For working artists, rising material costs aren’t an abstract economic issue. They show up everywhere—from canvas, paint, glass, clay, and framing to fabrication, kiln operation, packaging, and shipping.

Those increases affect more than the cost of making a piece. They influence how confidently artists can price their work, quote commissions, manage inventory, and ultimately build a sustainable business.

For emerging artists in particular, the challenge can be significant. Many are selling originals, commissions, prints, installations, or market work while simultaneously managing shipping, customer service, bookkeeping, marketing, and promotion. When material costs rise, the temptation is often to absorb the difference rather than raise prices and risk losing a sale.

That may work temporarily. Over time, however, shrinking margins can make an otherwise successful art practice financially unsustainable.

The solution isn’t to panic-buy supplies or compromise the quality of your work. It’s to develop a better system for purchasing, using, tracking, and pricing materials. In fact, periods of rising costs can reveal weaknesses in your studio operations—and provide an opportunity to correct them.

Here are six ways artists can better manage material costs while protecting both the quality of their work and the health of their business.

Know the Real Cost of Every Piece

It sounds obvious, but many artists know approximately what they spend on materials without knowing what it actually costs to produce an individual work.

You should be able to estimate how much of each necessary material goes into a piece. I’m a glass artist, for example, and when I create a work, I track expenses ranging from the glass itself to kiln operation.

Without understanding your costs at the individual-piece level, it’s difficult to price accurately—or recognize when your margins are slipping.

Start with a basic spreadsheet. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The important thing is to develop the habit of tracking costs. Over time, your estimates will become more accurate.

Once you begin tracking by piece, size, or product line, patterns emerge. You may discover that certain types of work are considerably more expensive to produce than others. You may even find that something that sells well isn’t particularly profitable.

You’ll also begin to see which premium materials genuinely add value to your work and which may not justify their cost. That information can help you make better creative and business decisions.

Standardize Where It Makes Sense

One of the easiest ways to reduce waste is to eliminate unnecessary variation.

Artists often stock multiple sizes, surfaces, colors, substrates, and specialty materials because they want maximum creative flexibility. That may be manageable when costs are stable and cash flow is strong, but excessive inventory can quickly become expensive.

Standardization doesn’t mean making generic work. It means identifying formats that make sense for the way you create and sell.

A painter, for example, may discover that three or four canvas sizes account for most sales. A glass artist may find that several forms make up the majority of their production.

There are operational benefits as well as financial ones. Standard sizes simplify ordering and storage, make pricing more consistent, and allow you to purchase frequently used materials in larger quantities when doing so makes financial sense.

The goal isn’t to standardize your creativity. It’s to standardize the parts of your operation that don’t need to be complicated—leaving more time and energy for the work itself.

Buy in Bulk—Selectively

Buying in bulk can reduce your per-unit costs, but only if you’re buying materials you know you’ll use.

Inventory isn’t a bargain if it deteriorates, becomes obsolete, sits unused, or consumes cash you need elsewhere in your business.

Cash flow is particularly important for artists building their businesses. Money tied up in six months’ worth of supplies isn’t available for studio rent, shipping, marketing, fair participation, or other expenses.

Reserve bulk purchases for essential materials you use consistently and predictably. More specialized supplies can often be budgeted and ordered on a project-by-project basis.

The lowest unit price isn’t always the lowest overall cost.

Build Relationships With Your Suppliers

It’s easy to shop based entirely on price, particularly when you’re watching every dollar. But continually moving from one supplier to another in search of the lowest price can create costs of its own.

A lower price doesn’t help if an order arrives late, the quality is inconsistent, or a missed deadline disappoints a client.

Reliable supplier relationships can pay dividends over time. Working consistently with the same vendors may give you access to professional or trade pricing, volume discounts, advance notice of price increases, and advice about alternative products that can lower costs without compromising quality.

Ask questions. Does the supplier offer professional accounts or artist discounts? Is there a less expensive alternative to a material you’re using? Are there seasonal periods when it makes sense to place larger orders?

Don’t assume the listed price is the only price available. For a professional artist, purchasing materials is a business transaction, and it’s worth learning what options are available.

Price Custom Work With Discipline

Commissions can be an excellent way to grow an art business, but they also carry additional financial risk—particularly when material costs are changing quickly.

Custom projects frequently require unique dimensions, specialized materials, additional proofs or revisions, custom framing, rush orders, or additional fabrication. Each increases direct costs as well as the potential cost of waste and rework.

Artists building their careers are sometimes tempted to underquote custom projects because they want the commission. But custom work should carry custom pricing.

If a project requires specialized materials, rush ordering, additional revisions, or a higher allowance for breakage or waste, build those costs into your estimate.

Just as important, define the scope clearly. Spell out what the quoted price includes, how many revisions are permitted, and what changes will result in additional charges.

A clear estimate and approval process protects your margins while also giving your client greater transparency and confidence.

Invest in Tools That Last

Saving money doesn’t always mean spending less.

The right tools can be one of the best investments an artist makes. Buying inexpensive equipment simply because it costs less initially can be a false economy if it needs to be repaired or replaced repeatedly—or makes your work more difficult.

Many of my glassblowing hand tools are expensive. I bought a pair of specialized cutters for $275 approximately 30 years ago. They seemed expensive at the time, but I’m still using them today.

That’s value.

When a tool is fundamental to your practice, consider its lifetime cost rather than its purchase price. A quality tool that performs well for decades can be considerably less expensive than a succession of cheaper replacements.

Treating Art Like a Business Protects the Art

There is still a persistent idea in the art world that treating an artistic practice like a business somehow diminishes its creative integrity.

I believe the opposite is true.

Artists who understand their costs, margins, cash flow, and pricing are in a better position to continue doing what matters most: making art.

Rising material costs create real challenges, but they can also force us to examine how efficiently our studios operate. Know what your work costs to make. Buy intentionally. Price confidently. Invest where it matters.

Protecting your margins doesn’t mean compromising your art. It helps ensure you can afford to keep creating it.

 

“Since light is the main focus of my paintings, the entire physical world is potential subject matter.”  — Marlin Rotach

Some painters chase light. Marlin Rotach captures it in water and holds it fast.

This September, that mastery earns Rotach a place among the fifty artists in the Eiteljorg Museum’s 21st annual Quest for the West, one of the country’s premier Western art shows and sales held at the Museum September 11-13, 2026. He is one of only ten artists invited to make a first-ever appearance at the event, arriving with “Beneath the Azure Sky,” a luminous watercolor that the museum’s vice president for curatorial affairs singled out by name. Behind that invitation sits a quiet argument the market is finally ready to hear that transparent watercolor belongs in the same conversation as oil and bronze.

Sorrel Sky Gallery, which represents Rotach across its Durango, Santa Fe, SoHo, and East Hampton locations, has understood that argument for years. For four decades, Rotach has built a body of work that treats the least forgiving medium in painting as a vehicle for high drama, and collectors who know the field have taken notice. His acceptance into Quest, joining a roster that set an all-time sales record in 2025, is not a debut so much as a wider public confirmation of what his peers already knew.

A Kansas Upbringing, a Lifelong Study of Light

Rotach came to the American West honestly. He was born the son of a commercial artist who also trained stock horses in Kansas, and he grew up among cowboys, horses, billboard layouts, type books, paint, and brushes all at once. That childhood gave him two inheritances at once: a working knowledge of Western life and an early fluency in how images are made. He went on to earn both a BFA and an MFA in painting, then settled in Kansas City, where he keeps his studio.

His influences reach far beyond the ranch. Rotach traces his artistic lineage from Caravaggio to Frank Tenney Johnson to Charley Russell, a line of painters bound by one shared obsession: the power of dramatic light and shadow. He carried that obsession into watercolor, where the transparent medium suited his aim exactly. Where other painters build light by adding paint, Rotach builds it by holding paint back, letting the white of the paper itself become the brightest light in the picture.

The Discipline of Transparent Watercolor

Transparent watercolor allows no second chances. Every stroke is permanent, and a lost highlight cannot be repainted. That unforgiving quality is precisely what draws Rotach to it. He plans his highlights before the first wash touches the sheet, thinking in reverse the way a printmaker must, reserving the paper’s brightness from the very beginning.

The results reward close looking. In For Spacious Skies, one of his most ambitious recent paintings, the drama lives in what he withholds. Riders of the Red Cliffs turns the same discipline on stone and rider, the pale sandstone glowing precisely because he never painted it at all. In Cow Pony #2, a horse’s sunlit flank carries a charge that oil often struggles to match. And in quieter works such as The Tracker and Moonlit Rendezvous, Rotach lets deep shadow swallow most of the composition so a single shaft of light can carry the entire story.

Rotach’s subjects range widely, from ranch horses and working cowboys to sweeping high country and intimate floral studies, yet light remains his true subject in every one. A blossom in Summer Splendor receives the same rigorous attention to illumination as the open land of For Spacious Skies. For all his technical command, he approaches each painting as a fresh test. “The goal is always to exceed expectations,” he has said. “The work must be ambitious, otherwise what’s the point?” That restlessness keeps a four-decade career from ever settling into formula.

A Résumé Built on Recognition

Rotach’s credentials read like a survey of his field’s highest honors. He holds signature membership in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, the National Watercolor Society, and the Watercolor U.S.A. Honor Society, with signature standing in nine national watercolor societies in all. His paintings have appeared in more than two hundred exhibitions, and he has taken eleven Best in Show awards among more than twenty honors overall.

The Western establishment has embraced him with warmth. The Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, one of the oldest and largest in the country, chose his painting for its official poster twice, first in 2014 and again for the rodeo’s landmark 125th anniversary, each selection carrying a purchase award and a coveted trophy buckle. The American Royal named him its featured artist. He has been recognized as a Master Painter of the World, and he effectively wrote the book on his subject, authoring a two-hundred-year history of Western watercolor that spans more than forty painters. Southwest Art, Western Art Collector, and International Artist have all carried his work in print. For collectors who read institutional recognition as a market signal, and the serious ones do, Rotach’s file is deep and still growing.

The Collector’s Opportunity

Rotach arrives at a revealing moment. Western watercolor of this caliber has long traded at a discount to oil of comparable stature and provenance, a gap driven far more by convention than by connoisseurship. That gap is narrowing. When a museum sale that moved more than 1.3 million dollars in a single weekend chooses to introduce a watercolorist to its collector base, it signals where informed attention is heading. Rotach is not an emerging name catching that wave. He is an established master whose pricing has not yet fully caught up to his institutional standing, and that lag is exactly the kind of opening that rewards early conviction.

His collection at Sorrel Sky offers meaningful entry points alongside significant statement pieces. Intimate approachably scaled watercolors such as Summer Splendor, MiLady, MiLord, and Basking in the Glory give newer collectors a way in, while major paintings like For Spacious Skies, Team Spirit, and Riders of the Red Cliffs anchor a serious collection. A collector can begin at one level and grow into another, a range that makes Rotach as welcoming to first-time buyers as he is to seasoned patrons.

Scarcity is built into the medium itself. Rotach paints no editions and cannot reproduce a lost passage, which makes every finished watercolor a genuine one-of-a-kind. His sold wall tells that story plainly. Deep Shadows on the Mesa, Court of the Pale Queen, Light of the Lost Canyon, and Elegance in White have already passed into private hands, and works like these do not return.

Light That Holds Still

A Rotach watercolor resists reproduction. The paintings shift as the viewer moves, their reserved highlights catching and releasing light the way a Colorado afternoon does, and no photograph or printed page fully carries that effect. This is work meant to be seen in person, whether in Indianapolis this fall, where Beneath the Azure Sky will hang among the best of contemporary Western art, or on the walls at Sorrel Sky, where paintings such as Exclamation!, Focus, and My First Saddle wait to be discovered.

That is finally the case Marlin Rotach makes, painting after painting. With nothing more than pigment, water, and the nerve to leave the paper alone, he proves that watercolor can hold as much light, drama, and lasting value as any medium in the room.

 

For more information about Marlin Rotach https://sorrelsky.com/collections/marlin-rotach.

All images are courtesy of Marlin Rotach for Sorrel Sky Gallery. For more information https://sorrelsky.com/.

At first glance, it’s instantly recognizable: a living room couch wrapped in clear plastic. For generations of Black families, the plastic-covered sofa has been a familiar symbol of care, preservation, and pride—a piece of furniture protected because it was meant to last.

Now, that everyday object has been transformed into a work of contemporary fiber art.

Protect Our Piece reimagines the iconic couch as a living archive of Black culture, with 19 hand-crafted elements stitched across its surface celebrating history, identity, and community. From Black Joy and HBCUs to Black-owned businesses, Black beauty, African American Vernacular English, banned Black books, and Juneteenth, each textile element represents a facet of Black life that has shaped American culture while inviting viewers to consider what deserves to be remembered and preserved.

The project debuted at Chicago’s Juneteenth Freedom Market in June 2026, where visitors were encouraged not only to view the work—but to sit on it, explore its details, and contribute their own ideas about the stories, traditions, and achievements that should be carried forward.

Rather than presenting history as something fixed behind glass, Protect Our Piece invites participation. The installation blurs the line between sculpture, storytelling, and community engagement, transforming a familiar household object into a gathering place for reflection and conversation.

A Domestic Object Becomes Contemporary Art

Artists have long used ordinary objects to explore identity and cultural memory, and Protect Our Piece continues that tradition by elevating one of the most recognizable symbols of Black domestic life.

For many Black families, the plastic-covered couch represented more than simply protecting furniture. It reflected the desire to preserve something meaningful for future generations. By expanding that idea beyond the home, the installation asks a broader question: What parts of a culture deserve the same care and protection?

The answer is woven directly into the work itself.

Each stitched element functions as both artwork and storytelling device, creating a richly layered composition that rewards close inspection. Visitors move across the surface discovering familiar references while encountering new perspectives on Black history, creativity, language, education, entrepreneurship, and identity.

Crafting the Piece

Bringing the installation to life required more than 100 hours of handwork by Chicago-based fiber artist and designer Chelsea B., founder of House of Chelsea.

Known for her custom crochet garments and textile art, Chelsea has collaborated with brands including Nike, Jordan, and Adidas, while creating work for artists such as Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, and Ciara. Her pieces have also been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

For Protect Our Piece, every component was individually crocheted, knitted, assembled, and attached by hand. Each visual element was designed to maintain its own identity while contributing to the overall composition, resulting in a work that balances intricate craftsmanship with a powerful conceptual framework.

The tactile nature of fiber art makes the installation especially compelling. Rather than separating viewers from the work, the familiar materials and domestic setting encourage people to engage with it personally, creating an experience that feels both intimate and communal.

An Artwork That Continues to Grow

Unlike many installations, Protect Our Piece was never intended to remain static.

As the couch travels to galleries, cultural institutions, and community spaces, visitors are invited to share their own thoughts about the traditions, achievements, and stories they believe should be preserved. Selected submissions will be stitched directly into the work, allowing the installation to evolve with each exhibition.

That ongoing collaboration transforms the couch from a finished sculpture into a living archive—one shaped not only by its creators, but by the communities who experience it.

In an era when conversations about history, identity, and cultural memory continue to evolve, Protect Our Piece offers a reminder that preservation can take many forms. Sometimes it happens in museums and libraries. Sometimes it happens through storytelling and shared traditions. And sometimes, it begins with an object as familiar as a plastic-covered couch—reimagined as a work of art that carries the stories of a community forward, one stitch at a time.

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The HUB is BarkleyOKRP’s Black Employee Resource Group and a DEI initiative focused on lifting Black voices, ideas, and cultural perspectives across the agency. It’s a space for connection, collaboration, and real community, inside and outside of the work. Through shared stories and collective authorship, The HUB helps ensure representation is ongoing and built into how we think, create, and show up.

Visit ProtectOurPiece.com to find out more about what we’re protecting and how you can help.

All mages courtesy of BarkleyOKRP.

Another of Art Santa Fe’s 2026 Spotlight recipients, Ben Garza is a contemporary artist whose work celebrates the vibrant culture, landscapes, and spirit of the American Southwest. Drawing inspiration from his Texas roots, Garza creates bold and expressive paintings that blend color, movement, and storytelling into visually compelling works of art. His artistic vision reflects a deep appreciation for heritage, community, and the beauty found in everyday life. Known for his dynamic compositions and confident use of color, we wanted to know more about this artist’s inspirations.

Art Business News: Introduce yourself — who you are and what your vision as an artist is?

Ben Garza: Hello, my name is Ben Garza. I am a local Santa Fe visual artist working in oil medium. My vision as an artist is to push the boundary of visual language. I achieve this with multiple levels of interest, such as broad strokes, scratching, and introspective color harmonies. I like to create a piece that offers something new each time one views the painting.

ABN: What is your background?

BG: I have been an artist and musician my whole life. One has always fueled the other. I received my Bachelor of Music from City College of New York. And then, went on to live in the south of France obtaining my Master of Fine Art in Aix-en-Provence. I have traveled the world and lived in a handful of cities. I believe that it is through these life experiences that I can inject my work with considerable variance.

ABN: What is your work philosophy and how does that impact your work?

BG: My work philosophy is to be a vessel. I aim to remove all earthly thoughts and allow the work to flow out of me. This impacts my work by allowing the piece to inform me of what is essential. In this way it allows the work to become its own personality and upon completion we both arrive at a point of new relations.

ABN: What artist(s) inspire you?

BG: Some artists that inspire me are Eugene Delacroix, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Georgia O’Keeffe, Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt. I gravitate towards rule breakers and innovators!

ABN: What is the best advice you’ve received?

BG: The best advice I received is to make work with honesty and integrity. All other artifacts will fall into place if the works can withstand the test of time.

ABN: When you are not working, where can we find you?

BG: When I am not working you can find me with my wife. We like camping, reading, and sitting by the river just taking in nature and its natural beauty.

ABN: What does exhibiting at Art Santa Fe 2026 mean to you?

BG: Exhibiting at Art Santa Fe 2026 means so much to me. I am very happy to have an opportunity to present my work to the public. It was exciting to establish connections, cultivate partnerships, and meet new people!

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To learn more about Ben Garza, please visit:

Website: http://www.bengarzastudios.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bengarzastudios/

Sacred art has long been rooted in tradition, but for Santa Fe artist and designer Arasely Rios, it is also a living, contemporary practice. As the founder of Seraphym Design Studio and the Seraphym Sacred Art Gallery, Rios creates handcrafted devotional jewelry and heirloom rosaries that blend centuries-old techniques with modern artistry. We spoke with her about her creative journey, the inspiration behind her work, and what exhibiting at Art Santa Fe 2026 meant to her.

Art Business News: Introduce yourself — who you are and what your vision as an artist is?

Arasely Rios: I am the founder and artist behind Seraphym Design Studio in Santa Fe, where I create devotional jewelry and heirloom rosaries inspired by centuries of sacred art. My work combines the restoration of historical sacred medallions with original contemporary designs, using traditional techniques such as lost-wax bronze casting and handcrafted beadwork.

My vision as an artist is to restore a sense of transcendence through beauty. In a world often defined by distraction and disposability, I create timeless pieces that invite reflection, devotion, and a deeper connection to the Divine—works that can be treasured and passed down through generations.

ABN: What is your background?

AR: My journey has always been rooted in beauty, devotion, and craftsmanship. Although I hold degrees in Business, Marketing, and Andragogical Studies and spent 22 years as a Director of Education in the beauty industry, I began designing rosaries by hand at the age of eight.

In 2008, I founded Seraphym, which grew into a nationally recognized brand carried in more than 1,000 stores. Today, I create one-of-a-kind devotional jewelry in my Santa Fe studio and curate the Seraphym Sacred Art Gallery. One of the greatest honors of my career was creating a rosary for Pope Francis during his 2015 visit to the United States.

Every step of my journey has reinforced my purpose: to express faith through timeless beauty, craftsmanship, and sacred art.

ABN: What is your work philosophy and how does that impact your work?

AR: My work is guided by the belief that beauty is essential—it can inspire, heal, and draw us closer to the Divine. Every piece I create is designed with intention and reverence, reflecting the strength, light, and devotion symbolized by the Seraphim angels who inspired the name Seraphym.

ABN: What artist(s) inspire you?

AR: I draw inspiration less from individual artists than from the timeless traditions of sacred art and humanity’s enduring desire to express the Divine through beauty. I am especially inspired by the sculptural traditions of the Benin Kingdom, Mexican pre-Columbian art, and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, all of which embody mystery, reverence, and artistic excellence.

Among individual artists, I admire masters from across history, including Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Fernand Léger, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, and Julie Mehretu.

ABN: What is the best advice you’ve received?

AR: The best advice I ever received came from a mentor when I was preparing to teach my first corporate training class. She told me, “This isn’t about you—it’s about your audience and what they can take away that might change their lives.”

That advice has stayed with me throughout my career. As an artist, I don’t create for myself—I create in the hope that each piece offers beauty, inspiration, and a meaningful connection that stays with the person who experiences it.

ABN: When you are not working, where can we find you?

AR: Outside the studio, I enjoy spending time in my garden, reading, reflecting, and caring for the flowers around a small oratory that has become a special place of peace. In the colder months, I find inspiration traveling through Europe’s art and sacred sites or simply enjoying a quiet evening at home by the fireplace.

ABN: What did exhibiting at Art Santa Fe 2026 mean to you?

AR: Exhibiting at Art Santa Fe 2026 gave me the opportunity to bring sacred art into a contemporary setting and connect with collectors in a meaningful way. I wasn’t sure how devotional jewelry would be received, but I was deeply encouraged by the response.

Many of the most memorable moments came through conversations about faith, sacred art, and personal experiences. It affirmed that people are not only drawn to craftsmanship, but also to the deeper meaning behind the work. Returning to Art Santa Fe is both an honor and an opportunity to continue that dialogue.

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To learn more about Arasely Rios, please visit:

Website: https://seraphym.com

First-time exhibitor at Art Santa Fe, Loretta Rieth is a contemporary artist whose work celebrates the beauty, energy, and emotional resonance of the natural world. Art Santa Fe put the spotlight on Rieth as one of its Spotlight recipients and it’s easy to see why her landscapes got attention. Rieth creates paintings that invite viewers to experience nature beyond simple observation. Her artwork reflects a deep appreciation for landscapes, flora, and the ever-changing interplay of light, atmosphere, and season.

Art Business News: Introduce yourself – who you are and what your vision as an artist is?

Loretta Rieth: I am Loretta Rieth, a solo artist. I was born and raised in Southern California and moved to Southern Arizona in 2021. My artistic vision, and my creative motivation, comes from an intrinsic desire to capture the beauty of nature, physical spaces, and human form.

ABN: What is your background?

LR: Well, from a very young age, creating art felt integral to my “being”. I remember an art class in second grade – I must have been six? – working on, of all things, an orange ink block print of a lion – and being so consumed – that I almost peed my pants.

Moving forward, a Santa Barbara artist who tutored children in oil painting, lived in my neighborhood. I began classes with her at age ten, and I have to say that I gained most of my oil painting knowledge from several years of her instruction – and I still use this today.

My artistic journey took a bit of a back seat to college and a 30-year career. As that career winded down, I attended OTIS College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, studying Graphic Design to obtain a more studied art foundation.

In 2021, I moved from Los Angeles to Tucson, where I discovered an amazing artistic community, as well as a new home and environment to create within.

ABN: What is your creative philosophy and how does that impact your art?

LR: I attempt to honor, in an oil painting, the indescribable beauty that myself and others find in the world.

ABN: Which artist(s) inspire you?

LR: At risk of sounding ridiculously cliché, Georgia O’Keeffe. Understanding her creative approach – from written and film biographies – is inspiring. Another would be Wayne Thiebaud, who absolutely masters whimsical hyperrealism.

ABN: What is the best advice you have ever received?

LR: Artistic advice? “When an oil is finished, you will know it”

ABN: When you are not creating art, where can we find you?
LR: When I’m not in Tucson creating art, you can find me on Western ski slopes or the Japanese Alps.

ABN: What did exhibiting at Art Santa Fe 2026 mean to you?

LR: I’m new to Art Santa Fe, so I drove from Tucson filled with curiosity. It was exciting to meet all those attending this event, and to get to know the creative community exhibiting here.

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To learn more about Loretta Rieth, please visit:

Website: http://www.lorettarieth-art.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorettarieth_art/

Ellen Gonzales is an Arizona based artist whose work celebrates the beauty, spirit, and symbolism of the natural world. Through expressive paintings inspired by birds, wildlife, florals, and Southwestern landscapes, she creates imagery that reflects a deep connection to nature and the emotional experiences it evokes. Ellen and her work were recognized as one of the Spotlight recipients for Art Santa Fe 2026. Art Business News was interested in knowing more about this first-time Art Santa Fe exhibitor.

Art Business News: Introduce yourself — who you are and your vision as an artist.

Ellen Gonzales: I’m Ellen Gonzales, the artist behind White Bird Fine Art. I am a faith-based artist; even though my paintings aren’t directly representational, faith is the foundation and heart behind the work. My hope is that my work is felt that it brings hope, light and healing. I like to play when I create so I use a lot of mark making, inks, spray paint, collage, and acrylics in the underpainting then pull it all together and finish it with oils. I love my process and the layers it encompasses.

ABN: What is your background?

EG: I have always loved the arts and creating. I took a few art classes in high school and college, but I did not pursue art as a career until 2020. Even then, I only took it on full-time in the last four years, which coincided with my decision to homeschool my two teens. I wanted to grow and refresh my technique, as I had a lot of vision but lacked confidence in the execution. So, I signed up for the Mastery Program at the Milan Art Institute, where I built the technical foundation, my work stands on now.

ABN: What is your work philosophy and how does that impact your work?

EG: My philosophy is that we are all created for a purpose. No matter our history or circumstance, we can grow and bloom. I paint mostly florals because they can convey so much. What’s funny is my mom decorated all of our homes in florals (stenciling them on most walls) and I swore I would never have florals in my house. Now it’s the majority of what I paint… interesting. I love that painting can say so much without using any words. My hope is that when someone walks up to my paintings, they feel something: hope, love, encouragement, or a sense of joy. That they would experience them and then of course take it home.

I write scriptures, words of encouragement, or positive quotes into the ground of the canvas. Sometimes I collage old hymns, or different textures. Then gold leaf. The oil goes on top of all of it. You can’t see most of it in the finished piece. That’s the point. The words are still there, holding the surface up. What’s buried is still bearing weight.

ABN: What artist(s) inspire you?

EG: I love the work of Dimitra and Elli Milan, Vanessa Horabuena, and Kim Black’s gorgeous florals; I admire many artists. If we are talking about the old masters Monet is probably my favorite.

ABN: What is the best advice you’ve received?

EG: Paint every day whether you feel like it or not.

ABN: When you are not working, where can we find you?

EG: Probably having a movie night with my husband, two kids and four dogs all snuggled on the couch together. Yes, my teens still snuggle with me. I also enjoy reading and playing guitar. I love leading women’s Bible studies; I have a heart for women knowing who they are in Christ (which is the heart of my She Is Collection).

ABN: What did exhibiting at Art Santa Fe 2026 mean to you?

EG: It’s a big step for me. It’s investing in myself and what I believe to be true. I spend my days painting about dry seasons not being dead seasons, hope in the waiting and being met in the middle of a season nobody else notices. To be chosen for this especially out of the field, into the Spotlight is that same truth landing in my own life. I don’t take it lightly. Santa Fe is one of the “serious rooms” in this country for original work.  It’s a threshold. I’m walking through it grateful, and ready.

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To learn more about Ellen Gonzales and White Bird Fine Art, please visit:

Website: http://www.whitebirddesignco.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitebirdfineart

Olga Lavrova was selected by Art Santa Fe’s curatorial team as one of this year’s Spotlight recipients. Art Business News was intrigued and wanted to know more about this contemporary artist whose work is inspired by the beauty of nature, the emotional power of color, and the timeless connection between people and their environment. Originally trained in classical artistic techniques, Lavrova has developed a distinctive visual style that blends technical precision with expressive creativity.

Art Business News: Introduce yourself — who you are and what your vision as an artist is?

Olga Lavrova: I guess I think of myself as an observer of life, fascinated by everything around me. I am more attracted to things of a quiet, pensive nature. As an artist I want to highlight the intricacy and poignancy of feelings in quiet moments that are often missed in the fast-paced, overwhelming reality of modern day. I feel that through appreciating the depth and preciousness of seemingly routine and simple things, whether they concern people or nature, we become more compassionate and more humane. My goal as an artist is to inspire my viewers to pause, reflect, think and connect with these feelings.

ABN: What is your background? 

OL: I was born in Moscow, Russia, and my family moved to California when I was in my early teens. I had a conventional upbringing, focused strongly on good education, and I did not allow myself to step away from that path until later in life. After getting my degree in Mathematics/Economics, I built a solid career in audit and compliance. At some point I went back to Moscow for several years and that’s when I started taking painting lessons with an artist whose work I admired. After some time, painting consumed me and I felt that I found my true purpose. In the summer of 2021, I came back to California and decided to focus full time on my art. Since then, I have exhibited at shows mostly in Southern California and was once selected by the city of Encinitas Visual Arts Program curators to hold a two month-long exhibit at the City Hall. Since I was not always an artist, there’s still a part of me that’s in disbelief when my work gets high praise and recognition, and I am so grateful for all the support I receive that keeps me motivated.

ABN: What is your work philosophy and how does that impact your work?

OL: I only paint once I become obsessed with a certain idea and the feeling builds up. For me, depth and intensity of emotion when working on a piece is essential to creating something worthy. At the same time, I dislike grandiose, loud, direct images and I spend a lot of time developing the right way to say what I want to say in a quiet, subtle way. In my paintings, the atmosphere, the feeling, is first and foremost, so I have to really channel that into my work. Because of this, my work is very susceptible to changes in my emotional state. Sometimes I can go up to a couple of months without painting anything and then go on a spree and paint a lot in a very short period. It can be a real nuisance, especially if I have a show coming up soon and want to bring new work, but I just can’t force it.

ABN: What artist(s) inspire you?

OL: I can’t really say that there are any particular ones that inspire me. I just do my own thing the way I feel it. In my work I am more inspired by people, nature, and events. I do admire a lot of artists though – old masters, as well as contemporary. I (embarrassingly) just recently, discovered Caspar David Friedrich and was stunned by how much his work resonated with me. I also love discovering new favorites at art shows I go to and am a proud owner of several pieces by fellow artists. My current obsession is Gia Chikvaidze – his work just transports you to another world.

ABN: What artist(s) inspire you?

OL: I can’t really say that there are any particular ones that inspire me. I just do my own thing the way I feel it. In my work I am more inspired by people, nature, and events. I do admire a lot of artists though – old masters, as well as contemporary. I (embarrassingly) just recently, discovered Caspar David Friedrich and was stunned by how much his work resonated with me. I also love discovering new favorites at art shows I go to and am a proud owner of several pieces by fellow artists. My current obsession is Gia Chikvaidze – his work just transports you to another world.

ABN: What is the best advice you’ve received?

OL: Don’t dwell on failed pieces. Forget it and move on. Even the best artists can’t create a masterpiece every time. (Is it actually true? I still kinda suspect they can..)

ABN: When you are not working, where can we find you?

OL: On the road across the states, in my yard watching birds, lizards and whatever else makes its way in, or on a couch with my family, dog, book, wine, playing video games, etc.

ABN: What did exhibiting at Art Santa Fe 2026 mean to you?

OL: A lot! Testing new waters, meeting people, expanding my presence, gaining more visibility. This was my first time at Art Santa Fe, but I loved all the other ones I’ve been to in the series, so I am very excited to add a new one to the list.

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To learn more about Olga Lavrova, please visit:

Website: https://olga-lavrova.square.site/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Olga_Lavrova_Art

As Art Santa Fe celebrates its 26th edition, we’re proud to announce this year’s Spotlight Award recipients—a select group of artists recognized for their creativity, innovation, and forward-thinking contributions to contemporary art.

Art Santa Fe 2026 will feature a dynamic mix of 75+ galleries, art dealers, and independent artists from around the world, showcasing original works in a variety of mediums—paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, photography, ceramics, giclées, lithographs, glass, and more.

Kicking off Santa Fe Art Week (July 9–19, 2026), this year’s fair offers attendees a rich lineup of special programming, including immersive Art Lab experiences and inspiring Meet the Artist sessions.

From an impressive roster of exhibitors, the Spotlight Program highlights a curated group of standout artists, offering collectors a focused view of emerging and established talent shaping the future of the visual arts.

Check out this year’s Spotlight Program recipients below!

Ellen Gonzales — Booth D-1

Ellen Gonzales is a New Mexico-based artist whose work celebrates the beauty, spirit, and symbolism of the natural world. Through expressive paintings inspired by birds, wildlife, florals, and Southwestern landscapes, she creates imagery that reflects a deep connection to nature and the emotional experiences it evokes. Her work is infused with movement, color, and a sense of wonder, inviting viewers to pause and reconnect with the world around them.

http://www.whitebirddesignco.com/

Loretta Rieth, Booth C-2

Loretta Rieth is a contemporary artist whose vibrant paintings celebrate the beauty, energy, and emotional resonance of the natural world. Inspired by landscapes, flora, and the ever-changing interplay of light and season, she creates richly layered compositions that blend technical skill with creative intuition. Through expressive movement, luminous color, and thoughtful interpretation, Rieth’s work explores themes of growth, harmony, and transformation, inviting viewers to experience nature with a renewed sense of wonder and connection.

http://www.lorettarieth-art.com/

Olga Lavrova, Booth C-8

Olga Lavrova is a contemporary artist whose work is inspired by the beauty of nature, the emotional power of color, and the timeless connection between people and their environment. Originally trained in classical artistic techniques, Lavrova has developed a distinctive visual style that blends technical precision with expressive creativity. Her paintings invite viewers into luminous worlds  filled with movement, atmosphere, and a sense of wonder.

https://olga-lavrova.square.site/

Ben Garza, Booth J-6

“Countless craftsmen have worked Cerrillos turquoise from Turquoise Hill for a thousand years, and I am the last of that long line.” — Doug Magnus

 

Some artists make jewelry. Douglas Magnus makes history wearable.

For more than fifty years, the Santa Fe-based jeweler has been one of the American Southwest’s most singular creative forces, a self-taught master whose work does not so much borrow from the past as inhabit it. His collections traverse time and culture with remarkable ease, weaving together ancient cosmic symbols, Latin motifs, and contemporary design references into pieces that feel simultaneously timeless and urgently alive. Sorrel Sky Gallery, which represents Magnus, across its Santa Fe, Durango, SoHo, and East Hampton locations, has long recognized in him a rare convergence: the archaeologist’s reverence for history and the artist’s appetite for invention.

A Journey Shaped by Place

 

Magnus arrived in Santa Fe in the early 1970s, and the city claimed him completely. What began as a personal reckoning, a young man who had failed art school and spent two formative years in the Army finding his footing, became one of the most productive and wide-ranging careers in contemporary American jewelry. The landscapes and layered cultures of New Mexico provided both raw material and spiritual direction. Magnus has often described his artistic methods as intuitive, his journey as solitary, and the results speak to both qualities: work that is deeply personal yet universally resonant.

 

He is, at his core, self-taught. That fact is not incidental to understanding his work — it is essential to it. Without the constraints of formal training, Magnus pursued mastery on his own terms, absorbing techniques for silversmithing, goldsmithing, and lapidary gemstone cutting through hands-on practice and an insatiable curiosity about world cultures. His passion for nature, ancient cosmology, and the visual traditions of Latin America and the broader pre-Columbian world inform every design decision, from the sweep of a pendant’s silhouette to the selection of a stone.

 

The Stone at the Center of Everything

 

If any single element defines the arc of Douglas Magnus’s career, it is turquoise — and not just any turquoise. The Cerrillos Hills, located a short distance south of Santa Fe, contain some of the oldest and most culturally significant turquoise mines in North America. Indigenous peoples mined this land for more than a millennium, and the distinctive blue-green stone that emerged from Turquoise Hill traveled trade routes stretching from the American Southwest to Mesoamerica and beyond.

 

Magnus’s early visits to these ancient mines proved transformative. He came for the stone and stayed for the story. Today, he owns three of the fabled Cerrillos mines, making him not just an artist who uses this material but a steward of it. His relationship to the mines transcends commerce. “I want to be assured that the mines will always be available for historical, archaeological, and mineralogical study,” he has said — a statement that reveals a man as invested in preservation as in creation.

 

The Cerrillos turquoise Magnus sources is a study in rarity. Its intense, clear blue coloration and distinctive matrix set it apart from other turquoise varieties, and the stone’s historical weight adds an additional dimension that goes well beyond aesthetics. When a collector acquires a Magnus work set with Cerrillos turquoise, they hold something that connects them to a thousand years of human craft, ambition, and meaning.

Museum-Quality Collections for the Contemporary Collector

 

Magnus’s most recent body of work represents the fullest expression of his vision. Using 18-karat gold as his primary medium and Cerrillos turquoise as his signature stone, he has produced a collection that carries the designation “museum-quality” without hyperbole. These are not decorative accessories but wearable sculptures: the “4 Directions Pendant,” which encodes cosmological meaning into its very structure; the “Forever Pendant,” which transforms classical forms through Magnus’s singular eye; the “Thanksgiving Pendant,” a piece whose layered symbolism rewards extended contemplation.

 

Across his nine published design volumes, which document five decades of output, Magnus has demonstrated an extraordinary range. His “Primavera” collection embraces the organic abundance of the natural world. His “Santa Fe Heritage” volume celebrates the enduring influence of Spanish colonial culture on the region’s visual identity. “Constellations” reaches skyward, drawing design cues from the celestial. Throughout it all, one finds the same animating intelligence: a maker who refuses to settle for the obvious.

 

His buckle designs, explored in depth in “The Art of Buckles,” brought serious craftsmanship to a form too often dismissed as purely functional. His “Skulls and Diamond Plate” volume demonstrated that Magnus’s design vocabulary extends into more assertive, masculine territory without losing its fundamental elegance.

 

The Collector’s Opportunity

For galleries and collectors attuned to the increasingly fine line between fine art and fine jewelry, Douglas Magnus represents a compelling proposition. His work occupies that territory with confidence and originality, commanding serious attention in a market that rewards exactly those qualities.

 

The breadth of his current collection at Sorrel Sky Gallery offers meaningful entry points alongside significant statement pieces, with works ranging from finely crafted pendants and rings to substantial one-of-a-kind creations suited to serious collectors. Each piece carries the full weight of Magnus’s singular biography: the decades of self-directed mastery, the deep connection to place and material, the restless creative intelligence that has never permitted repetition or complacency.

 

Sorrel Sky Gallery Founder Shanan Campbell notes that Magnus’s work resonates with collectors who seek jewelry as a meaningful investment: “Doug is one of those rare artists whose depth of knowledge about his materials and his history gives his work a dimension you simply cannot manufacture. Each piece carries a story that goes back centuries.”

A Legacy in the Making

 

At fifty-plus years into his career, Douglas Magnus shows no sign of narrowing his vision. His identification as the last practitioner in a thousand-year line of Cerrillos turquoise workers is not an elegy; it is a statement of responsibility and resolve. He has committed to ensuring the mines endure for future scholars and communities. He continues to design, to teach through his published volumes, and to produce jewelry that challenges the assumption that wearable art must choose between beauty and meaning.

 

For collectors drawn to the American Southwest’s rich artistic heritage, and for those who understand that the finest jewelry transcends ornament entirely, Douglas Magnus offers something increasingly rare: a living connection to antiquity, expressed through the hands of a master who has spent a lifetime earning the title.