BY KEN NEBEL
Village Arts
The newest exhibit at Village Arts, Just Deserts, is turning up the heat and highlighting the color, warmth, and unexpected life of the desert with 55 artistic gems made by nearly 3 dozen local and regional artists.
Artwork is on display through June 13, 2026. Artists were asked to create work that zoomed in on deserts in all their arid and austere beauty and the resulting artwork shows a surprising breadth of subject matter and media that underlines a deep connection between the artists and their surroundings.
New Mexico averages nearly two months more sunshine yearly than the Sunshine State, and walking into Village Arts now is like walking through a beam of sunlight, with warm earthy tones dominating the walls and sculptures. Oranges and corals dominate Nancy Cope’s patterned needlepoints and Melissa Alexander’s “Sun and Sand” knitted vest. Ochers and rusts bring depth and shadows the rocky pastel landscapes by Diane Thurston and oil paintings of Rachel Pearson.
Watercolored, painted, photographed, collaged, and felted mountains and mesas rise in muted earth tones and cooler purples. Moods unique to the harsh desert sun and rapidly cooling nights take center stage. Weathered charcoal and watercolored churches and dramatic stormy skies in Ezra Estes’ works contrast with the blush pinks of a calming twilight in Sue Ellen Hains’ “Hawk Moon”.
Anyone might be forgiven in thinking that a show centered around deserts could be, well, dry, but this exhibit teems with life. Mosaic yucca, pastel agave, embroidered yuccas and felted saguaros reach for the sky.
Katy Korkos’ oil painting “Muscular Aloe” makes room for itself next to Chad Lauritzen’s acrylics of desert blooms. Cholla cactus completes sculptures and ponderosa pine needles and bark form Deborah Steinman’s basket. Even the tiny details of Kathy Geoffrion Parker’s “Scottsdale Path”, Jacci Gruninger’s mixed media “Spring in New Mexico”, and Sarah Steinman’s oil pastel “Fruit of the Cactus” show bits of life in unexpected places.
Other desert dwellers also make appearances throughout the exhibit. Ellen Mancini’s clay dioramas feature ravens, lizards, and coyotes. A stone painting of a lizard by Suzanne Nowicki basks beneath a beaded bearded dragon by Ann Green. Beaded and ceramic owls peer out of cacti, scratchboard mountain lions pause mid stride, block printed cowboy prarie dogs ride jack rabbits, and painted vultures with mohawks and leather jackets look ready to hop on a motorcycle.
Rosalia Olivas’ “As Above, So Below” painting plays with storytelling through the characters of a raven and coyote. Implied stories also follow a pair of figures and donkey in Bonnie Dickman’s “Leaving Town” and Liz Aicher’s watercolor of an ancient dwelling entitled “Move In Condition”.
With great stories, familiar vistas, and unique connections to the flora and fauna that surround us, Just Deserts is well worth taking in. Stop by Village Arts to check out the magic and mirages of the desert, vote on your favorite pieces for the Viewer’s Choice Award, and perhaps bring a bit of the desert back home with you.
Plan to follow Village Arts into their next exhibit from mid June to late July, where Liquid Courage will take on the monsoon season by storm! Artists are encouraged to present all things liquid from a droplet to an ocean. Everyone is welcome to enter an exhibit at Village Arts, and anyone who is interested should connect with Village Arts via social media, at
505-661-2526, or online at www.villageartsframing.com .
Village Arts is located at 216 DP Road and open Monday through Friday from 9 AM-4 PM,
Saturdays from 10 AM-4 PM, and by appointment.
