Work in Progress with David Brothers
David Brothers of SLC evokes dark, dingy worlds through the derelict sets he builds. Photos from his latest project, Peed Upon, offer a dire caricature of our current times.
May 25
Studio Visit
May 03
Work in Progress with Betelhem Makonnen
Betelhem Makonnen of Austin expands the silences of history and develops work and language to describe nonlinear time.
Mar 22
Work in Progress with Kathleen Wall
Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo and Chippewa), a Pueblo potter and winner of a New Mexico Governor’s Award, conjures happy feelings through her human forms in ceramic.
Mar 17
Work in Progress with Tony Ortega
Tony Ortega, a prolific artist and longtime Denverite known for his acrylics, pastels, prints, and murals, observes and honors the city’s vibrant mix of Chicano, Mexican, and Anglo cultures.
Mar 03
Nanda Sharif-pour: Verdant Refuge / Desert Refugee
Studio VisitNevadaVol. 7 Finding Water in the West
Nanda Sharif-pour discusses her use of living plants, soil, and video in her work from her Las Vegas, Nevada greenhouse.
Mar 03
The Mesquite Mile: Erin Charpentier, Kim Karlsrud, Travis Neel, and Daniel Phillips
Studio VisitTexasVol. 7 Finding Water in the West
For this social practice collective in Lubbock, Texas, the mesquite tree has become a charismatic icon for water conservation and urban afforestation.
Feb 24
Work in Progress with Jacob Meders
Jacob Meders (Mechoopda/Maidu) works in his Phoenix studio to counter historical and contemporary stereotypes of Native Americans through printmaking that addresses issues related to culture, identity, and place.
Feb 09
Work in Progress with Bryan and Jeff Wheeler
The Wheeler Brothers—Bryan of Lubbock and Jeff of San Antonio—employ maximal methods influenced by humility, music, hidden hot springs, and breakdancing in the Texas Panhandle.
Jan 27
Work in Progress with Wren Ross
Wren Ross, a Park City, Utah, painter and social worker, plumbs our collective unconscious with stirring, uncanny work, where movement becomes a crucible for visual creation.
Jan 24
Work in Progress with Patricia Sannit
Patricia Sannit, in this deeply personal visit to her Phoenix studio, reflects on the ways loss, vulnerable ecologies, and recent residencies in Iceland and Sweden are shifting her practice.
Jan 17
Work in Progress with Mario Zoots
Mario Zoots is a Denver-based artist who has explored the medium of collage for nearly fifteen years, and pushed against the genre's boundaries and expectations.
Dec 16
Work in Progress with Maja Ruznic
Maja Ruznic of Placitas, New Mexico builds and embraces darkness in canvas works that are informed by trauma and inspired by Carl Jung’s philosophy of the shadow self.
Dec 13
Work in Progress with MarSha Robinson
Denver-based artist and entrepreneur MarSha Robinson creates elaborate, botanical worlds and runs a thriving business under the moniker Strange Dirt.
Dec 09
Work in Progress with Rhiannon Griego
Santa Fe-based textile artist Rhiannon Griego weaves wearable and displayable artworks that pay respect to the land and her Spanish and Native heritage.
Oct 24
Work in Progress with Monica Aissa Martinez
Monica Aissa Martinez talks about her drawings of human figures, animals, and viruses during a studio visit in Phoenix, where she shares past inspirations and future projects.
Oct 21
Roswell AIR Quality Report: Visits with Artists in Residence at RAiR
The Southwest Contemporary team visits Roswell to do studio visits with the residents of the renowned and generous Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program.
Oct 17
Work in Progress with William T. Carson
William T. Carson's coal-based artworks comment on cultural relationships to fossil fuels and provoke questions about how humans value natural materials.
Sep 20
Work in Progress with Afton Love
Afton Love, who lives and creates in Ojo Caliente, New Mexico, pivoted from big-picture abstract art to a form of abstraction that ponders and employs addition rather than subtraction. 1. […]
Sep 16
Work in Progress with Jeff Suina
Cochiti Pueblo artist Jeff Suina incorporates traditional pottery materials and knowledge as well as architectural and digital technologies in sculpting angular and eye-catching works in clay.
Aug 26
Studio Visit: Steven Yazzie
Studio VisitColoradoVol. 6 Rooted: Poetics of Place
Colorado-based multidisciplinary artist Steven Yazzie (Diné, Laguna Pueblo, European ancestry) thinks of his art studio as community and land rather than an insular space bound by four walls.
Aug 26
Studio Visit: Sharbani Das Gupta
Studio VisitNew MexicoVol. 6 Rooted: Poetics of Place
Las Cruces-based artist Sharbani Das Gupta is an observer of the earth's elements and the impact of human activity on the natural world.
Aug 23
Work in Progress with Austin Uzor
Dallas-based artist Austin Uzor blends the figure and the Southwest landscape in oil paintings that blur the boundaries of figurative painting.
Aug 02
Work in Progress with Yu Yu Shiratori
Yu Yu Shiratori, an artist based in Tucson, creates large-scale embroidery, jewelry, and illustrations that juxtapose materials to reflect the dichotomy of her bicultural experience.
Jun 24
Work in Progress with Amber Tutwiler
The large-scale paintings of recent Salt Lake City transplant Amber Tutwiler blend figural realism with abstraction to uncover the myriad ways in which technology dislodges notions of the self.
May 31
Work in Progress with Reyes Padilla
Albuquerque artist Reyes Padilla, born with synesthesia, paints visual representations of music in works that have appeared throughout New Mexico and on Better Call Saul.
May 24
Work in Progress with Douglas Miles
Artist Douglas Miles (San Carlos Apache, Akimel O’odham) uses visual art and skateboard culture to amplify Indigenous voices.
Apr 19
Work in Progress with Jeremy Thomas
New Mexico sculptor Jeremy Thomas uses inflation to create three-dimensional works of steel and canvas that explore air as a medium.
Apr 12
Work in Progress with Rochelle Johnson
Rochelle Johnson, an artist in residence at Denver’s RedLine Contemporary Art Center, is a figurative oil painter who imbues her work with messages about women’s beauty, the Black community, and the human condition.
Apr 07
Work in Progress with Mitsu Salmon
Salt Lake City artist Mitsu Salmon explores issues of racism, environmentalism, and sexuality. Her performance-based approach to a multi-disciplinary practice crafts an immersive experience between artist and viewer.
Apr 05
Work in Progress with Nick Barbee
Galveston, Texas artist Nick Barbee uses the process of abstraction in recounting American history and personal experiences in his paintings, sculpture, and installation.
Mar 24
SLC AIR Quality Report: Visits with Artists in Residence at UMOCA
UMOCA’s artist-in-residence program in Salt Lake City provides studio space and exhibition opportunities for Utah artists while enriching the local arts community.
Mar 08
Work in Progress with Benjamin Timpson
Benjamin Timpson hand-cuts delicate pieces of ethically-sourced butterfly wings to create meticulous and moving portraits that explore trauma and healing while raising awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women.
Mar 03
Work in Progress with Pard Morrison
The September 11 attacks and monthly visits with Agnes Martin continue to inform the gridwork of artist Pard Morrison, whose Denver installation Course comments on drought conditions in the Southwest.
Feb 25
Studio Visit: Michael Gadlin
Studio VisitColoradoVol. 5 Collectivity + Collaboration
Michael Gadlin, an artist and the executive director of PlatteForum in Denver, talks about the influence relationships and community have had on his creative practice.
Feb 25
Studio Visit: Phillip Pyle, II
Studio VisitTexasVol. 5 Collectivity + Collaboration
Houston-based artist and graphic designer Phillip Pyle, II upholds a tradition of collaboration in the historic Third Ward neighborhood.
Feb 23
Work in Progress with Szu-Han Ho
Political organizer and artist Szu-Han Ho of Albuquerque builds coalitions and breaks down institutionalized barriers.
Feb 22
Work in Progress with Angelica Raquel Martínez
Laredo, Texas native Angelica Raquel Martínez continues her familial legacy of storytelling in works on paper and textile installations.
Feb 15
Work in Progress with Jared Tso
Sanders, Arizona-based Jared Tso (Diné), who teaches aspiring ceramicists and makes pottery from the road, is a rising star in the world of Indigenous pottery.
Jan 31
Work in Progress with Jennifer Nehrbass
Albuquerque-based artist Jennifer Nehrbass paints the nature of landscapes to challenge ideas of what is real.
Jan 18
Work in Progress with Sammy Seung-Min Lee
Denver artist Sammy Seung-Min Lee engages paper through unique and distinct processes in creating wall pieces, architectural installations, artist books, and performances.
Jan 07
Work in Progress with Laura Spalding Best
Arizona artist Laura Spalding Best creates oil paintings on found objects, exploring the intersection of natural and built environments while confronting the impacts of climate change on the desert Southwest.
Dec 27
Southwest Contemporary’s Studio Visits of 2021
A handy roundup of Southwest Contemporary's studio visits with Southwest artists in 2021.
Dec 21
Work in Progress with Jay Chung
In our latest studio visit, Dallas-based painter Jay Chung addresses climate change and challenges perceptions of the human figure.
