Whether panting landscapes, architectural forms, portraits or still lifes, and in styles that shift with the subject, Paige Pierson’s work is deeply informed by a sense of place. She lives near Chimayo, New Mexico, home to El Santuario de Chimayo, a national historic landmark shrouded in legend and a modern-day pilgrimage site. It’s a constant source of inspiration for the artist and a far cry from her upbringing in suburban Dallas.
Chromo Terra, oil on canvas panel, 9 x 7 in.
“I cannot convey in words what it’s like to live in this part of the world,” says Pierson. “It’s the confluence of people, culture, energy, big ideas, history, archaeology, time, nature…Where I live, I have to chop wood, fend off skunks, walk the trails with bear spray—it’s raw. And there’s something about being someplace with thousands of years of human history. Those are stories I want to convey. From my back porch I can see the sacred hills of Tsi Mayoh and who can say ‘that’s my view’? I have miles of stories I want to conceptualize in paintings. It’s also about honoring the landscape, the people, the culture and the architecture.”
The Magic of Eloy Jiménez, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
Chromo Terra depicts a horno, an adobe outdoor oven, that Pierson has painted many times. “When you visit Taos Pueblo, you see a lot of hornos and these are essential to life at Taos,” she says. “I love to paint this one. Chromo means color in Greek. Terra meaning land. The horno and the earth are the same thing. The same entity. While this is an everyday tool, it’s also artistically perfect. The dimensions and proportions are enticing to the eye.” Pierson’s rendering of its soft curves and warm hues is also enticing to the eye.
Pierson gives a nod to the great Italian Renaissance painter and his use of the color red in Titian Canyon,an imagined desert landscape inspired by the terrain around nearby Ghost Ranch. “The geology there is toned so vibrantly red,” she explains. “It’s hard to encapsulate those colors in terms of translating them onto canvas…it’s a favorite of mine to paint.”
Titian Canyon, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in.
The Magic of Eloy Jiménez is an example of Pierson’s portraits, which often have a more contemporary feel. In this one, the figure emits an auric glow. The picture is of a Mexican man whose likeness and story coalesced in Pierson’s imagination, informed by her many travels by bus in Mexico. “Eloy Jiménez is a contrived person, but I see him as a man, living out on a ranchito near Durango or Torreon,” muses Pierson. “He’s magic because he can withstand heat and dry beyond belief. He is magic because he knows stuff, and has stories, but he’s stoic and he has piercing eyes. He stays out in his ranchito because the ladies chase after him, not the other way around. He is also a legend and people paint paintings about him.”
After Ansel, oil on Clayboard, 5 x 7 in.
See these pieces and more of Pierson’s new work during Blue Rain Gallery’s Guadalupe Street Feature, on view at the gallery’s Santa Fe location from March 13 through 26. A reception will be held on opening day from 4 to 6 p.m. —
Blue Rain Gallery 544 S. Guadalupe Street » Santa Fe, NM 87501 » (505) 954-9902 » www.blueraingallery.com
Powered by Froala Editor
