Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California, where she received her diploma in Waldorf education. She studied painting with Maulsby Kimball, Ted Mahle and Leszek Forczek. Mary Jo continues to pursue her own painting, and also teaches Nurturing Arts in Santa Fe, NM.
Sandra Sparks is showing acrylics and acrylic pours in Coloring My World—"The work in this exhibit includes an acrylic painting and a whole collection of works created by using various acrylic pouring techniques. Not a formally trained artist and a person who experiences the challenges of ADD, I find myself jumping from one medium to another, from detailed watercolors to the abstract work you will see here. It fits my personality to try new mediums and techniques, experimenting to see what will happen. No expectations, just interesting and beautiful surprises."
Sandra (Sandy) Sparks is a trained mathematician who taught mathematics for 9 years at Gallaudet University, the world’s only University for the hearing impaired. From there she joined the Computations Department at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (now LLNS) where she worked for 23 years. The highlight of that employment was managing CIAC, the computer security incident response team for the US DOE complex. After retiring, she began to explore the creative side of her brain and tried different mediums of expression including stained glass and watercolors. Today inspired by the artists around Santa Fe, she is exploring the world of acrylics and alcohol inks.
Kathy Urmson has titled her acrylic and mixed media paintings Alive in Repose— "For me, the experience of painting is visceral, alive, full of possibility, vulnerability, adventure. And although my paintings are “active” because I truly love to play with paint, my goal is, to paraphrase Ghandi, that they be “vibrantly alive in repose.” I strive to be true to the honesty of gesture, to follow the urge to experiment and move in new directions, dancing and dialoging with the canvas."
Raised in New England, Kathy Urmson studied painting and metal work at University of Arizona. In the mid 70’s she moved to NYC and began a long career as a theatrical craftsperson painting sets, props, masks and crafting costume pieces for the Metropolitan Opera, Broadway theater, ballet, films, and TV. Kathy’s commissioned work includes murals and faux finishes; her paintings are included in private collections nationwide.
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.―Anne Frank