UU Santa Fe hosts various art installations by local artists; these change tri-monthly. You will find our featured artist(s) on this page . Art on Barcelona is facilitated and curated by Virginia Asman.
Art on Barcelona
JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
Five artists are exhibiting work with very different styles, subjects and media—much like the variety of the facets of a kaleidoscope. Each artist is mounting her own mini-exhibit, contrasting with and complementing the four others. We hope viewing our preview video above—and reading the artists’ statements—will whet your appetite to experience the entire exhibit in person!
HEATHER MURPHREE: EXPLORATIONS The paintings in this exhibit are the result of a dialogue between myself and the colors, values and shapes that emerge. Beginning with a limited color scheme and random pencil marks, I build up layers and remove areas, scratch, and rub, delighting in how emerging marks interact with each other, choosing to emphasize some, and move others to the background. I use a variety of implements, anything to apply the paint, as long as they make interesting marks. I want the viewer’s eye to always have something to discover, to be endlessly engaged, and delighted in an experience similar to finding images in passing clouds. Heather Murphree grew up in the Deep South. Her happiest memories are being in nature, and her earliest work was representational. She graduated from Duke University with a BA in English and Anthropology, then spent a year traveling in Asia, and living in Auroville, India. Afterward she attended Pacific School of Religion, and later received an MFA in sculpture from TCU. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband, two dogs and a large garden. hmurf@ix.netcom.com
JEANNE LUBEY: SANTA FE FLOWERS AND DOORWAYS I strive to create the Grandeur of nature on my canvases. Grandeur resides in the echoing winds between mountain peaks, and in the ever-changing clouds that adorn our skies. We see it in the foaming waves that kiss our shores to be followed by the rolling march of another generation. It exists in the tribes of trees growing along city streets and populating the sides of mountains. Every rock, every tree, and every human contributes to the beauty of what exists. Without diversity there would be no grandeur. Raised on a farm near Madison, Wisconsin, I graduated with a master’s degree in art education, from Kutztown University, Kutztown, Pennsylvania and taught elementary art for 30 years; finishing my career teaching art at Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I presently reside in Santa Fe, New Mexico. jlubey@msn.com (512) 630-4892
RUTH OMLIN: MAGICAL WORLDS Drawing lies at the heart of my artistic practice, serving as the foundation upon which I build my creative journey across a variety of media. I find great joy and fulfillment in exploring various techniques to express myself, and I remain committed to pushing my boundaries. Through my art, I hope to inspire others to trust their own creative instincts, and to see the world with fresh eyes. My art appreciation was nurtured by travelling extensively and living in different countries, learning about different cultures, allowing me to visit great museums, galleries, and historic places at a young age. However, I did not trust my own creative process until I did a Masters in Art Therapy at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY in midlife. Living in Santa Fe since 2000 has allowed me to do what I enjoy most, experimenting in different techniques and materials. ruthomlin@gmail.comwww.RuthOmlin.com
SALLY SWISHER: OIL AND WATER This body of work includes work in both cold wax and oil, as well as acrylic and collage. Each painting starts with a mark or words on a blank canvas, followed by many layers building up and taking away, responding both intuitively and with control as each picture evolves. My intention is to invite the viewer in, to explore contrasts in texture in shapes and color. I often embed personal memorabilia such as letters and pages from old textbooks into the work. Ten years ago while still a practicing physician in West Virginia I began taking art classes, exploring darkroom photography, drawing, digital art, art history and printmaking. After I retired I moved to Santa Fe where I’ve enjoyed working in my home studio, taking many workshops to improve and develop my skills, and enjoying the beauty of the high desert. sallyhannaswisher@gmail.com
VIRGINIA ASMAN: A WALK IN THE PARK One only has to walk through an urban park to discover the widely diverse activities taking place within. Most of the artwork in this series resulted from drawings I made of people “doing their thing” as I strolled through Washington Square Park in NYC. Other pieces were inspired by sightings in Asheville, NC, and here in Santa Fe. I imported my original drawings made on paper into the digital platform where I added photography to establish the settings. I began my life at the Jersey Shore and moved to Santa Fe from New York City in 2014. After years as an elementary school teacher, I embarked on my second career as both a fine and graphic artist, studying at Pratt Manhattan, Parsons School of Design, the Art Students League (all NYC), various colleges in New Jersey and—most recently—SFCC. I first worked in traditional media, then embraced the world of pixels and am currently working on a fusion of it all. art@vgasman.com www.vgasman.com