LAURI DICKINSON
Mixed Media Artist
Lauri received her BFA and MA from the University of New Mexico. She has taught art in the Albuquerque Public Schools, Laguna and Acoma pueblos, London, England and Oaxaca, Mexico. Art is integral to her life and avocation as an artist.
Lauri has shown her art since 1985 in juried, group and invitational exhibits, nationally and internationally. Her work is included in the Bernalillo County Public Art Collection.
MARY DORNACKER
Mixed Media Artist
Mary was born and raised in Albuquerque. She attended UNM receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1971 and a Masters in Art Education in 1973.
My art is my expression of joy. It is about the present moment, the process and connection. My work intertwines with my loves- hiking, back-packing, camping and sailing. In some way there is a reflection from me to you, a moment of belonging that mirrors the process and the joy and most importantly the humor.
CATHERINE EAVES
Painter
Catherine Eaves was born in Chicago, but grew up in Albuquerque’s north valley. She studied Art Education and English at UNM and graduated with a BA in 1979. Retired after 37 years of teaching in the public schools, she continues to embrace her love of the New Mexico landscape.
The beauty of New Mexico and specifically the Rio Grande Valley, have been enduring sources of inspiration. I continue to try to synthesize my emotional, experiential and intellectual responses to the natural world through my paintings and drawings. The sky, the river, the mountains combined with the music and poetry that I love are the touchstones I use to inform my creative work.
NANCE ELSINGER
Oil and Acrylic Artist
Born in New Mexico, Nance received her BA from the University of Colorado. Committed to her art education, Nance has continually taken classes and workshops in oil, acrylics, pastel and mixed media. From 1995 to 2004, she was an active participant in Silver City, NM art activities; having several one-woman shows, exhibiting in a local co-op gallery and opening her studio for annual art walks. Since moving to Albuquerque in 2005, Nance has shown her work as a member of the Pastel Society and Luna Project.
In my work I explore the mystery and complexity of ordinary items, situations and locations; often abstracting these subjects in my attempt to capture my understanding of their essential nature. The adaptability of oils and acrylics make them ideal for the creation of the shapes and colors found in my paintings. My challenge is to bridge the distance between what I experience and the expression of my experience.
MARTA LIGHT
Mixed Media Artist
Marta Light has lived, taught, and painted in New Mexico for a lifetime. She has a Masters in Art Education from UNM. She has exhibited her work in museums and galleries in the USA and Canada. Her work is included in the books Creative Collage, and Making Connections.
My art work is my way of life. Usually abstract in form, it calls into being the natural world. My intent is to show something in a way that is felt as well as seen--in a rhythm and a gesture----both hidden and revealed. The landscape of New Mexico is my constant inspiration.
JOANI MURPHY
Mixed Media Artist
A native New Mexican, Joani received her BFA in painting and drawing at UNM and her MLS at UA. A member of the Luna Project since its inception in 2003, she has participated in all of the Luna Project exhibitions.
I am interested in the meditative and intuitive process of art making. My work includes three dimensional pieces, collage, painting, monotypes and mixed media. I collect and randomly order objects and images found in my internal and external environment. The simplicity, intricacy, shape, color, surprise and delight of these images inform my work as an artist.
MARGY O'BRIEN
Mixed Media Artist
Margy enjoys exploring various materials as a studio artist. Her paintings and artists books have been included in many juried shows and publications. Among her public art projects are: Rio Grande Nature Center, Elena Gallegos Albuquerque Open Space, Albuquerque International Marketplace, Winrock Town Center, and Bernalillo County Bachechi Open Space.
I meld my dual love of art and nature to create paintings, ceramic tile murals, and artist’s books. I begin the creative process by going afield with my nature journal and sketchbooks, directly observing nature in all its variety and surprises. The plein air sketching and writing gives me a true sense of the spirit of a place, and ultimately fuels my studio work. In addition to belonging to LUNA Project, I am a signature member of New Mexico Watercolor Society, a member of Society of Layerists in Multi-Media, Tile Heritage Foundation, LIBROS and Santa Fe Book Arts Group.
NANCY RUTLAND
Watercolor, Pen & Ink, Mixed Media, Clay
Nancy studied art in the US and England and received her BA in English from the College of William & Mary and her MA from the University of Virginia. She founded Bookworks bookstore in Albuquerque's north valley in 1984. Her drawings have appeared in People Soup, Caduceus and Iris. Her work has been in juried and invitational shows and was featured in a solo show at Mariposa Gallery in 2016.
I am inspired by the written word and my daily observations to express a moment, a glimpse, or a snapshot of my domestic life or of the natural world or of an intertwining of the two. In addition to drawing and painting, I throw functional pottery and love beautiful utilitarian things.
Watercolor, Pen & Ink, Mixed Media, Clay
Nancy studied art in the US and England and received her BA in English from the College of William & Mary and her MA from the University of Virginia. She founded Bookworks bookstore in Albuquerque's north valley in 1984. Her drawings have appeared in People Soup, Caduceus and Iris. Her work has been in juried and invitational shows and was featured in a solo show at Mariposa Gallery in 2016.
I am inspired by the written word and my daily observations to express a moment, a glimpse, or a snapshot of my domestic life or of the natural world or of an intertwining of the two. In addition to drawing and painting, I throw functional pottery and love beautiful utilitarian things.
PHYLLIS BENIA SALAZAR
Painter
Phyllis Benia Salazar earned a BA in art and psychology and an MA in art education from University of New Mexico. She taught art at Albuquerque High School for twenty-five years. She was recognized for excellence in teaching by the Albuquerque Public School Board. After retiring, Phyllis volunteered at Zia Elementary School teaching art to kindergarten students.
Born and raised in Santa Fe, NM, I am a descendant of people who have lived in northern New Mexico since 1693. My work has been influenced by my rich northern New Mexico cultural upbringing, the beauty of the land and sky, the intensity of the light, and the resilience of the people.
KRISTIN THACHER
Potter, Poet, and Paper Artist
Kristin Thacher was the owner of Mountain Workshop in Cedar Crest, NM. She learned to make pottery 50 years ago as an apprentice at studio potteries in Illinois and Vermont. She has taught ceramic classes for children and adults. Her prize-winning work has been exhibited in shows and galleries in NM, AZ, OK, VT, WI, and WV.
Fifty years later, I have shifted my creative vision from the three-dimensional into the omni-dimensional worlds of mokuhanga, kirigami, suminagashi, and works on paper. As an artist, I experiment with combinations of my woodblock prints, linocuts, photographs, paper marbling, hand-made oriental papers and anything that makes marks. As a poet, I was honored in 2019 to exhibit a poem in the Palace Press Poetry Broadside Print Show at El Zaguan in Santa Fe. For me, one step leads to another in the endless, unwinding pathway of artwork and wordwork. There is no map. There is no destination. Each day is a new discovery
ALICE WEBB
Painter
In 2016 Alice Webb received the Albuquerque Art Treasure Award for her work in the arts both as a teacher and as an artist. A graduate of UNM from 1973 till 1990 Webb lived and worked in Taos where she studied with artists such as Fritz Scholder. Webbs work is in numerous public and ptivate collections all over the southwest. Most notably Webbs work has been collected through the 1% for The Arts program by the state of New Mexico and through the Urban Enhancement program by the city of Albuquerque. Alice has taught art to students between the ages of 3 and 73 in numerous venues in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. At present Alice teaches a class at the University of New Mexico. and several classes at New Mexico Art League.
My work ranges from the objective landscapes which capture the essence of the small valleys and grand vistas of Northern New Mexico to the non-objective abstracts which spring from my deep passion for color, shape and spirit.
HONORARY MEMBERS
RUTH COHEN
Mixed Media Artist and Printmaker
Ruth is a self-taught artist. She attended classes, individual lessons and workshops in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. She exhibits at Mariposa Gallery in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is currently the featured artist at Roots Cafe in Sandia Park, New Mexico.
Creating watercolors are inspired when traveling and at home in New Mexico. Often, when sitting at a table in a kitchen, cafe or restaurant – contemplating, eating, talking and drawing, she draws at the location and later adds watercolor.
RUTH COHEN
Mixed Media Artist and Printmaker
Ruth is a self-taught artist. She attended classes, individual lessons and workshops in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. She exhibits at Mariposa Gallery in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is currently the featured artist at Roots Cafe in Sandia Park, New Mexico.
Creating watercolors are inspired when traveling and at home in New Mexico. Often, when sitting at a table in a kitchen, cafe or restaurant – contemplating, eating, talking and drawing, she draws at the location and later adds watercolor.
PATRICIA COHEN
Clay Artist
Patricia holds a BFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan and an MA in Art Education from UNM. She has made her home in and around Albuquerque for four decades. She taught art in middle school and high school for Albuquerque Public Schools and the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. Her work may be seen in Visual Journeys: Art of the Twenty First Century (2010) and 500 Raku (2011).
I am always experimenting with surface treatments, and new clay bodies. Most of my sculpture work has been raku fired and sagger fired. Both processes produce surprising and unpredictable results which I enjoy. Simplicity of form has been increasingly important to me. I want to express a feeling, an emotion, to the viewer, or a narrative with the least amount of extraneous/unnecessary embellishment. My recent sculptures have evolved from experiments with clay melded with paper fibers that increase the strength of the clay body as I work with it. I am thinking about how thin I can get it and how large I can grow it while still maintaining its integrity, and at the same time engaging the clay in the aesthetic I am striving for.
ANNA MAFCHIR
Mixed Media Artist
Anna received her BFA at Pacific NW College of Art in Portland Oregon and returned to New Mexico to receive her certification in art education at UNM. She has been teaching photography to high school students for nine years and taught a variety of art classes in Santa Fe in the private setting for four years before that.
I am inspired most in moments of spontaneity, this has become my way to exist as an artist. With two young children and a full-time job my time for personal creativity has become limited. While the moments I have to create are almost forced, my need to create is critical to my well-being. I work in series and use a variety of media including photography, painting and drawing, found objects and collage.
