Welcome to
Collectors Corner!
Ed Sandoval Gallery's Newsletter
119 Quesnel Street, Taos, NM 87571
edsandovalart@gmail.com
(575) 770-6360
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Evolution of My Painting Style |
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A few years ago, I got an email with a bizarre image attached. The painting was signed “E. Sandoval,” dated 1990 and featured a red background, a man draped on a table with his left arm extended, a beer can and a window with a crucifix. He looks absolutely miserable – red eyed and hung over from a night of too much tequila and wild partying. The email asked, “Signature appears to match. Is it yours?”
My first thought was “Oh good heavens NO!” There are many painters named Sandoval, and when I get inquiry emails, 99 times out of 100 it isn’t my work. But I looked at it again…it seemed familiar… Finally a realization: Yes! I did paint that!
What in the world was I thinking? I can't remember painting a hangover, but evidently I did! Ha ha - too funny!
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I've been asked how my work has evolved over these many years, and the question is a bit overwhelming. I say things like, "I use more color now and there's more movement," but that's pretty generic. I decided it's time to truly explain and demonstrate it. So this is a "special edition" with tons of photos so you'll get a feel for the evolution.
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Medium & Style: In the mid to late 80’s, I experimented with different art forms to find something that felt right. I made jewelry, ceramics, sculptures, pots of coiled clay that were decorated with santos, and of course I painted. I always loved oil paints, but back then I also used acrylics and watercolors. Here are three of my watercolors (don't know titles).
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Watercolor: Not Sure of Year |
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Religion vs. Spirituality: Growing up in a Hispanic, Catholic household, you can bet that angels, saints and religious iconography were a huge part of my heritage. Absolutely all of my relatives, including mom and grandma, had alters in their houses and burned candles constantly. Once I had a dream about an angel entering my window, and, when I woke up, I painted it (first photo below).
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To be truthful, I'm more into spirituality versus one particular religion. I'm drawn to natural energy and appreciate the presence of those who have passed, and I have seen my fair share of apparitions. The supernatural underlies and blends with pretty much everything in northern New Mexico, and I embrace that. When I first started out, many of my paintings were overtly religion driven... Today, I love the idea of mystery and the unseen. You might still see an angel or a hint of an angel in the sky, but that's about it. |
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Red Canvas: Also in the mid 80's, when I was living in Truchas, I was searching for a base color and trying out different hues. I never liked a blank white canvas, which reminded me of typing paper on which we had to write essays in high school. It's too intimidating and cold. The old masters that I revere used a specific color for their base, like Van Gogh who always painted on a "Naples Yellow" canvas. I tested royal blue and purple before finding red. Once I painted on red, I never went back. It’s exciting. I feel like a bull charging at a red cape!
Back then, I didn't use red to outline the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) mountains yet – it's a background color or an accent that appears throughout my paintings.
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Red Shows in Clouds and around Bricks & Adobe |
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"Camposonto" - Red is Prevalent Everywhere |
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Grid Lines: Artists might have some innate talent, but it also takes years and years of practice. I wanted to learn how to paint people, which is harder than it sounds. I heard that a prominent Taos artist had used a "grid" at some point in his career to help him master the art of figure drawing. That sounded pretty smart, so I gave it a try.
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Photo I Took While Building an Adobe House |
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Resulting Painting: "Taos Brick Layer" |
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I can't believe I found these old photos showing my grids! The idea is to draw squares on a photo and also on the canvas. When sketching, they guide the size/scale of your strokes, producing more accurate proportions. This was so helpful. In college, I took drawing courses where we sketched human models, but that's different than putting a figure into a scene. I wanted to get better at transferring what I saw in real life onto a canvas.
Labor: These photos, especially "Taos Brick Layer," remind me that I focused more on individual people living traditional Hispanic lives. I was usually drawn to people working – working the land and working at their crafts.
When I was growing up, everybody worked all the time, so I'm very comfortable in that world. I vividly remember doing chores: bringing water into the house from a rusty well pump in the back yard, pulling weeds in the garden, feeding the animals, and filling the lanterns so they would give a warm glow at night. I didn't mind at all. My dad and godfather even taught me how to make adobe bricks and build houses, which eventually led to me open my own construction company.
The hard-working people of my youth were rooted in the land and practiced the old, authentic ways. Food was grown and harvested, not bought. Rich, fragrant meals were cooked over a wood-fired stove, not microwaved. Furniture was hand crafted from wood, not mass produced. Homes were formed from the earth by hand, not assembled out of pre-fab materials. I admired their knowledge, skills and integrity.
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Cleaning the Mother Acequia |
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Mud Plastering the Church |
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El Viejito from the Front: Many of you know that when I lived in Truchas, Robert Redford produced The Milagro Beanfield War based on the book by John Nichols. The cast and crew were filming on the property next door, so I went over and chatted often. I became close with the actor Carlos Riquelme, who played Amarante Cordova, and began painting him. But...you may not know that early on, I painted his face.
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Today, I usually paint him from behind (but not always). As he walks into a painting, the viewer can imagine their own loved one there and follow him into the horizon. To me, he is an embodiment of northern NM and the people, values, customs and traditions that make it special and unique: rural, agrarian, authentic, hardworking, spiritual and a peaceful contentment that comes from a life well lived. |
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Muted Colors: When I look at one of my older paintings, I can immediately tell when it was painted. My use of color has changed dramatically. These earlier works have more earth tones, are softer and often feature landscapes and buildings but not El Viejito.
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El Viejito does make an appearance, hanging out in all kinds of places. Looking back, it strikes me that he stands in place a lot, leaning on his stick rather than walking, and he's always alone (no companion). Today, you'll often see him with his significant other as they shuffle along a dirt pathway in a landscape with more mountains and distance.
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I notice that many of my trees are bare (few if any leaves), and now I really layer on lots of multi-hued leaves that often burst off the canvas. Today, my work has more detail, color, movement and rhythm. But I'm not saying my new work is "better" – in fact, I really love the older ones as much as the new ones...I adore all of my children.
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Article in the Taos News Announcing My 1993 Art Gallery Opening |
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Flyer Announcing My Opening on Construction Paper :-) |
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In 1990, I wanted to focus more on my art and moved to Taos. Up until then, I had showed in a few galleries as I worked construction, but I needed to begin a transition to becoming a full-time artist. In 1993, I took the plunge and opened my gallery. I thought it would be fun to have a cooperative space, so I invited two Hispanic artists, Pola Lopez de Jaramillo and Anita Rodriguez, to show their work with me. After a while, Pola and Anita went on to other opportunities, and I started to show my own work exclusively. |
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Photo by Mary Stephenson for the 1994 Taos Spring Arts Festival |
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The core of my work hasn't changed. What’s most important is telling a story, capturing the integrity and enduring truth and beauty of a way of life. But I’m NOT creating an artistic time capsule separated from the present – the people and their customs, traditions and spirit are still here. You just have to know where to look...
Something about northern New Mexico makes you keenly aware of age and timelessness. Come here and you step out of modernity into something very different. You "feel" a void in time as you look at the centuries-old mission churches, weathered adobes, people who are proud of their culture and adhere to the old ways, and wise elders who seem to know things...hidden things...
I'm honored to capture their history and lives on the canvas and hopefully express the blood and soul of their culture. Maybe that's partly why I start with a blood-red canvas....
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Pop Quiz!!!
Now that you know all about my painting styles – past and present – here's a test. Which of the following six images is NOT my painting? The answer is below at the very end of the newsletter. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
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Featured Paintings
To inquire or request a high-resolution photo, contact 575-770-6360 or edsandovalart@gmail.com. For all available paintings, click HERE
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NEW: "Shimmering Fall Light" (36x48) |
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NEW: "Easter Pilgrimage" (15x30) |
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I'm featured in the March issue of New Mexico Magazine – wow six pages! I hope you can find a copy to read it.
I'm trying to figure out how to link to the story or share on Facebook so stay tuned.
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Pop Quiz Answer: Sorry, but it was a trick question... all six of them are my paintings. :-) |
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DID YOU MISS A NEWSLETTER? PAST NEWSLETTERS HERE.
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Would you like to be a featured collector?
If so, please send your personal story and photo(s) to edsandovalart@gmail.com.
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Contact
Ed Sandoval Gallery
119 Quesnel Street, Taos, NM 87571
www.edsandovalgallery.com | (575) 770-6360 | edsandovalart@gmail.com
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