Donna Popky has had art as a lifelong companion, beginning with childhood drawing lessons in New York City and continuing through a career that included teaching art to children and helping nursing home residents discover the joy of creating something themselves.
Larry Felhauer art arrived much later on the art scene, after a business career spent overseeing manufacturing plants around the country left him wondering what to do with his retirement.
Their paths could hardly have been more different. But today, both are members of the Artists of Picacho Hills, and both have discovered that creating art is only part of what makes it meaningful. Sharing it with others is another.
The next opportunity to do that will come Saturday, Oct. 17, when the organization presents its Fall Festival of Art from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 225 W. Griggs Ave. in Las Cruces.
The free event will feature 16 juried artists displaying paintings, pottery, ceramics, jewelry, photography, fused glass, weaving, sculpture and other original works. Felhauer, the organization's president, hopes visitors will come for more than the opportunity to shop.
"When you go to one of our shows, you'll find four or five people, it seems like almost at every booth, and they're all talking to the artists," he said.
Felhauer discovered ceramics after retiring and moving to Las Cruces in 2006. Golf and gardening hadn't been enough to occupy his time, so he enrolled in a ceramics class at New Mexico State University.
"I just wanted something to do with my hands, something, you know, tactile," he said.
He began creating sculptures, eventually combining ceramic elements with steel. His work frequently reflects his fascination with Native American artistic traditions and the cultural heritage of New Mexico.
Initially, he had little interest in selling his creations. But the artwork began accumulating at home, and his wife eventually pointed out that they were running out of walls. Joining the Artists of Picacho Hills gave him an outlet.
"The first show I did, I was just floored at how much people liked my art," he said.
Popky's introduction to art came decades earlier. Growing up in Manhattan, she loved drawing and eventually attended a high school specializing in art and music. She studied art in college and went on to a career that included teaching, gallery management and therapeutic recreation.
During nine years working at a nursing home, she helped older adults discover that creating something beautiful could provide joy and a temporary escape from the challenges of aging.
"I wanted them just to know the joy of being able to create something and not being so concerned about what it looked like," she said.
Now living in Las Cruces, Popky works primarily in acrylics and watercolors, often depicting the landscapes, plants and wildlife of southern New Mexico. The Organ Mountains are a recurring inspiration, although her paintings don't necessarily reproduce their natural colors.
"People say, well, you know, in the desert there's not a lot of color," she said. "Well, there's a lot of color. There's a lot of color here. Just you have to sort of seek it out."
That appreciation for art, and the opportunity to share it, is central to the Artists of Picacho Hills. The organization brings together Picacho Hills residents who share an interest in art, whether or not they are practicing artists. Its exhibitions feature juried artists, including guests from outside the neighborhood, and its activities have included opportunities for NMSU and Doña Ana Community College students to display and sell their work.
The fall exhibition, previously known as Holiday House, adopted the Fall Festival of Art name last year. It complements the organization's spring Art in the Garden show.
Both Popky and Felhauer believe such events contribute to the growing vitality of the Las Cruces arts community, while giving visitors an opportunity to meet the people behind the artwork.
"I think having a conversation with artists about what's their inspiration and how do they create something and where do they get their ideas from," Popky said, is part of what makes the experience meaningful.
Felhauer sees art as an escape from the pressures and distractions of everyday life.
"When people look at art and get involved in art, they tend to forget about everything else around them," he said.
Popky sees an equally fundamental value in art.
"I think a lot of what we're trying to do in these shows is not just sell our work," she said. "But we just want people to know that art is very important to life."
And for visitors who don't consider themselves particularly artistic, both offer essentially the same invitation: Come see what others have created. Ask questions. Have a conversation. Buying something is optional. Appreciating it is enough.
