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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My Advice to Young Artists: Start Somewhere and Keep Going |
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I'm often asked how long I've been painting, and I usually respond "Since the prehistoric era." LOL. Honestly, I've painted a long, long time. Some of you may remember I started at six years old when I got run over by a car and spent a year in bed in a cast with nothing to do but draw and paint (that story HERE). Thankfully, my dad scraped together enough money to get me art correspondence classes by mail, and I didn't waste a penny.
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Family Gathered in ABQ Looking at Photos |
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One of My Early Watercolors (Year Obscured) |
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This painting of a little boy fishing by a river is officially my earliest painting (at least that I'm aware of). I saw it in Pita's house and couldn't believe it! Painted in 1963 – I was just a Junior in high school! Only 16 or 17 years old! I doesn't seem that long ago.
Once I got out of my body cast, I was hooked on art. I took every class I possibly could, and in my spare time I was always in the art room. I took painting very seriously, and I even signed and put the year on my pieces way back then.
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1969 Watercolor I Painted in Portales |
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I always painted, but when I left the College of Santa Fe and went to Portales to finish my degree (Eastern New Mexico University), I really stepped up my painting. That was the point in time when I really knew that I wanted to be an artist. I started painting all kinds of scenes, and obviously I gave them to family members and then forgot about it. LOL. |
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As I started to think of myself as a painter, I wanted to capture scenes of northern NM. Back then, I was still into watercolors, but the compelling need to capture adobe homes and churches was already there. I moved to oil paintings after a few years, but my love of subject matter never changed. There's nothing more beautiful than adobe casitas and churches under majestic cottonwoods or azure-blue skies with dramatic clouds. |
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I've been painting for 70 years, but being an artist and making a living being an artist are two quite different things. I HAD to have other jobs while putting myself through school and pursuing my art, up until relatively recently. It's not easy. Let's see....some of my jobs over the years that paid the bills while I studied art and painted are:
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- Delivered newspapers door to door
- Worked in the produce section of a grocery store
- Managed night-shift workers at a quilting factory in east L.A.
- Booking agent for a shipping company (ports around L.A.)
- Bookkeeping at a woman's clothing store in Santa Fe
- Night clerk at a hotel
- Data entry at a New Mexico DMV
- Taught high school and college art classes for YEARS
- Had my own construction company and built for at least 20 years...
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I opened my own gallery in 1993, but I still worked many construction jobs until around 2010. So, really, only a fraction of my life have I been a full-time artist. This is important because artists are often discouraged if they don't have immediate successes. It takes time. No matter what job I had or where I was, I always made time for painting. Even during construction jobs, I would sneak away and paint! You just have to keep at it – each day is a new opportunity to hone your craft and get better.
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That's what I tell young artists. You have to feel it, love it and never ever give up on it no matter how many decades go by. Always stretch yourself. Always try to find your voice. And always be true to styles and subjects that move your soul. |
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Learning Skills Will Help for a Lifetime |
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I've written a lot about how I love adobe. I learned to build from my father, grandfather and godfather, eventually building adobe homes all over New Mexico and even in other parts of the U.S. Most people don't want to become a contractor, but I have to say that learning the basics of construction is time well spent. Something always needs fixing!
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I've also written about Cuchara, CO, where we fish in pristine, crystal-clear mountain lakes and stay in Gwen's family's authentically wonderful cabin. The family has owned it for eight generations and is always making improvements. Recently, the whole interior was redone, and it's so comfy and cozy. However, sitting at about 8,500 feet in elevation, the elements (especially snow) have taken their toll over many decades and decades.
Family members generously bring out all kinds of supplies like paper towels, cookware, sheets, towels, etc. when they visit, but most don't have the tools, time or know-how to make foundational repairs. Some do – everyone pitches in where they can in terms of upkeep and cleaning. They all pull together. But recently, we noticed a few unwelcome critters had made their way in and left...droppings. Gwen, Janell (her sister) and I decided it was time to shore up some vulnerable spots before the snow started falling.
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The worst problem was the snowline. Snow drifts sit against the wood all winter, and you can clearly see the line where the wood is compromised and brittle. At the very base, critters could easily chew their way through.
Now of course the wood needs to be replaced, but winter comes early, and that just couldn't happen this year. But we decided to do everything we could to help the cabin to stay as rodent free as possible until more substantive repairs could be made next year.
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I brought out my power tools and a five-gallon drum of extremely effective wood oil, and we got to work. Janell and Gwen painted the entire back of the cabin with the oil to help seal the wood and repel moisture. Wow that dry wood was thirsty and drank that oil right up! Meanwhile, I decided to add a baseboard and block all the areas where unwelcome vermin and varmints might try to wiggle their way in. |
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Securing Baseboard & Cutting Wood "Stop Gaps" |
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It...took...all...day... The girls didn't want me to show photos of them applying the oil, with their hair all askew and big blobs of brown stain all over them. LOL. I had to kneel and measure, get up, kneel and cut, get up, kneel again to screw in the wood blocks, and then get up to do it all over again dozens of times. Oh my back start to burn...and my knees weren't too happy either. But we got everything done! The pale grey snowline boards turned a nice dark brown from the oil, and the wood above took on a nice cinnamon color. |
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Oiled Wood Still Darker by Snowline, but Protected |
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Picnic Area All Oiled & Cleaned |
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After finishing, we all got a well-deserved HUGE cocktail and sat on the front deck, looking out over the mountains. We were all dead-dog tired but felt really good. This cabin/home is such a gift to all of us, and we're so lucky to be able to stay there. Making much-needed repairs is the least we could do. It was a good day. |
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We had gone fishing earlier at Bear Lake (elevation is 10,480 feet) and caught lots and lots of trout. It's lucky that we fished BEFORE making the repairs because I'm not sure we would have worked up the willpower to get off of the comfy couches to go afterwards. |
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Save the Date! December 3rd, 4 – 7pm |
Canyon Road Contemporary Art is spearheading the first ever “Canyon Road Fireside Chat Artist Series” on Friday, December 3rd, from 4pm - 7pm. Participating galleries in the Middle Canyon Road Art District (blocks numbered 600-700) will host a featured artist or two. At Canyon Road Contemporary Art's "Fireside Chat," I'll be the featured artist!
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Bonfires and farolitos (luminarias) will mark the participating galleries, which I know will include Kay Contemporary, Winterowd Gallery, Giaccobe-Fritz Fine Art and GF Contemporary, but there might be more. There will be libations (yes!), perhaps s’mores, music or other treats as each gallery decks the halls to make their participation unique.
This is a fabulous opportunity to visit Santa Fe during the holidays, view world-class art at wonderful galleries within just a couple of blocks, chat with artists (like me!) and get into the holiday spirit. I'm really looking forward to it! Hope you can join the fun!
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2022 Calendar:
Pre-Ordering Open!
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The 2022 calendar has gone to print and should arrive around early/mid November. They are $38 plus $8 for USPS Priority Mail with tracking and insurance. If you would like to pre-order, three ways:
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Paypal at my online store: HERE.
- Any credit card: Send an email to edsandovalart@gmail.com and I'll email an invoice via Square that you pay online (similar to Amazon).
- Check: Send $46 to Ed Sandoval Gallery, 119 Quesnel Street, Taos, NM 87571.
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Christmas/Holiday 10 Card Set |
Back by popular demand! 10 unique cards packaged together. Each card is printed on archival, heavy paper measuring 5"x7" and is blank on the inside. Envelopes included. The sets are available in the gallery: $58 (shipping included) & three ways to order:
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Paypal at my online store: HERE.
- Any credit card: Send an email to edsandovalart@gmail.com and I'll email an invoice via Square that you pay online (similar to Amazon).
- Check: Send $58 to Ed Sandoval Gallery, 119 Quesnel Street, Taos, NM 87571.
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Featured Paintings
To inquire or request a high-resolution photo, contact 575.770.6360 or email edsandovalart@gmail.com. For all available paintings, click HERE.
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"Overlooking Taos Valley" (24x24) |
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"Trail to Blue Lake" (30x36) |
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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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