NM Snaps: Kimm Wiens

TiL is especially pleased to present the third installment of NM Snaps, featuring the work of photographer and artist Kimm Wiens. Wiens was the first photographer to contribute to Things in Light and has created a couple of wonderful photographic slideshows for us in the past. Enjoy Wiens' exploration of mushroom magic in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains here and her photographic ode to winter in Nuevo Mexico here. Wiens captured the above photo of the Needle rock formation in the Sandia Mountains. Scroll on to read the artist's statement Wiens sent to TiL and see more of her sublime work.

"New Mexico's abundant open space, volcanoes and mountain ranges are generally quiet still places where the sound of birds and leaves quaking are all you're likely to hear.  My photographs are journal entries of my meditations in these quiet places. Aside from occasional cattle fences or trail markers, there is nothing man-made here; a world overflowing with mysterious beauty, scents and sounds.  I spend most spring and summer weekends meandering up in the high mountains with my camera focused on trees, rocks, mushrooms, flowers, bugs, birds and other critters.  After the first snows, I switch to the foothills and otherworldly beauty of NM's many badlands.

Originally from Northern California, I've lived happily in New Mexico (Santa Fe, Abiquiu, Taos and Albuquerque) for most of the last 22 years.  After a brief jaunt in Washington state in the last decade I'm back in the Land of Enchantment with new knowledge that New Mexico is Home."

See more of Wiens' photos here and check out her drawing and video art here.

Half-frozen pine tree at the crest of Mount Taylor (Tsoodzil)

Moth and Butterfly on a Sneezeweed in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Mushroom hunting: Porcini and hand-forged mushrooming blade. (Blade by Raven Rob)

Wild grasses on the Rio Grande

Continue Reading..

NM Snaps: Bradford Erickson

The second installment of TiL's Nuevo Mexicano photography series, NM Snaps, features the work of student and artist Bradford Erickson. Erickson is currently studying Art Education at both CNM and UNM. Read Erickson's statement to TiL about his art below.

"I am fascinated by the act of making marks, be it paint on canvas, charcoal on paper, a line etched in copper, or a figure pecked into patinated volcanic rock. Like countless others, I respond to an inner, primal urge to assert my presence and, in leaving my mark, rationalize my existence in an turbulent and confusing world. I am not interested in capturing the real, but rather share my interpretation of the world I inhabit. My work, whether it is sculptural or two-dimensional, reflects the joy, guilt, and fear I experience, and it is through the process of constructing these works that I find release.

Much like the way children develop unique personalities, independent of their parent's guidance, I let my artwork grow and develop in response to circumstance; while I try to exert control over the
processes I work in, I account for 'artistic anomalies' and allow organic forces to exert their influence on my work. In this way, I allow the work to develop its own energy, instead of trying to force myself into it and, by doing so, allow my work to stand on its own.

I like to drink coffee on most days, and beers on most evenings, and love drawing in charcoal. I was born in Shawnee, Kansas, conceived on the grass lawn at a Styx concert in late September 1982. Recently, I've found inspiration in the works of Edward Hopper, H. Joe Waldrum, and Edouard Manet, and have been occupied with the process of synthesizing these artists influence into a series of digital 'paintings' which are currently on display at Blackbird Buvette."

Scroll on to enjoy more of Erickson's photography. Visit the Baadford Photography Facebook page to view even more of his work.

Continue Reading..

NM Snaps: Elaine A. Russell

Things in Light loves the sights and sounds of New Mexico. Our plentiful podcasts are an attempt to share our favorite sounds with y'all, but we recently realized that the sights of this beautiful, difficult land are underrepresented on the site. Inspired by the wealth of talented photographers in the land of enchantment, TiL presents the first in a new series showcasing the work of masterful Nuevo Mexicano shutterbugs, past and present. The above photo — of the volcanic West side landscape — was captured by local photographer Elaine A. Russell. Scroll on to read Russell's bio and enjoy a couple more of her terrific photos.

"Elaine A. Russell is a New Mexico photographer and artist. Since 2008, she has been writing a daily blog that showcases her unique vision of the world, as seen through her camera lens. She graduated from the New York Institute of Photography in 1990, and — although she was a nurse for over 17 years — has been focusing on her second career, art, since retiring in 2003. Her work has been published in magazines, calendars, and books. She was one of the original founders of The Wooden Cow Gallery in Albuquerque and has since moved to an online sales model. See more of her work at her blogsite, moonGipsies, and her Etsy store, moonGipsies Etsy."

The below smoky bosque sunset was captured by Russell in late-May. The contrast of the beauty of the bosque with oppressive wildfire smoke culminates in the emergence of the violet-pink blaze of the star we orbit, the sun. This photo seems particularly poignant given the Romero wildfire, which ignited during yesterday's summer solstice and has spread over 288 acres in the Corrales Bosque north of Albuquerque and on Sandia Pueblo land.

In the below photo, Russell captures remnants of the inner workings of the Albuquerque Rail Yards.

Continue Reading..