It's been an interesting journey for me, revisiting these older images. I have been absolutely astonished at their power and beauty--their strength and complexity. "Man at the Table" was made during the Bosnian war, and was about the "peace negotiations" which were ongoing and never ending. Everyday we would watch images on the TV of the violence, the destruction and the atrocities between the Bosnians and the Serbs. And now, sadly, almost 30 years later, the same horrific images are filling our screens with the war in the Ukraine. This image, unfortunately, is still timely.
Holly Roberts One Painting at a Time
30+ years of paintings, talked about one painting at a time: what went into the paintings, what I was trying to say, what was happening at the time of my life that I made the paintings. The paintings themselves are narrative, and this adds a little more to the story that they tell.
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Man at the Table 1995
Monday, February 6, 2023
Story: Real or Not so Much 2023
"The Bear", Douglas McDonald, 7"x10" 1st place
Story: Real—Or Not So Much
Juror’s Statement
Holly Roberts
January 20, 2023
For four days I lived with 635 entries for the juried show, “Story: Real-or not so Much”. Each morning and each afternoon, I would go over the entries numerous times, each time eliminating more artists from the mix and at night I would dream about the images. My goal was to select 60 wall pieces and 4 sculptures because this is what the gallery had room for. The process was blind—meaning I didn’t know the names of the artists—to help me be as objective as possible in choosing the work. Having been on both sides of the fence with this process before, both as artist and as juror, I knew how hard it would be to receive the “unfortunately…” letter, and I also knew that the job of choosing was completely my personal vision in what I felt to be outstanding art.
I had a few rough rules: no more than one piece by each artist and anything that I felt that was sweet, or cute, or too pretty was out. What I wanted in this show was work that was fun to look at, that was beautifully crafted, honest in its intent, and professionally presented. I was thrilled by the end result: a show that, while curated with my sensibilities, is far reaching in its scope. Because of the diversity of the work that the title of the call, “Story: Real—or not so Much”, pulled in, it allowed for just about anything. I am a figurative artist, and because of this probably leaned more towards the figurative, but still found wonderful abstract pieces to include. It was not an easy task, selecting these 67 artists, but one that, at the end of the day, I was very proud to have been a part of.
Friday, December 30, 2022
Dream Ride 2007
When we first moved back to New Mexico in 1992, I met and became good friends with one of our neighbors, most probably because we shared the same very black sense of humor. In 2007 she asked me to do a commission based on a large painting she had seen in my studio called "Mud Truck". When her father had died, her three sisters had attempted to keep her from inheriting her share of his very large estate through various means of trickery and chicanery. It didn't work, because, after a long court battle, she won. And this is what the painting is about: my neighbor, driving her cloud car with her three "pious"( but really evil) sisters in the back floating over a wasteland of bodies and trash. The car is made of clouds and trumpeting angels, the tires are teeth, the exhaust hundreds of small bodies floating away. Six signs guide her way,: a pedestrian walking sign, a stop sign, a one way sign(pointing the wrong way), a road closed sign(with graffiti), a do not pass sign, and a sign reminding us not to throw litter in this trash strewn landscape. On the side of the car is writing that says, ironically, "Love Me". The painting is all about greed, and the triumph of good over evil. She was able to use her inheritance to buy, among other things, a number of my paintings, including this one. This fall her husband called me to let me know that she had died. I wish that I would have written this blog before she passed. I know she would have loved it.
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Barefoot Riders 2013
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Barefoot Rider(Girl) 49"x41" |
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Barefoot Rider(Boy) 48"x45" |
The “Barefoot Riders” series is about the journeys we take in life: what we are given to start with and what we will encounter along the way. “Barefoot Rider (Girl)” is the portrait of a young friend whose mother immigrated from Mexico. Although born and raised in the United States, she grew up in a home with no father present, where Spanish was the primary language, with a grandmother who didn’t speak English and a mother who had to learn the language in order to support the family. The white horse she is riding has shuttered eyes, letting us know that her journey has not always been clear or easy.
“Barefoot Rider (Boy)” is also about life’s journey, in this case a young indigenous boy with a monk’s tonsure. His mount, also white, has no bridle, and only a whip in the boy’s hand to guide the two. Both riders and their mounts are constructed of imagery drawn from multiple sources. Trees, sticks and earth combine with part of a Navajo rug make up the Girl’s horse while a cluster of flowers make the saddle. The Boy and his horse are made of different elements, including lava rocks and urban graffiti—elements somewhat harsher than the Girl’s. By being aware of what the horses and their riders are made of, it’s possible to see the bits and pieces of two life journeys, similar yet very different.
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Rough Ride 2022
Friday, September 2, 2022
Mirror 1998
An email came into my mailbox a week ago from a lawyer representing the estate of collectors of mine who had recently passed away. She wanted to know if I had information on "Mirror", which surprisingly I did(I'm not know for my excellent record keeping). A few days later she emailed me back to let me know that the piece was for sale at "Consignment Warehouse" in Santa Fe. She also gave me the price of the piece and suggested I could buy it back and then resell it. I had loved the piece, and after thinking long and hard and, against my better judgement, I called up the store and bought it back, driving up to Santa Fe the next day to pick it up. It was an upscale consignment store, with $4000 second hand couches and large heavy tables for much more. There was lots of "art" on the walls, most of which you would find comfortably hanging in a hotel lobby. I wandered around and looked at things, then went to pick up my piece from the front desk. The clerk had brought it out and laid it on the counter with no wrapping or any kind of protection, but it was in perfect shape. It sat there glowing at me, and then rested in the back seat of my car and did the same. I was filled with a kind of quiet joy that "Mirror" had come back home.