Signpost cartoon, by Rudi Klimpert

Exploring life with color

—BILL DIVEN
During decades as a commercial illustrator in the gray canyons of Chicago, Rudi Klimpert turned his vacations into quests for color.
From the East Coast came seascapes with realistic boats set in Impressionistic swirls of browns and yellows. Visiting the West, Klimpert set up paint and easel beside the road to record the hues and feelings of New Mexico.

“When I came here, the colors just captured me,” Klimpert said. “Have you ever seen the same sunset twice?

“You want to sign it when you're done.”

A native of New York City, Klimpert graduated from the Art Students League and began his career before moving through Canada and St. Louis and arriving in Chicago in 1959. Working on the staff of advertising agencies with national accounts, he earned a reputation as a talented storyboard artist able to illustrate proposed television commercials in a series of drawings.

Storyboards, used to sell clients on ideas and plan productions, often had to be prepared overnight. “It trains you for speed,” Klimpert said.

Since moving to Placitas in 1990, Klimpert has been nothing if not quick and prolific, producing oil paintings, wood and stone carvings, and scores of Signpost cartoons. He illustrates the Letters page of Crosswinds Weekly, teaches an occasional private art lesson, sells paintings internationally through Canyon Road Contemporary Gallery Art, in Santa Fe, and sometimes takes on a commercial assignment from a past client.

And he paints doors, an image recurrent in his work now influenced by Southwestern cultures.

“A door is like a signature to a house,” he said. “I've always done doors, but not like this.

“They float free in the landscape, so I can add New Mexico.”

Working with canvas and oil, Klimpert said he may start with a color idea and explore the image from there. In a current work in progress, the greens, browns, and reds of the earth rise to sunset colors surrounding a vivid blue door on which cultural icons are beginning to appear.

Adornments seen in other works can be turquoise jewelry hanging from a cow skull, with sheriff’s badges, Route 66 postcards, and native flowers nearby. Even a pickup truck may appear on the landscape.

“Everything you see in that painting is indigenous to this area,” he said. “Now I paint a lot freer and with the idea that I let the color do it for me.”

“There's a lot of trial and error, I scrape off a lot, but when it's finished, I know it.”

Klimpert said he considers himself lucky to have made art his life and to have worked as a traditional illustrator, a skill once prized by advertising and long-gone national magazines. Even the work of storyboard artist, while still in demand, has mostly moved to computers, he said.

In addition to the Santa Fe gallery, Klimpert's work can be seen decorating the office expansion at La Puerta Real Estate Services, 01 Ridge Court, at NM 165. And his studio is open by appointment by calling 867-4549. Klimpert's paintings also can be seen by visiting the www.sandovalsignpost.com and clicking on the Featured Artist link.

McCormick joins 10000 Cranes

Placitas resident and digital artist Barry McCormick has joined Bruce Shortz, of Albuquerque, at 10000 Cranes Studio, a digital printing service for photographers and fine artists. Shortz, also a digital artist, has been printing fine-art images for artists for the past three years.

10000 Cranes can produce prints up to forty-four inches wide on its state-of-the-art Epson printer. Current technology allows the pigmented ink sets with the proper archival papers to produce prints that have a life span of more than one hundred years.

The addition of McCormick to the firm will expand service to the artist community in Placitas.

McCormick has shown and sold his work locally in Bernalillo and at a number of group shows in Albuquerque. He has also shown during the Placitas Studio Tour for the last three years. Shortz has been featured in a number of group and individual shows in Albuquerque and nationwide.

Digital imaging is still in its infancy, and the growth potential is phenomenal, as more and more artists, galleries, and collectors embrace the technology and recognize its potential.

The two artists met when McCormick commissioned Shortz to print his large images for shows. They both currently serve on the board of the Digital Artists of America Association-NM (DA3).

Willy Sucre and Friends play string quartets

—JACKIE ERICKSEN, PLACITAS ARTISTS SERIES
The Placitas Artists Series will present an afternoon of string quartets by Spanish and Brazilian composers. The concert will take place on November 20 at 3:00 p.m. at Las Placitas Presbyterian Church. Included on the program will be the String Quartet #1 in D Minor, by Juan Crisomo Arriaga (1806-1826), nicknamed the “Spanish Mozart”; La oración del torero (The Toreador's Prayer), op. 34, by Joaquín Turina (1882-1949); and Sonata para cordas (Sonata for Strings), by Carlos Gomes (1836-1896.) Violist Willy Sucre will be joined by violinists Joanna Morska-Osinska and Carmelo de los Santos and cellist Joan Zucker.

Joanna Morska-Osinska is a Polish-born violinist and soprano who has performed in Europe, Japan, Great Britain, and the United States. In addition to appearances with many New Mexico orchestras and ensembles, Morska-Osinska is a member of Opera Unlimited, a group that performs regularly as part of the Placitas Artists Series’ Arts in the Schools outreach program. Brazilian violinist Carmelo de los Santos was the first-prize-winner of the 2003 IV Julio Cardona International Competition, held in Covilha, Portugal, and has received many other honors. He is currently an assistant professor of violin at the University of New Mexico. Joan Zucker, principal cello with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, is familiar to Placitas audiences as a popular returning “Friend.”

This concert is generously sponsored by Lucy Noyes and La Puerta Real Estate Services.

A reception for exhibiting visual artists Nina Adkins, Hazel H. Orr, Greg E. Reiche, and Laura Telander will be held at 1:30 p.m., prior to the concert.

Native New Mexican Nina Adkins has been deeply influenced by the colors and mountains of the Southwest. She loves the luminosity and transparency of water-media colors that “sing on a page or board.” Hazel Orr works in monotype, collograph, and chine colle. She describes monotype as “a fusion of painting and printing, i.e., paint is applied to a plexiglass with brush or brayer, covered with a paper and rolled through a press, creating one picture.” Greg Reiche creates sculptural works in stone, glass, and metal—light-interactive work from table top to monumental in scale. His intent is to “find beauty in combinations which transcend boundaries of style and time and speak to the viewer in a very deep, primal, and intuitive sense.” Laura Telander's paintings incorporate exotic textiles and other media; she defines her work as “assemblage.” She claims to have “always hunted and gathered cultural artifacts that are rich with visual poetics.” Her work begins with “a found object or image that haunts my aesthetic and yearns for a 'home.'”

Tickets for the concert will be available at the door one hour before the concert, or may be purchased in advance at La Bonne Vie Salon and Day Spa in Homestead Village Shopping Center, in Placitas; at Gatherings, 9821 Montgomery NE, in Albuquerque; or at www.PlacitasArts.org. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for seniors and students.

This project is made possible in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The facility is completely accessible, and free child care is provided for families with children under six. Las Placitas Presbyterian Church is six miles east of I-25 on NM 165 (Exit 242.) For more information, call 867-8080.

Placitas Flea Market benefits Art in the School

Placitas Elementary School benefits from the community’s ongoing support of the Placitas Flea Market. The $10 vendor fee helps to fund art projects and activities at Placitas Elementary School through the Art in the School Program.

This year, the school was able to purchase the curriculum and supplies for Tut to the Extraterrestrial: An Adventure in Architecture!, an art-education program focussing on the Egyptian pyramids, Greek temples, medieval castles, and starships and earthships. The parent volunteers have started their training sessions and will be soon be entering the classroom to share in the journey of architectural design.

Art in the School coordinator Linda Hughes said, “To Orville, Judy, and Jon McCallister, a special thank-you for allowing us to use the land space. Your generous contribution has been a major factor in the success of our fund-raising efforts.”

Opening again in the spring, the Placitas Flea Market will be held the second Saturday of each month from May through October.

Mel and Lisa Chernoff (right) admire Andi Callahan’s jewelry work at last year’s Placitas Holiday Sale.

Renee Gentz's booth at last year’s Placitas Holiday Sale

In 2004, Sharon Krachunis and Julie Walsh volunteered at the Placitas Holiday Sale Art Raffle which benefits Placitas Elementary School arts and literature programs.

Seventy artists set up booths for annual Placitas Holiday Sale

—JON COUCH
For twenty-four years people from Placitas and the surrounding area have marked the beginning of the holiday season by visiting the Placitas Holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Sale. The popular event is always the weekend before Thanksgiving, so this year it's Saturday and Sunday, November 19 and 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at three locations in the village: the Placitas Elementary School, the Big Tent, and Anasazi Fields Winery. Colorful signs and banners will mark the way.

Over one-fifth of the artists come from Placitas and some come from as far away as Colorado, but mostly they come from all over New Mexico. Thirteen artists are new to this year’s sale.

Ceramics, jewelry, woodwork, prints, paintings, batik, leather, photographs, glass, baskets, metalwork, clothing, gourd art, books, and more will be offered. Many artists have created special items at affordable prices for the sale.

A jury selected the exhibitors from an ever growing number of artists who submitted slides of their work. The organizers feel that by maintaining the number of artists at about seventy they can assure high quality and variety.

Anasazi Fields will be offering tours of the winery as well as free wine tasting. The 2002 raspberry, 2001 peach, 1998 apricot, and the nonvintage plum are available by the case, bottle, or glass. New last year was Rojo Seco, a dry red table wine. The winery will be featuring their 2002 American Cranberry Wine, continuing a local holiday-dinner tradition. Vintner and wood artist Jim Fish invites you to enjoy a hot spicy drink of mulled cranberry wine by the kiva fireplace. More information about the wines and the winery is at anasazifieldswinery.com.

Great food will be available at the elementary school, where chef Jim White will offer his renowned burritos. His Web site is www.chefwhite.com. PES parents will offer baked goodies, and the Presbyterian Church will sell their popular frozen green chile at the Big Tent. Nancy Coonridge, of Pie Town, will be offering her gourmet marinated organic goat cheeses at the winery, and Kathy Hart, of the Barker's Bakery, in Jemez Springs, will have her gourmet dog cookies in a variety of sizes and shapes, some gift-packaged.

The Placitas Holiday Sale is once again sponsoring a raffle of artwork to benefit the arts and literature programs at the Placitas Elementary School. The public can purchase $1 tickets for a chance to win, and all proceeds will go to the school, where the donated works will be on display. Last year's raffle produced a record $1,420.

The Placitas Holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Sale is sponsored by the Placitas MountainCraft and Soiree Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the community, the arts, and artists. Maps and information about the artists, their work, and locations can be found at PlacitasHolidaySale.com.

Special thanks

—BOARD OF THE PLACITAS HOLIDAY FINE ARTS & CRAFTS SALE
We would like to thank all the many people in our community who help make the Placitas Holiday Fine Arts & Crafts Sale happen.

Many people don't realize that this event is organized and put together by local artists. Special thanks go to the committee members—Bunny Bowen, Mary Hofmann, and Jon and Nancy Couch—who have donated their valuable time to organize this event and make it a quality art show.

Other people whom we wish to thank are Jim Fish and his partners at Anasazi Fields Winery; Christine Werenko, the principal of the Placitas Elementary School; Vivian DeLara, secretary at the school; and Las Placitas Presbyterian Church, which has generously allowed us to use its facilities.

There are many other people who have helped us get ready for the show. They are John Roth, who helps us furnish the tent with electricity, as well as Dee Christmann, who organizes the art raffle. Special thanks also go to Kate Guidei, our tent manager, and Alex Perez, who has been invaluable at the school.

We thank the Signpost and its publishers, Barb and Ty Belknap, for their help and support in publicizing the Placitas Holiday Fine Arts & Crafts Sale.

It's impossible to mention everyone, so we want to say many thanks! to all who have volunteered their time to make this such a great show.

2005 Placitas Holiday Sale Artist locations:

SITE 1: PLACITAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AMY ADSHEAD • hand-inked, hand-printed copperplate etchings • Grants

JEANINE ALLEN • pastel paintings on paper and board • Albuquerque

SUE BASON • Southwest crosses and plaques • Hillsboro

JOLENE AND GLORIA BIRD • silver inlaid turquoise shell jewelry • Santo Domingo

SALLYJANE BOLLE • rock art jewelry and pearls • Santa Fe

BUNNY BOWEN • matted and framed batik landscapes, silk scarves • Placitas

ANNETTE AND SHAWN CAFFREY • metal home and office accessories • Pecos

JANE CHILTON • pastel landscapes of New Mexico • Grants

JACQUELINE DAVIS • beaded jars, mirrors, bottles, fans • Edgewood

CAROLE DEVILLERS • photography, cards, photo magnets • Albuquerque

DEBORA DURAN-GEIGER • hand-painted art fire tiles • Santa Fe

DEBBY FERGUSON • landscape watercolors • Placitas

RENEE GENTZ • art quilts, scarves • Albuquerque

SUSAN GUTT • handwoven contemporary and traditional baskets • Placitas

KATHY HART • gourmet dog cookies, gifts • Jemez Springs

MARIO HINOJO • carved gourds • Albuquerque

MARY AND KARL HOFMANN • functional pottery • Placitas

BARBARA HOLLOWAY • contemporary art wear, handwoven fabrics • Galisteo

DAVID REED JOHNSON • wooden cutting boards, clipboards, trays • Placitas

SANDY AND MICHAEL KADISAK • fine art pottery, sculpture • Cochiti Lake

TOM KENNEDY • photography • Placitas

PAT MARSELLO • brushwork on clay and paper • Albuquerque

LAMOYNE MCCAULLEY • decorative and functional pine needle baskets • Corrales

MICHAEL MCCULLOUGH • acrylic and watercolor paintings • Placitas

DANA MCDANIEL • fused glass beads with silver embellishment jewelry • Corrales

JIM SACOMAN • tinwork • Albuquerque

KIM SIRACUSAN • functional ceramics • Albuquerque

JEFF AND MYAN SORENSEN • deer and reindeer antler jewelry • Crestone

JOHN TRUJILLO • progressive contemporary jewelry • Albuquerque

ALICE WATTERSON • figures carved in wood, crochet embellished with fabric and beads • Santa Fe

BARBARA WOODS AND H. TOM THOMAS • painted silk and sculpted ceramic lamps • Santa Fe

RENATA ZIMMERMAN • knitted wearables (hand loom) • Medanales

SITE 2: THE BIG TENT

RORY ALVAREZ • wood carvings, whimsical animal carvings • Rio Rancho

JITSUDO ANCHETA • printmaking linocuts, woodcuts • Albuquerque

ELAINE BOLZ • ceramics/sculptural and tile • Corrales

ALLAN AND JUDITH EDGAR/YOUNG • stone mosaic/inlay jewelry • Corrales

LAZARO GUTIERREZ • silver and mixed metal jewelry • San Ysidro

MOLLY HART • mixed-media neo-industrial jewelry • Santa Fe

LYNN HARTENBERGER • representational pastel paintings • Placitas

JOAN HELLQUIST • wildlife images hand-painted on drums • Placitas

ELZBIETA KALETA • freehand scissor paper cutouts/collage • Albuquerque

PETER AND PAT MCKAY • feather art, jewelry • Silverton

RANDY MILLER • jewelry and inlay knives • Bernalillo

CHRISTINA MILLER • original modern icons, acrylic on wood • Santa Fe

ZOE PATTERSON • art metal and gemstone trees • Placitas

BUTCH PHILIPS • black-and-white photographs • Belen

NJ SEARCY • bird baths, steel garden and patio accessories • Amado

PAM SLIPYAN • custom leather and eclectic jewelry • Santa Fe

PHIL SONIER • wildlife/nature photography • Albuquerque

DONNA SPRAY • bronze, copper, silver rings, bracelets, jewelry • Alto

DIANA STETSON • fine art prints, monotypes, collographs, etchings • Albuquerque

PATRICIA WYATT • paintings and mixed-media • Santa Fe

SITE 3: ANASAZI FIELDS WINERY

TERRY ADAMS • mixed metal wall decor, sculpture, lamps • Cuba

NORMAN AND DANNA AUFRICHTIG • hand-thrown pottery with glazes • El Prado

JERRY BARNETT • functional and nonfunctional fused glass • Belton

ANDI CALLAHAN • fine silver, sterling, gold, semiprecious jewelry • Placitas

NANCY COONRIDGE • organic goat cheese • Pie Town

HELEN AND JOSEPH CORIZ • jewelry, necklaces, slap earrings • Santo Domingo Pueblo

NANCY AND JON COUCH • water prisms, pyramid lamps, mandalas, boxes • Placitas

JOE DOWELL • wildlife art, birds and fish • Estancia

DEBBIE DUFFY • photography • Albuquerque

BILL DUNMIRE • books, photography • Placitas

VANGIE DUNMIRE • original watercolors • Placitas

JIM FISH • wooden sculptures, walking sticks • Placitas

CAY GARCIA • knife-cut paper images, wall art, miniatures and pins • Albuquerque

GINNY AND MARK NEUMANN • beaded and mixed-media jewelry • Silver City

RENEE RECTOR • handwoven jackets, vests, ruanas, ponchos, scarves • Tijeras

KELVIN SCHENK • handwoven chains, jewelry • Albuquerque

NANCY WOOD TABER • colored pencil drawings of animals • Tijeras

FRED WILSON • raku, stoneware, sculpture, ceramics • Albuquerque

KRISTEN WILSON • jewelry, one-of -a-kind art to wear • Albuquerque