MAY 2014

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INSIDE Art of the Horse State of the Art: New Mexico Charlie Russells Wildlife Art
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Soul of the Prairie, oil on canvas, 48 x 36
A
few times a year Barbara Meikle holds
a live painting demonstration of a
miniature donkey in the driveway of
her Santa Fe gallery located on the world-
famous Canyon Road. This is one of several
philanthropic efforts the artist does to further
the appreciation of these beautiful mammals
and to help support animal rescue groups.
It feels so good to not only paint them but
to help preserve the animals, Meikle adds.
A native of New Mexico, Meikles affinity
for the equine figure can be traced back to her
childhood growing up around horses. Well
known for her impressionistic vibrant horse and
burro oil paintingsas well as landscapes and
still life imagery, in her upcoming solo show
titled In the Company of Colorthe artist has
expanded her subject matter to include more
pieces of birds, wildcats and even a few African
animals. She will also unveil a new bronze
titled Brillante. Of developing more themes,
she says, By doing that Im showing how you
can interject color into almost anything that
you love. It can make something much more
special and beautiful.
Meikles daring use of color defines her
contemporary paintings of traditional subject
matter. The energy of her brushwork and
mixture of the texture of heavy paint with drips
of thin paint have become hallmarks of the
artists work.
Ill juxtapose dark hues with pastels and
bright colors where you dont expect them to
beand that variety in one painting makes my
work easily recognizable, she remarks.
The new paintings Color Charge and
Color Cadence illustrate Meikles variety of
brushwork, dramatic color and beauty of the
subject matter. They also reflect more layers of
texture intertwined with thin paint and layers
of color.
I think Im looking more carefully at my
subjects, she says, and bringing out the
personality or soul of the animal, and
In the company of color
B M
UPCOMING SHOW
Up to 20 works
May 23-June 23, 2014
Barbara Meikle Fine Art
236 Delgado Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 992-0400
SHOW LOCATION SANTA FE, NM
Barbara Meikle.indd 108 3/28/14 3:07 PM
109
what the animal means culturally to us and
expressing it through color and lighting.
Garden Bliss embodies how Meikle
feels about animals. It also doubles as a
fantasy piece for her neighbors donkey,
Burrito, and his dream of eating garden
flowers. Animals can bring you such joy,
and we need that joy. Here we have a
playful donkey that really wants to get into
your garden. Theres a lot of love in the
painting, she comments.
Price Range Indicator
Our at-a-glance Price Range Indicator
shows what you can expect to pay for
this artists work.
Small Medium Large
2003 $450 $1,000 $2,400
2008 $800 $1,400 $3,200
2014 $1,100 $1,900 $4,500
www. westernartcol l ector. com
For a di rect l i nk to the
exhi bi ti ng gal l er y go to
The Last Glimmer, oil on canvas, 30 x 30
Color Charge, oil on canvas, 36 x 48
Barbara Meikle.indd 109 3/28/14 3:08 PM