2011 Local Treasures

Local Treasures 2011 will honor six local artists who are representative of both the diversity and quality of the over 1,000 artists who live and work in Albuquerque. This will be a month-long celebration beginning with a city-wide Artscrawl and ending with the an awards ceremony on September 4th, 1-3pm at Albuquerque Museum. Following are brief descriptions of each of the artists and their work.

Lois Bradley: Lois is a capable and worthy artist in watercolor media and a children’s book illustrator with a willingness to experiment. She is always willing to help others and volunteer for a local cause. She holds a BFA in Studio Art from UNM and an Associates Degree in Graphic Design from CNM. She is a member of SCBWI and is currently serving as Asst. Regional Advisor and conference coordinator for the NM Chapter. She exhibits in NM and nationally and her work can be viewed at Framing Concepts Gallery and they are proud to have nominated her. You can view her work at Framing Concepts in September 2011.

Eason Eage: Born and raised in Iowa, Eige was educated in painting, drawing, printmaking and art history at the Kansas City Art Institute, Parsons and Winterthur. 21 years he was chief curator of the Huntington Museum of Art, West Virginia. began painting again six years ago after 30 years of his busy museum profession. He is currently exploring the huge cactus growing in front of San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town and his newest studies lean toward abstraction. Eason recently donated a generous collection of antique and contemporary Native jewelry to the Albuquerque Art Museum (the Eason Eige collection) which has shown in entirety and now shows partially.He will be receiving the Local Treasures Award for his generosity and his painting accomplishments. Eason was nominated by Bright Rain Gallery where he exhibits. Eason is represented by Bright Rain and you can view his work there anytime.

Leo Neufeld: Raised in Mikwaukee, Leo received his art education in NYC. Neufeld is an estab lished artist whose work is in the Albuquerque Museum and many other public and private collections. He has taught painting and drawing for years and inspired many artists to become painters. He makes art full time but also dedicates time to community service such as serving food at St. Martin’s Shelter or donating Holocaust survivor’s portraits for the Anne Frank Exhibit. His enthusiasm for art, his students and for the arts in Albuquerque is boundless. He was nominated by Matrix Fine Art where he exhibits. Leo is represented by Matrix and his work may be viewed there anytime.

Jeannie Sellmer: Sellmer is not only a recognized landscape painter but also a celebrated abstract painter. She moved to Albuquerque in 2005 from Boston to specifically paint our landscape. She quickly captured the natural beauty and color of the Land of Enchantment. Sellmer’s contemporary landscapes have a unique painterly realism style. Her aim is not based on adherence to reality, but rather an expressive transcription of her experience. A hard working member of NM Plein Air Painters Society, she serves as Treasurer for the organization as well as other roles. She was nominated by Sumner & Dene where she exhibits and has been the subject of several solo shows. Her work is being featured during September at the gallery.

Emily Trovillion: Trovillion’s oil and acrylic paintings and her drawings can best be described as surrealistic, but she simply describes herself as a collector of faces. She draws and photographs them and later pieces them together with animals, plants and minerals into strange future landscapes—maybe “post apocalyptic”. They are often in groups contemplating their own reasons for being and the why of the universe. Emily gives much back to her community—teaching, serving as a juror for exhibits, presenter for the Art in the Schools program, donating art work to charity auctions and volunteering for the UNM Art Museum. She was nominated by Weyrich Gallery where she exhibits. Emily is represented by Weyrich Gallery and will be featured at the gallery during September.

Nancy Young: Nancy is known for her cast paper, small bronze and sterling silver sculptures and mixed-media work which are inspired by her fascination with petroglyphs. Her work is contemporary while having the patina of antiquity. Her two and three dimensional pieces have represented throughout the world, including in American Embassies, but she has never forgotten her beginnings in Albuquerque. She has never said NO to a cause and her community contributions are so numerous that her work is synonymous with Albuquerque philanthropy. Weems Gallery is proud to have nominated Nancy as a Local Treasure. Nancy is represented at Weems and her work can be seen there anytime.