Art Santa Fe Spotlight Recipient: Ouida Touchon

Hannah Smith — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 20:11:52 +0000

Art Santa Fe 2024 returns to the Santa Fe Community Convention Center July 12-14. We’ll be highlighting the four Spotlight Artists for this year’s fair starting with Ouida Touchon.

Rattlesnake Kate Redeux, mixed media on canvas

Q: Introduce yourself – who you are and what your vision as an artist is? What is your background?

A: More than a printmaker, or painter, I think of myself as an image maker. My background is in fashion design and pattern making. I worked in the ‘rag trade’ designing clothing and traveling all over the third world to see how well these designs were put together.

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

A: I enjoy working in the studio on various media including printmaking and painting as well as collage. I am drawn to historic female characters; strong women and what I imagine that they would wear.

I create, I do not quantify or measure time, I work until the artwork speaks to me and tells me it is complete. It’s a joyful calling. I know that my audience is the world’s smallest and that I am not attempting a mass-market appeal. I listen to my imagination and I try to stay on a flow that avoids tributaries and tangents. What I ask myself each time I come near completion of an artwork is: is this piece remarkable? That’s how I measure.

Q: What artist(s) inspire you?

A: I am inspired by many of the modernists, especially the Santa Fe and Taos modernists of the early 20^th century. Also, I love to look at ancient manuscripts and illuminations for pattern, and composition. The Ukiyo-e Japanese woodcut print artists are always a delight to look at and I am drawn to contemporary public-art artists such as Shepard Fairey and emerging black artists such as Delita Martin and Bisa Butler.

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

A: The best advice I’ve received is from a professor in my Masters Degree program who told me to see more and paint less. On a more business-of-art direction I listen to Seth Godin, Akimbo podcast and find value in his philosophy about the world’s smallest audience and being authentic and remarkable with my work.

Q: What does exhibiting at Art Santa Fe 2024 mean to you?

A: Exhibiting at Art Santa Fe means a lot to me in that it is an opportunity to show with an Event Company that has great experience and a track record of putting on well-marketed and well-designed shows of high-caliber artists. I am hoping to find a small audience of galleries and collectors who are interested in purchasing and representing my artwork.

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Art Santa Fe 2024 Shines the Spotlight on Four Amazing Artists

Linda Mariano — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 03:19:04 +0000

As Art Santa Fe looks toward its 24th edition, we are pleased to announce this years recipients of the Spotlight Award. Each artist recognized for their creativity, as well as unique and forward-looking works of art.

Art Santa Fe 2024 will once again have an interesting mix of 80+ exhibiting galleries, art dealers, and artists from across the globe, showcasing original work of hundreds of artists that includes prints, paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, ceramics, giclees, lithographs and glass works, among other contemporary and fine art.

This year’s Art Santa Fe is one of the opening events for the sixth annual Santa Fe Art Week, July 11-21, 2024. Art Santa Fe guests will enjoy the fair’s special programming, ranging from immersive artist-led Art Lab experiences to compelling and exciting Meet the Artist sessions.

From the amazing list of exhibitors, Art Santa Fe’s curators present their Spotlight Program recipients, providing collectors a focused look at several cutting-edge artists recognized for their skill and achievement in the visual arts.

Check out this year’s Spotlight Program recipients below!

Bill Sabatini, Bill Sabatini Art – Booth 505

Having worked as an architect for forty years, Bill says he has contributed to the transformation of the New Mexico landscape. His sharp sense of composition, structure, and balance from working in architecture gives a definite perspective to his art. Simple geometry and powerful form with an emphasis on the significance of the relationship between interior (positive) and exterior (negative) space define his design approach. Bill says he picked up the ability to think and see globally. His abstract paintings arouse feelings of solidity, substance, and emotion. The spectacular visual contrasts of the high desert Southwest serve as his inspiration.

http://www.billsabatini.com/

Elizabeth Frank, Elizabeth Frank Studio – Booth 228

Elizabeth Frank is an accomplished environmental artist whose work is a stunning reflection of her sculptural and creative skills. Her pieces are a captivating blend of art and nature, inviting the viewer to contemplate the beauty of the world around us. Using a wide range of materials, including wood, stone, and found objects, Elizabeth creates intricate and breathtaking sculptures that capture the essence of the natural world. Her use of texture and form creates a sense of movement and vitality, imbuing her creations with a sense of life and energy.

https://www.elizabethfrank.com/

Ouida Touchon, Ouida Touchon Art – Booth 230

Ouida Touchon is a gifted artist and a master fine art printmaker whose work captures the organic essence of nature. Her works are a stunning tribute to the universe’s beauty and complexity, and her mastery of technique and composition is truly remarkable. Ouida creates works that are both vibrant and nuanced, capturing the essence of her subjects with exceptional skill and artistry using a variety of printmaking techniques such as monotype, collagraph, and mixed media. Her use of color, texture, and form creates a captivating sense of depth and dimensionality, and her art invites the viewer to explore the beauty and mystery of nature in a profound and meaningful way.

https://www.ouidatouchon.com/

Vivienne Riggio, Vivienne Riggio Art – Booth 105

Vivienne Riggio has a comprehensive portfolio that documents her artistic journey and accomplishments. The most recent works are large scale mythical creatures that connect us to another time, another place, each emphasizes the intricate details and vibrant colors that define her style. Drawing on her experience in operatic costume design, she creates shaman-like sculptures that evoke a departure from conventional imagery to an unfamiliar place of wonder. Each piece created by Vivienne is accompanied by insightful descriptions and contextual background, allowing a better understanding of her inspiration and creative processes. These pieces transcend the cultures we think of as the norm, the ordinary, the customary, and take our imaginations to a place of our own invention.

https://www.vivienneriggio.com/

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