For two days in early August, artist BC Nowlin showcases brand new work at Manitou Galleries. Across a dozen pieces, Nowlin will focus on culture and community with an air of mystery—themes that the artist has developed for the entirety of his career.
“I’ve been very influenced by the Native American culture, having grown up near the Sandia Pueblo just south of Santa Fe,” says Nowlin. “…I don’t paint pictures of a specific culture but what appears to be tribal people on journeys. [Simply put], I take the Native American and Hispanic culture I grew up experiencing and spin it all into a ‘world vibe.’”
Of Dawn, oil, 48 x 60 in.
Nowlin depicts his figurative subjects always with their backs to the viewer, allowing for everyone to find their own meaning. The artist himself paints obscurely and abstractly, never working from references—instilling his imagination into each painting. “When you see a piece of mine and see [faceless] figures always on a journey, it can be yours,” he says. “They can be male or female, old or young. We all relate to it to an extent. My collectors would agree. When they respond to a piece, they are remembering something from deep in the soul.”
Consider Nowlin’s show piece Of Dawn,where we see a group of people traveling toward a glowing light in the distance, perhaps wading through water to reach it. “We all want to travel towards the light, moving toward the dawn…,” Nowlin adds.
Said Yes, oil, 48 x 30 in.
New to Nowlin’s body of work, are vertical pieces depicting trees or perhaps a sacred grove. In Said Yes, Nowlin imagines his two subjects in the lower left corner, standing in front of violet-colored trees and a twilight sky, as they are having a discussion in the affirmative, saying “yes” to each other.
Join Nowlin at Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for a vibrant showcase of new work from August 1 and 2, while the artist also demonstrates his unique skills at his easel. —
Manitou Galleries 123 W. Palance Avenue » Santa Fe, NM 87501 » (505) 986-0440 » www.manitougalleries.com
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