Bicycle Commuting, Tom Waits and Cloudcroft

Sorry about the long gap between postings! Aaron and I took a little getaway vacation last week. We spent a couple of days at the family cabin in Cloudcroft, NM and then headed down to Las Cruces and ultimately El Paso for the Tom Waits concert.

Cloudcroft was a nice break from the heat. The second day we woke up to cloud cover and 50 degree F. temps! The first day we were there we had no water most of the day, it seems the village water people did some work and "forgot" to turn the water back on to the cabin. It took them 5 hours to get up there and turn it back on! Talk about slow moving, in a town the size of Cloudcroft, I doubt they were that busy!

Now, on to the Tom Waits concert! What a blast! It was definitely one of the best concerts of my life. Only second behind the Police last summer and pretty close to tied with the Page/Plant concert we saw in 1995. Waits is quite the entertainer, well worth the $90 ticket price! Plus it made my hubby super happy to see one of his favorite musicians ever.

Saturday we stayed in Las Cruces for my brother's housewarming party. So, needless to say, we are dragging a little this week.

Yesterday we bought bicycles. Today was our first commute to the studio. WOW! I knew it was going to be a rough ride at the end because we live in the valley and the last few blocks to our studio are uphill, but damn! I thought my heart would jump out of my chest! Once again, needless to say, it's going to take a little while to get back in hill riding shape. It's been a few years since we've owned bikes, but it's been even longer since I've used a bike for commuting. We decided that it was time to stop spending $80 a week on gas, and riding the bus isn't really a big cut in money, but riding bikes is not only free(other than the price of the bikes), but it's great exercise AND good for the environment. Time to put our money where our mouth is!

Proud of Pride

Peace Pride, oil on canvas, 12 x 12", completed

This weekend is the Albuquerque Pride Festival and I will be there with my art at booth # 27. For those who don't know, Pride is a festival that celebrates the gay, lesbian and transgender community.

My first and only time(so far) at a Pride Fest was a couple of years ago when Aaron and I went with my dad. My dad was a gay man and I have to say I was very proud of him. It can't be easy to come out of the closet in a country full of hate crimes and discrimination. I am dedicating this show to the memory of my dad. He would have been here cheering me on and we would have had a wonderful time. So, in his memory, I plan to have a blast this weekend.

The Pride Fest runs thru Saturday at 8pm. Saturday morning there will be a parade down Central Ave. into the state fairgrounds. There will also be concerts and a pet parade.

I had planned to do a whole series of paintings for the show, but only ended up with time enough to finish one. "Peace Pride" is available for $300, plus I will have prints available for $20(13x13" matted) and $8(6x6" matted).

Grand Opening a Hit!

This past Friday was our Grand Opening art show and open studios event. Most of the photos posted were taken before and after the show. I had planned to take more during the show, but the place was so crowded and I was so busy talking with our guests that I ended up putting the camera away.

The show was a huge success! Many people came by to see the space and ended up staying for the three hours to enjoy the art, talk with all the artists, enjoy a little food and beverages and many even left with a piece of art or two. I have been told by several people that this was the best art opening they've been to in some time. I would have to agree with that, even if I am a little biased. The art was amazing, the artists friendly, the refreshments yummy and the atmosphere in general was positive.

Thanks go out to everyone that came out to support Chroma Studios. Thanks to the guest artists that brought in their wonderful work, to the studio artists for all the hard work they put into getting everything ready, to the musicians(Aaron and Michael) that created a festive atmosphere and to our good friends Kathy and Benita that prepared the awesome food!

Chroma Artists from left to right, Michael(guest artist), Barak, Vashti, Josephine, Terri, Angelo, Aaron and Paula(Chroma Artists not pictured, Diane Reitz, Chris and Amy Schelling, guest artists not pictured, Ray Maseman, Jacqui Lewnes and Brandon Atencio)

You're Invited!

Please join us for our Grand Opening celebration!

When: Friday, June 6, 2008 5:30 - 8:30pm

Where: Chroma Studios

1606 Central Ave SE Suite 201

(there is plenty of parking in the East and West parking lots and in the adjacent church)

Who we are:
Chroma Studios is Albuquerque’s newest professional artist’s studio space. Located on Central just West of University, Chroma is home to 10 professional artists and a growing community of visiting artists and students. We are dedicated to promoting the work of established and emerging artists through studio spaces, exhibitions, and class offerings.

Meet the artists:

Painter Paula Manning-Lewis creates stunning works of art that incorporate spirals depicting the cycles of growth and invention, inspiration and experience, failure and success. She is a passionate and inspired artist is one of the founding members of Chroma Studios.

Aaron Lewis is an accomplished musician who will be gracing us with his tunes on opening night. Lewis is currently mastering tracks for his third CD “Space Travel”. He plays gigs througout New Mexico, and teaches music to children in his spare time. He is also a founding member of the Studios.

Josephine Brionez de Flores is another founding member, born and raised in Barelas. Brionez de Flores is a prolific artist who shows her work throughout New Mexico and internationally. Her feather masks are held in private collections throughout the world.

Angelo Flores, the final founding member, is an entrepenuer that creates custom engraving on pendants for all occasions, ie graduation, new baby, memorials, etc.

Diane Walton Reitz studied fine art at Schular Fine Art School in Baltimore, Maryland, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with a specialty in painting and illustration from Texas A& M. She has been living, painting, and teaching in New Mexico since 1998, and is a member of several New Mexico art associations. She is represented by Chroma Studios, and Dreamscapes Gallery.

Terri Hansen is an award winning classical realist painter who has recently relocated to Albuquerque and positively loves living here. Primarily an Oil and Watercolor artist, her compositions and colors are unmistakable for their highly charged dramatic flair.

Chris and Amy Schelling are a husband/wife artist team. Chris paints colorful abstract oils and Amy works in several media.

Israeli Barak Naggan is a professional adventure travel and nature photographer and videographer. On his first visit to the American southwest several years ago, he became deeply inspired by the area's natural beauty and in 2002 he made New Mexico his home. His photographs have shown in Israel, California and New Mexico, and have been published in several magazines including Men’s Journal and National Geographic Adventure.

vashti b, a New Mexico native, is an artist who explores text, found objects and mixed media in her work. She is a professional teaching artist who works to promote literacy and a culture of creativity and kindness.

Please join us for an evening of refreshments, music and art as we introduce ourselves as well as the work of several other local artists.
See you there!

For more information or any questions call Paula at 259-6320.