Show Time!

Tonight's the Night!

Hope to see you at the KiMo Theatre Art Gallery, 5-8pm.

Route 66 Exhibit: Sneak Peek #5

Sondra Diepen: Navajo Rugs and Curios, 2017, archival digital print, 27x40"

Today's "sneak peek" from the "Then & Now: Rediscovering Route 66" show is another photograph by Sondra Diepen. This was an abandoned curio shop, located in Thoreau, NM.

When Route 66 was first built in 1926, it wandered back and forth across the railroad tracks between Prewitt and Thoreau. In 1936-1937 the road was straightened out to parallel the tracks. Route 66 was moved to the south side, leaving Thoreau on the north side. Travelers were now no longer passing through town.

"When I discovered this building,"recalls Sondra, "it was located on 3rd Street in a sparsely housed area. Two years later I returned to find several large piles of plaster, wood and bricks on the lot. A double-wide is now occupying its place."

Reminder: The exhibit opening is tomorrow, 5-8pm at the KiMo Theatre Art Gallery in Albuquerque.

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Text ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Navajo Rugs and Curios image by Sondra Diepen used with permission.

Route 66 Show: Sneak Peek #4

Original painting by Carol L. Adamec:
Escape from the Den of Death, 2016, oil on gessoed panel, 8"x12"

Well, we are getting closer to opening night (this Thursday) at the KiMo Theatre Art Gallery! The artwork is up on the walls, and labels will be installed tomorrow. 

I've had a lot of fun doing this exhibit—and today's post of an old abandoned snake pit in Moriarty, New Mexico, discovered while just driving around, is an example. 

Of course, there wasn't just a snake pit out in the middle of nowhere. There had been an trading post on that site too, called The Hitching Post, that offered gas, refreshment, and curios to Route 66 travelers. 

While enjoying a cool beverage visitors could experience a roadside thrill—a concrete box covered with wire grating, filled with diamondback rattlesnakes, called "The Den of Death." At the bottom of the pit was a sign encouraging lookers to toss a few coins in and make a wish to come true...and adding a little more income to the trading post proprietor's operation.

Over the winter the snakes were allowed to freeze to death. In the spring, a new batch of rattlers was captured and put in the snake pit—except for the ones shown in this painting—the ones that got away.

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Text and image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Route 66 Exhibit: Sneak Peek #3

Lee Marmon: White Man's Moccasins, 1954, Silver gelatin print.

Lee Marmon is the third artist in the group show, "Then and Now: Rediscovering Route 66." opening next Thursday (April 27) at the KiMo Theatre Art Gallery in Albuquerque.

A member of the Laguna Pueblo, Lee has captured the people, culture, landscapes, and traditions of his tribe since 1945. His most famous pueblo portrait, White Man’s Moccasins, became the iconic portrayal of Native American acculturation into modern American life.

In addition to his portraits of pueblo residents, Lee was the official photographer for the Bob Hope Desert Classic for several years, yielding photos of past US Presidents and members of the famed “Rat Pack.” His stunning work hangs in the US White House and in museums around the world. He has received honors and awards ranging from winning the 2016 Western Heritage Award from the National cowboy and Western Heritage Museum to an award from the Hungarian government for photography “that transcends cultures.”

His life’s work, an archive of 100,000 negatives, is now protected and preserved by the University of New Mexico. Lee still lives in his Laguna family home on old Route 66—working in the darkroom that was once the women’s shower rooms of his family’s Route 66 motor court business.

The man in the photo White Man's Moccasins is Jeff Sousea. Lee recalls, "Jeff liked to hang out at the Acoma Mission and tell tall tales to tourists. I saw him there often when I delivered groceries and I always asked if I could take his picture. He always refused. Then one day I brought a cigar with me and said 'How about a cigar, Jeff?' and he told me, 'You've got 60 seconds,' and I took the photo. At first, I called it 'Old Man Jeff,' but one day I looked at it again and changed the name to White Man's Moccasins."

Seven of Lee Marmon's iconic black and white photographs are part of the exhibit, "Then and Now: Rediscovering Route 66" and are available for purchase.

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©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Image "White Man's Moccasins" and quotes by Lee Marmon used with permission.

Route 66 Show: Sneak Peek #2

Tucumcari Tepee, 2017, archival digital print by Sondra Diepen, 40"x27"

Sondra Diepen is one of the artists in the exhibit, "Then and Now: Rediscovering Route 66." opening next Thursday (April 27) at the KiMo Theatre Art Gallery in Albuquerque.

With two Nikon cameras and a fist full of sketchy maps, photographer Sondra Diepen, heads out on I-40, exiting here and there, to rediscover the original Mother Road as it once wound through the desolate parts of New Mexico. Her color photographs capture it all—from fading curio shops, boarded up motor courts, rusted classic cars, to motel signs along Central Avenue that still beckon travelers to stop, rest, and see the sights.

Todays' sneak peak is a photograph by Sondra of a curio shop still in operation in Tucumcari, New Mexico, located 42 miles west of the Texas border. Here's what Sondra has to say about her photo:

"TePee Curios was built in 1944, owned by Leland Haynes. It began as a Gulf Station as well as a grocery and curio shop. In 1959 Route 66 was widened through town and the gas pumps had to be removed. The concrete tepee was added to the front, becoming the new entrance to the shop.

"The TePee Curios sign was put in place during the 1960’s. In 2003 the New Mexico Route 66 Neon Sign Restoration Project chose this sign, along with eight other vintage signs, to be restored and lit to recreate the lore of the Mother Road."

"Curios and souvenirs are still sold here. It’s a ‘must stop’ place for today’s Route 66 explorers, where they can buy remembrances of The Road’s past glory.

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©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Image "Tucumcari Tepee" and quotes by Sondra Diepen used with permission.

Route 66 Show: Sneak Peek #1

"Cool Daddy (Elvis Ate Here)", 2017, mixed media, 16x20"
by Carol L. Adamec
Contact Artist to purchase.

Back in the 1960's, the Porter House Cafe was a 24-hour diner in the Route 66 town of Weatherford, Oklahoma, where Elvis Presley and his retinue would stop to eat on their Memphis-to-Las Vegas trip.

The Porter House Cafe was a Valentine Diner—a manufactured portable steel sandwich shop with 8-12 stools and a limited menu, popular from 1930-1970.

Now a museum, the Porter House Cafe displays a spiral notebook “guest book”, where Elvis signed his name on April 22, 1960, and left the comment “Cool Daddy.”

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Text and image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

The next BIG show...

Opening Reception: 

5-8pm • Thursday, April 27

at the

KiMo Theatre Art Gallery

417 Central Ave NW, Albuquerque 87102

Free and open to the public.

I'm very excited to announce this Route 66 exhibit, featuring the classic black and white photographs of internationally recognized Laguna Pueblo photographer Lee Marmon, color photography by New Mexico photographer Sondra Diepen, and traditional and digital paintings by me.

It is a special honor to have the exhibit at the KiMo Theatre Art Gallery, the best known historic building in Albuquerque, opened in 1927 and located on Old Route 66 (Central Avenue).

Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting images that are in the exhibit. So watch this blog, and mark your calendar to come to the opening reception on April 27.

See you there!

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Text and "Cool Daddy" image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved. 

Images by Lee Marmon and Sondra Diepen under separate copyright. 
Use with permission.

A Peaceful Place...

Elena Gallegos, oil on panel, 5x7”, $145

On exhibit thru June 2, at Sacred Arts Gallery

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Albuquerque

The Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque are special to me—a quiet peaceful place to rest, rejuvenate my spirit, recharge my inspiration, and to paint. So today’s post—in honor of Easter and Spring—is a painting of Elena Gallegos, one of my favorite places in the Sandias.

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Text and image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Busy Time for Exhibits (Part 3)

Quiet Place #2, oil on panel, 6x8”, $195

at Sacred Arts Gallery

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Albuquerque

Last month, the Monday Painters Plein Air group opened a show at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. I have three artworks in that exhibit—one of the Sandia Mountains that I painted en plein air is featured on today’s post.

The Church is located at 431 Richmond Place NE, Albuquerque, 87106. The exhibit, which continues through June 2, can be viewed during Church office hours: Mon—Th, 9am-2pm. 

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Text and image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Busy Time for Exhibits (Part 2)

Rising Moon Kimono, mixed media on rice paper, 12x16”

Original painting by Carol L. Adamec

on exhibit in "Merge IV", at Expo NM, Albuquerque

thru April 30, 2017

Last Friday was the opening reception of "Merge IV", the annual members exhibit organized by The Society of Layerists in Multi-Media. (I know, that’s a mouthful, so we members call refer to it as SLMM (“Slim”).

SLMM is an international art organization started by Mary Carroll Nelson, an artist, teacher, and author of several books about art, artists, and spirituality. I “met” Mary Carroll Nelson through her 1994 publication, Artists of the Spirit; and after moving to New Mexico I was honored to be in a 3-person exhibit, “Affirming Wholeness”, with her at the Weyrich Gallery in Albuquerque in 2000. Mary invited me to become a member of SLMM and I did so in 2001. (You can learn more about this organization at www.slmm.org)

The current "Merge IV" exhibit celebrates the 35th year of SLMM and features 122 artworks by 60 artists from all over the US. So I was pleased to have two paintings accepted into this show, including the new kimono painting I just finished a few months ago, featured on today's post.

The exhibit—free and open to the public—is on display at the African American Performing Arts Center (AAPAC) at Expo NM (The Fairgrounds) thru April 30. AAPAC is open Tuesday thru Friday 10-5pm, and Saturday 10-4pm. I hope you drop by to see the show!

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Text and image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Busy Time for Exhibits

Bugs and Roses, Oil on panel, 12x16”

Original painting by Carol L. Adamec

SOLD

A lot has been going on since I posted a month ago. The Harwood Open Studio Night / Encompass event on March 4 was a lot of fun, as usual, with many friends stopping by my studio and new lookers passing through.

I sold some paintings that evening, including Bugs & Roses, featured on today’s post. The new owners wrote me a sweet note saying, “We love it, love it, love it! Bugs makes me smile every time I walk into Fred’s office.”

Now that’s what I consider a “successful” painting!

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Text and image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.