Opens December 16, 2021 | Parsons Gallery of the West | Taos, NM

Festive Spirit

Parsons Gallery of the West’s annual Holiday Small Works show brings a festive spirit to collecting

Parsons Gallery of the West in Taos, New Mexico, hosts its annual Holiday Small Works Show this December, showcasing a variety of miniature treasures from artists like Roseta Santiago, Jerry Jordan, Ron Rencher, John Moyers, Jerry Jordan and Spike Ress.Ron Rencher, The Cottonwood Trail, oil on linen, 10 x 12"

“Holidays in Taos are a timeless tradition...Every year we like to host a holiday party at our Parsons Gallery of the West location to invite collectors, visitors and locals alike. Art has always been a major part of our town’s history, and it preserves these special moments in time,” says gallery director Ashley Rolshoven Loveless.

Santiago’s 12-by-12-inch oil Many Memories is a collection of some of the first artifacts the artist purchased in 2000 when she moved to Santa Fe to teach herself oil painting and begin a new career. “It was quite an education learning where the objects came from and their usage...Draped on the left is my first Navajo trade blanket. The tall black pot is a Navajo cooking vessel that had seen many hours on the fire. The stew bowl is from Acoma Pueblo and the beaded neck piece with cones is an Apache puberty dress,” Santiago explains. Jerry Jordan, Awaiting Quiet Season, oil on panel, 10 x 12"

Roseta Santiago, Many Memories, oil on panel, 12 x 12"A resident of Taos, Rencher loves his home and paints the local landscape, first and foremost.

“I started including Native Americans in my work several years ago. Most of the time my Native figures are of the Taos Pueblo people, [who] are depicted in The Cottonwood Trail,” Rencher says of the 10-by-12-inch piece. “It is important to note that my respect for the Native American relationship to nature is a driving force for including them in my work...From an artistic perspective I like horses and riders which are backlit. It lends a nice effect of rim lighting, creating a particularly appealing aesthetic. The blooming chamisa brush and cottonwoods showing hints of fall color provided the inspiration for the setting.”

John Moyers, The Elk Antler Quirt, oil on panel, 16 x 12"