Route 66 Exhibit continues...

Photographer Sondra Diepen, at the KiMo Theatre Art Gallery, Albuquerque.

Last week, Sondra Diepen and I met up with friends at the KiMo Theatre Art Gallery who wanted to see our exhibit Then & Now: Rediscovering Route 66.

While we were there, I took this picture of Sondra standing by part of her photo installation of vintage hood ornaments. There are a total of 9 images, all printed on metal, ranging from a 1947 Packard to an International 1964 Travelall—a great collection of car memorabilia. ( See the 1941 Cadillac Flying Lady on my May 15 blogpost.)

The exhibit can still be seen through June 25, with viewing hours Wed thru Sat 11-8pm and Sun 11am-3pm. Access to the Gallery is via the KiMo Theatre Ticket Office, 423 Central Ave NW at the corner of 5th.

Bring a couple of quarters for the parking meters on Central and come see the show. It’s free!
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Text ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.
Image ©2017 Sondra Diepen. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Route 66 Exhibit continues...

Sondra Diepen: Westward Ho! Motel, digital photograph printed on metal, 14x9"

Sondra Diepen’s interest in Route 66 includes signage, ranging from fading printed names on buildings to still-working motel and curio shop signs.

Today’s post features a digital photograph printed on metal by Sondra of the Westward Ho! Motel sign located on Old Route 66 in Albuquerque at 7500 Central Avenue. The motel was built in 1948. The neon elements outlining the saguaro cactus were restored in 2002 as part of the Route 66 Neon Restoration Project, a joint effort of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division, and the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Office.

Westward Ho! Motel and 3 additional photographs of motel signs photographed by Sondra are exhibited in the Then & Now: Rediscovering Route 66 exhibit at the KiMo Theatre Art Gallery thru June 25. Viewing hours are Wed thru Sat 11-8pm and Sun 11am-3pm. Access to the Gallery is via the KiMo Theatre Ticket Office, 423 Central Ave NW at the corner of 5th.

Stop by to see the show. It’s free!
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Text ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Image ©2017 Sondra Diepen. Used with permission.

Route 66 Exhibit continues...

The KiMo Theatre on the corner of Central Ave (Old Route 66) and 5th Street
in Albuquerque. Site of the exhibit, Then & Now: Rediscovering Route 66.
Photo Credit: Sondra Diepen

WOW! What a wonderful opening reception my compadres and I enjoyed at the KiMo Theatre Art Gallery last Thursday! Sondra Diepen and I were thrilled that Laguna Pueblo photographer Lee Marmon was able to be at the opening to talk to viewers about his classic black and white photographs in the exhibit. (See my post on April 22 about Lee Marmon.)

Among the many guests at the opening were several members of the Route 66 New Mexico Association, along with friends, artist-friends, supporters, and family members—including my friend Lisa visiting from Nashville, and my son and daughter who flew in from Memphis to surprise me!

And thank you, dear Collectors, for your art purchases, too!

And, of course, we are grateful to the City of Albuquerque for the use of The KiMo Theatre Art Gallery (inside the KiMo Theatre) for our exhibit. This lovely Art Deco-Pueblo Revival style building, pictured on today’s post, was built in 1927. The KiMo Theatre is our City's best known landmark on Central Avenue, Albuquerque's Old Route 66—the perfect site for our exhibit.

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Text ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Image of KiMo Theatre by Sondra Diepen 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.

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 Little Southwest Flavor

Bordello Abandoned

by Sondra Diepen
Photo-based Giclée
Various sizes available.
To purchase contact the Artist:
canyons@swcp.com

For me, one of the best perks of being an artist is knowing other artists. Then, too, I think the greatest compliment one artist can give another is to say "Gee, I wish I had done that!"

Today's image is by my artist-friend Sondra Diepen. If you have been following this blog for awhile, you may recall the post about Sondra back on October 4, 2008 (Link: http://caroladamec.blogspot.com/2008/10/exhibit-glimpse-4.html). Sondra was the curator and one of the artists in the Be Leaf It or Not exhibit at the Harwood Art Center last fall.

Sondra has photographed many wonderful images. This one, "Bordello Abandoned", is a favorite for many folks and one which made my Gee-I-Wish-I'd-Done-That list. There is something quintessentially "New Mexico" about this image which has captured the eye of many jurors as well as eager buyers.

Sondra has a keen eye for the color, texture and translucence of flowers, photographed up close to reveal the thrilling details of Nature. She also sees great beauty in unlikely subject matter such as rusted surfaces of old abandoned cars and faded artificial flowers on worn graves in small town cemeteries. You can see a sampling of her work at http://www.NMArtists.com. Enjoy!

Have a good day. See you Thursday.
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Artwork and image © Sondra Diepen. Used with permission.
Text 2009 ©Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Exhibit Glimpse 4

Sondra Diepen

"Shadow Weavers"
Original archival digital print
25" x 19" framed • $350 + S&H

Today's post features the work of Sondra Diepen, who is originally from California but relocated to New Mexico in 1974. Sondra majored in art at University of California-Davis, where she befriended Louise Pryor, Ellen Van Fleet, and Joanne Kamiya—artists whom you've met in this blog over the past few weeks as exhibitors in the "Be Leaf It or Not" exhibit at the Harwood.

Sondra is a fine painter, a world traveler, and an wonderful photographer. I've spent many an evening enjoying slides of her adventures in New Mexico, Utah, Alaska, Florida, and her off-the-beaten-track trips to Mexico, Peru, Egypt, Turkey, and Nepal, to name a few.

Over the past few years, Sondra has focused mostly on producing photo-based digital prints. As exemplified by "Shadow Weavers" featured in today's post, Sondra has an intuitive sensitivity for color, pattern, and light that is deeply felt. In fact, I have worked up paintings of my own from several of Sondra's photographs that she has given me (along with permission) to use.

As the curator of "Be Leaf It or Not" Sondra's own personal love of Nature was the guiding force for this exhibit. As she states in her Artist Statement, "I love the vast landscape and the delicate detail Nature provides. A leaf edged in sunlight, a reflection captured in a sandstone pool, or light filtering through the rain forest prompts me to get out my camera and see if I can preserve that moment....When I see something extraordinarily beautiful, I have this strong desire to press it into my body. I want it to become a part of me. Photograph and painting are the closest I can get to doing that."

Thanks for taking a moment to read this entry (which I apologize for posting a day late). If you would like to leave a comment about Sondra's work, please do so by clicking the COMMENTS link below. Or you can email me and I'll forward it to her.

I hope you are enjoying a great weekend. See you Monday. ——————————————————————————————————————————— Image ©Sondra Diepen. Text ©Carol Adamec 2008. All rights reserved.