Priscilla Hoback, Artist Of The Desertscape

For a time the studio may be full of white deer, and then those fade out. As work on another idea begins, I am in a land of herons or antelope, thinking their thoughts.    –Priscilla Hoback, Living Clay

Photo courtesy of Priscilla Hoback's website

Priscilla Hoback worked as an artist in New Mexico for more than half a century — her hands in clay and desert earth. A native Santa Fean, Hoback used the wild clays and natural pigments from around her farm in Galisteo, New Mexico, to create pottery and stoneware murals. Inspired by her garden, horses, and the wilderness around her home, Hoback’s work is expressive and playful, original and timeless, contemporary and primal.

Walt Gonske: A Retrospective

Our summer exhibition, Walt Gonske: A Retrospective consists of personally selected works from the artist’s own collection, spanning four decades and four seasons.  With his expressive brush, Gonske captures locations in the Southwest, Greece, California, and Mexico. All of the paintings in the exhibition are featured in the recently published book The Art of Walt Gonske: A Retrospective. We hope you have a chance to enjoy this incredible collection.

Gardens Gone Wild

Dan Ostermiller’s third botanical garden show, Gardens Gone Wild, opens on May 26. The Santa Fe Botanical Garden at Museum Hill will feature a collection of Ostermiller’s monumental sized animal sculptures – realistic, spontaneous and spirited. Gardens Gone Wild will include more than 20 bronzes, from bears and bullfrogs to barnyard hens and backyard rabbits. The exhibition, designed to surprise and delight visitors of all ages, will be on display through May 12, 2019.  We hope you will have a chance to enjoy this animal adventure at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden.

Sacred Datura

In his sculpture, JK Inson incorporates multiple dimensions, perspectives, and ages. With a Master of Arts in Anthropology, Inson is inspired and intrigued by history, culture, and the art that weaves our stories. His work considers the way other eyes see, the way others live, and another time in the present moment.

“I like art that represents something we see a lot, but that looks at it in a different way,” Inson says. In his stone sculptures of the southwestern plant the datura wrighti, or sacred datura, he considers its many uses; the Zuni, Chumash, Tongva, and other Native American tribes have used it for ceremonial and magical purposes – to hex and break hexes, for protection, divination, dreams. The perennial plant is sweetly fragrant but also poisonous; a hallucinogenic that transcends our particular sense of reality, and a striking flower that Inson morphs naturally into stone.

We encourage you to stop by the gallery to look at these sculptures, to see this embodiment of otherness, ancient and new, contemplative and vivid. 

Soviet Art

Until recently, the Russian artists of the 20th century were virtually unknown to westerners. The lifting of the Iron Curtain, and the end of communism in Russia, has led to a fortunate discovery in the western world: the remarkable, life-affirming paintings from the Soviet era. The Soviet Realists were academically trained, state-commissioned artists; consequently, they painted propaganda. However, they also created extraordinary "practice" art – joyful paintings of children, the vibrant landscape of their homeland, and serene still life paintings were a symbol of life’s continuity.  These paintings, created during tumultuous times, celebrate the triumph of the human spirit.

In the 1980's, Mikhail Gorbachev shifted away from the policies of government censorship and control, ending the unusual historical circumstances that inspired this remarkable period in Russian art. Isolated from western influence, the Soviet Realists developed a unique style and a strong sense of camaraderie. We are fortunate in our continued efforts to offer works by this select group of exceptional Russian artists, and we encourage you to stop by the gallery to see these paintings.

Teacups & Bouquets

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. ― Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

Joan Potter, Lilies & Eucalyptus, oil on canvas, 20" x 22"

Martin Mooney, Oriental Poppies & Ceramics, oil on panel, 48" x 36"

Walt Gonske, Samovar with Roses, oil on linen, 32" x 34"

Laura Robb, Bouquet and Asian Tapestry, oil on linen, 18" x 12"

Several of our contemporary artists paint beautifully paired bouquets of fluid, bright florals with the peaceful stillness of ceramic pieces.  Lilies & Eucalyptus, by Joan Potter, contrasts white lilies with red, green and gold, and a touch of oriental influence. Martin Mooney, too, often paints brilliant flowers amidst fine ceramic pieces and patterned fabric from faraway lands.  These still-life paintings are simple and serene, yet bold and adventurous; miniature worlds depicting temporal, earthy pleasures, inviting calm and contemplation.

Laura Robb and Walt Gonske paint lovely arrangements of teacups and flowers in a more impressionistic manner, offering a different perspective on the juxtaposition between manmade and organic material.Bouquet and Asian Tapestry, in Robb's fresh and vivid style, depicts an upright cup topped with an array of purple pansies. Gonske's roses, in Samovar with Roses, also convey this pleasing contrast between movement and wildness surrounding vases and tea. What could be more inviting than this single cup of tea, tucked into a dazzling display of nature?

We hope you have a moment to stop by the gallery for a metaphorical cup of tea; to enjoy these serene still-life paintings in person. Despite the cold, the garden is also inviting – even in the winter it feels alive and wild, a beautiful backdrop for the quiet sculptures.

Let it Snow

Snow is a treasured accent in the Southwest, bringing moisture to our high desert panorama and adding brilliance to the colorful landscape of the region. The snowscapes in the gallery remind us of the fleeting beauty of winter, the joy in transition, and the warmth we find in the coldest months. We hope you have a chance to stop by the gallery to see these exquisite paintings firsthand.

Cowboy Artist Gary Niblett

Gary Niblett grew up in Carlsbad, New Mexico, in the midst of vast ranch lands. His talent was apparent from an early age, and local ranchers commissioned him to do horse portraits. Niblett attended the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, working in California as a commercial artist. He was eventually able to return to New Mexico and pursue a career in fine art.

Niblett is widely recognized as an exceptional western artist. At thirty-three, he became the youngest member to be elected to the prestigious art organization, the Cowboy Artists of America. His paintings are widely collected and have been exhibited in Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Taiwan, and Beijing.

For over 40 years, Nedra Matteucci has proudly represented Gary Niblett, an authentic, honest, and kind artist, who continues to paint the West he knows and loves. Niblett's exceptional paintings reflect his knowledge and experience of the West, rich with color and mood, and often large in scale. Please come by the gallery to enjoy these impressive paintings in person.

Dick Mason: Revisiting A Santa Fe Treasure

Dick Mason is widely known as the Santa Fe artist who painted Dalmatians set within southwestern landscapes. At the height of his career, his work—both original and in print—was a common sighting in Santa Fe, enjoyed by collectors and visitors alike.  While Mason is fondly remembered for his beloved dog “Spot” in countless paintings, his surrealist landscapes, interior scenes, and architectural studies still captivate with nostalgia and wonder. In all of his work, he was reaching for something beyond the visual — exploring the artistic concepts of illusion, imagination, and concrete forms.

The gallery is pleased to offer more than two dozen works from Mason’s estate, including some of his famous Dalmation paintings, as well other works demonstrating his range of interests and skill. Collectively, the paintings offer a glimpse into Mason's creative vision — a world of ambiguity, beauty, and illusion. We hope you can come by the gallery to enjoy Dick Mason: Revisiting a Santa Fe Treasure, a collection of acrylic and watercolor paintings on display from October 6th - 13th.

Nedra Matteucci Galleries to Participate in The American Art Fair

Nedra Matteucci Galleries is honored to participate in The American Art Fair. Since 2008, The American Art Fair has focused on American 19th and 20th century works, featuring hundreds of landscapes, portraits, still lifes, studies, and sculpture exhibited by a select group of premier specialists. This year's Fair will be held in The Bohemian National Hall, Friday, November 12 - November 15.