Art Shorts
Las Cruces & Mesilla Arts Scene
The New Mexico Watercolor Society, Southern Chapter will present "Small Paintings — A Few of My Favorite Things" at the Branigan Cultural Center this month, with an artists' reception Oct. 5, 5-7 p.m. The show, featuring paintings 12" x 12" or smaller, is the group's third small paintings show at the center, and will run through Oct. 27.
"A Collection of Oil Paintings," a solo exhibit of works by Cynthia Guzevich-Sommers, will also be on display at the Branigan Cultural Center Oct. 5-27, with an opening reception Oct. 5, 5-7 p.m. Primarily a still-life painter, the German-born Guzevich-Sommers works almost exclusively in oils. Her works feature strong, clean color and fine details. 501 N. Main, 541-2154, www.las-cruces.org.
The Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music will offer musical accompaniment to the ongoing Salvador Dali Exhibit, with a series of brief lectures that will precede performances of avant-garde music at the Las Cruces Museum of Art Oct. 27 and Nov. 24. The free lectures, held at the Branigan Cultural Center, will begin at 1:15 p.m., and the musical performances will begin at the Museum of Art at 2 p.m. A $5 entrance fee for adults will be charged for the musical performances and to view the "Dali Illustrates Dante's Divine Comedy" exhibition at the Museum of Art.
New oil paintings by Taos Indian artist Dennis Lujan will be shown at Laughing at the Sun gallery this month, with an opening reception for the artist Oct. 6, 5-7 p.m. The new paintings are from trips spent on the Gulf Coast and from his garden in the Rocket City. 1910 Calle de Parian (inside the Old Tortilla Factory), 523-1890.
The Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery will feature artists Elaine Frink and Ruth Ann Sugarman in October. Frink's color photography spotlights local and regional scenes, while Sugarman's impressionistic oils depict a wide variety of subjects from around the world. 2470 Calle de Guadalupe, 522-2933, mesillavalleyfineartsgallery.blogspot.com.
"Color" is the theme of Gabriella Denton's exhibit at Alegre Gallery, on display this month with an opening reception for the artist Oct. 6, 1-4 p.m. Denton's work, which also is shown in Santa Fe, is abstract with bold color and sophisticated design elements. 1701 Calle de Mercado #1, 523-2311, www.alegregallery.com.
In conjunction with the performances of "Vincent" at the Black Box Theater, local artists will display sunflower paintings, photographs and fiber art pieces at the gallery in the theater's lobby. Open one hour before performances. Wine and cheese artists' reception Oct. 5, 5-7 p.m.
The Tombaugh Gallery of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Las Cruces will highlight sculpture in fused glass by Lois Wilson and minimal kinetic steel constructions by John Northcutt this month, with an opening reception for the artists Oct. 5, 6-8 p.m. Wilson has been working with glass for eight years, seguing into stained glass from a long background in quilting. On moving to Las Cruces a year ago, she started Southwest Glass Creations. Her work is shown locally at the Main Street Gallery in Las Cruces and includes medium-sized upright pieces as well as jewelry. Northcutt has a background in both steel sculpture and ceramics, has taught and exhibited extensively from the early 1970s, and has completed several large-scale public and private pieces. His sculptures interact with the viewer, who can turn shapes on an axis to create a variety of new forms. 2000 S. Solano, 522-7281.
"Side by Side: Memories of Trees on Fabric and Paper" will be shown at the Las Cruces Convention and Visitors Bureau in October. This is the third collaborative exhibit in Las Cruces for Joan Jensen, a noted historian and author, and local watercolorist Margaret Bernstein, and the exhibit conveys the inspiration the two artists find in trees. The Convention and Visitors Bureau is open Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. 211 N. Water St.
"Churches of New Mexico," works by 14 local artists anchored with paintings by Harold Joe Waldrum (1934-2003), is on display at the Glenn Cutter Jewelers and Gallery and the Patio Art Gallery, with receptions Oct. 27 and Nov. 24, 1-4 p.m. The works feature churches from small towns and villages where so often a church is on the plaza, the center of town, the center of community. Much of Waldrum's work characterizes the beauty of southwestern architecture, especially in New Mexico. Waldrum, a Texan by birth, spent much of his life in New Mexico. In the 1990s, he opened the Rio Bravo Fine Art Gallery in Truth or Consequences, which currently exhibits the bulk of his work. The local artists joining in the exhibit are Susan Connelly, Tom Gerend, Barbara Howe, Betty Hummer, Amei Papitto, Virginia Roach and Sally Wheat, at the Cutter Gallery; Carolyn Bunch, Winfrey Hearst, Annetta J. Hoover, Judy Licht, Joyce T. Macrorie, Julie Ford Oliver and Dan Tapper, at the Patio.
The Terrace Gallery at the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library presents "Potent Portraits, Figure Drawing, Too," this month with an opening reception Oct. 5, 4-5:30 p.m. 200 E. Picacho Ave.
Luna County Arts Scene
Art on the Western Edge will exhibit the works of Columbus artist Paul Forster with an opening reception Oct. 7, 2-4 p.m. Forster traveled extensively in the Four Corners Area of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, and is inspired by the desert southwest to create his art. His works have been shown in New York, Utah, California, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. 7 miles north of Columbus, 642-3641, www.awe-88029.com.
Sierra County Arts Scene
Percha Creek Traders Gallery will celebrate "Destination Sierra County 2007" with an exhibit in its expanded gallery Oct. 12-14. Main St., Hillsboro, 895-5116.