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The Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery (MVAG), 2470-A Calle de Guadalupe, across from the Fountain Theatre on the historic Mesilla Plaza, will feature the works of two talented local artists during December: Jane Madrid and Richard Spellenberg.
Madrid has been a resident of Las Cruces since 1959 and has painted since the age of 8, MVAG said in a news release. Her serious work began about 2005, when she gradually prepared for the end of a successful information technology career with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Marid’s main media is oil, with some acrylic. Her major artistic themes center around nature, with a particular emphasis on animals, flowers, birds, butterflies, landscapes and the interaction of these within the environment.
Spellenberg works with wood, the news release said. Originally from California, he is a retired New Mexico State University biology professor who has lived in Las Cruces since 1968. A botanist, Spellenberg has written several books about plants of the Southwest.
His medium, wood, is a continuation of his scientific endeavors. Spellenberg has a minor in art with woodturning courses. He said he “toyed” with his father’s treadle lathe as a teenager and, since retirement, his interest in the differences in the woods and patterns has deepened.
MVAG’s newest member is Suzanne Thiesfeld, a fabric artist. Her inspiration is from nature, especially in landscapes, still life and observations of things surrounding her, the gallery said. Fabric allows Thiesfeld to use colors and shapes quickly and forces her to be loose in her compositions. However, print fabrics in some pieces make her collages come to life.
The work of MVAG artists is featured at First American Bank, 1553 Avenida de Mesilla.
MVAG’s 30 member artists offer work in various media, including oil, acrylics, pastels, watercolor, fused glass, woodturnings, stained glass, photography, ceramics, mixed media, decorated gourds, handmade textile weavings, art tile, fiber art, natural gemstone jewelry, colored pencil, charcoal, pen and ink drawings, prints, cards and miniature paintings.
Gallery members are also offering handmade Christmas ornaments for sale.
MVAG is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.
Call 575-522-2933. Visit www.mesillavalleyfinearts.com.
