Manitou Galleries will be hosting the solo show Who We Are for artist BC Nowlin, a man of the people, enlightened by a close proximity to many different lifestyles and traditions. His upbringing in New Mexico, on land bordering the Sandia Pueblo Reservation, and surrounded by a largely Hispanic and Native population, provided Nowlin with a unique cultural experience that has found its way into his stunning, spiritual works of art.
Takes the Lead, oil, 24 x 48”
Nowlin reflects on his childhood in stating, “I spoke Spanish, hunted with the Native kids and walked around talking about dreams and symbols. I was involved with the Pueblo life. It was all a rich stew of cultures to come from. I’m not Hispanic or Native, but trans-cultural;
I shift in and out of cultures.”
The new collection of work for the Manitou show is more of a continuation of themes for Nowlin, such as his use of figures always depicted from the back, but he notes that his approach is constantly shifting. “I’ve never seen the value in consistency,” Nowlin says. “My color palette will shift from year to year; maybe warmer to cooler or using different brush work, but I give myself permission to keep growing as a painter. Collectors will be able to see these differences. [This new body of work] is where I’m at this year.”
Everlast, oil, 60 x 48”
Pieces such as Takes the Lead, showing a group of figures in what appears to be Native people traveling away from the viewer, holding flags and wrapped in colorful robes. They are traveling towards a brightly lit sky, an ethereal luminosity. “Maybe I’m painting [Native Americans] all the time,” he says, “or maybe they are people from the Middle East. I’m respectful of symbols and Native religion, and my paintings are more about the whole world but inspired by [Native Americans]. It’s a universal thing because we’re all tribal people. I don’t like to lay it all out.”
Nowlin prefers to create an environment of mystery in his paintings, and doesn’t even like titling his work, since he feels that titles “automatically tell you what you’re looking at.” He adds, “I generally always paint figures with their backs to the viewer because people don’t search the depth of the painting when they face you. Someone may remind you of a boyfriend you don’t like anymore or think, ‘Hey, that looks like mom!’ I want to leave that mystery and respect those figures. They have their own dignity. Maybe they’re men or women, young or old…I don’t even know myself! Everything is strictly from my imagination and I don’t analyze things to death.”
Counted, oil, 36 x 30”
In another show piece, Everlast, featuring figures surrounded by an explosion of light, Nowlin says, “It looks like a ceremony or something hugely spiritual. I’ve been trying to depict this blast of light in my paintings, or a power boiling up from the ground.” Nowlin notes that the painting is inspired by a Navajo ceremony, where there’s singing and music played around a large fire all night long.
The show, on view at Manitou Galleries from July 2 through July 31, also features a few surprises. Nowlin will also be including a series of paintings of old motels, truck stops and other highway imagery, and, of course, they will also be full of mystery. —
Upcoming Show
Up to 15 works
July 2-31, 2021
Manitou Galleries
123 W. Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 986-0440, www.manitougalleries.com
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