Deborah Fritz’s two Santa Fe galleries open contrasting exhibitions this September—Melinda K. Hall’s playful memory-work and Gigi Mills’s contemplative landscapes.
Melinda K. Hall: Coloring Outside the Lines
opening: September 11, 5-7 pm
Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art, Santa Fe
Gigi Mills: Weighing of the Heart
opening: September 18, 5-7 pm
GF Contemporary, Santa Fe
This September, two exhibitions at Deborah Fritz’s galleries reveal the breadth of contemporary painting in Santa Fe through the work of artists whose practices are as distinctive as the spaces that present them.
At Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art, Melinda K. Hall’s Coloring Outside the Lines opens September 11, exploring creativity through memory, language, and play.
One week later on September 18, GF Contemporary opens a new body of work by Gigi Mills, Weighing of the Heart. Mills’s expansive landscapes and figures invite contemplation through light, atmosphere, and the quiet majesty of the natural world. Together, the exhibitions reflect the complementary curatorial identities Fritz has cultivated while celebrating two singular artistic voices.
Although Hall and Mills approach painting from very different perspectives, both artists invite viewers to slow down, look closely, and reconsider how they experience the world. Hall turns inward, exploring memory, imagination, and the creative spirit, while Mills looks outward, finding moments of wonder within expansive landscapes and quiet encounters.
Hall’s paintings ask us to recover something we’ve forgotten—that innate creative spirit we all possessed as children. Mill’s paintings ask us to remember something larger than ourselves—the quiet mystery and grandeur of the natural world. One is intimate and autobiographical; the other is expansive and contemplative.
At Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art, Hall’s exhibition Coloring Outside the Lines celebrates the freedom of artistic expression through paintings that are at once playful, sophisticated, and emotionally resonant. Oversized crayons, handwritten observations, childlike drawings, and richly layered surfaces become visual metaphors for creativity itself. Rather than simply recalling childhood, Hall’s work suggests that the instinct to create is something we carry throughout our lives, even if it becomes obscured by routine and expectation.
Works such as You Were Always an Artist embody this philosophy. Floating crayons traverse the canvas alongside affirming phrases, whimsical imagery, and subtle marks that reward. Humor and introspection coexist and encourage viewers to reconnect with curiosity and possibility. The exhibition title reflects Hall’s embrace of experimentation—not as rebellion, but as a reminder that meaningful creativity often begins when we venture beyond prescribed boundaries.
Hall’s paintings align naturally with Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art’s longstanding commitment to artists whose work combines technical refinement with conceptual depth. The exhibition invites analysis while remaining approachable, revealing layers of meaning through color, texture, and the language of memory.
GF Contemporary presents a strikingly different experience with Gigi Mills’s newest body of work. While Hall’s paintings are filled with personal symbols and visual storytelling, Mills creates expansive compositions where atmosphere, landscape, and light become the primary language.
Paintings such as Bird Dogs Watch immerse viewers in immense night skies punctuated by stars, luminous rock formations, and quiet bodies of water. A tiny figure and animals occupy only a small portion of the composition, emphasizing both the grandeur of the natural world and humanity’s place within it. Subdued palettes, textures, and the wrinkle of paper create paintings that feel timeless, inviting reflection rather than narrative.
Mills’s work possesses a cinematic quality, balancing solitude with wonder. Rather than describing a specific location, her paintings become emotional spaces where silence, scale, and light encourage contemplation. The paintings unfold slowly, rewarding viewers willing to linger and absorb their quiet complexity.
The exhibition reflects GF Contemporary’s focus on artists who expand their practice through innovation, material sensitivity, and a willingness to explore new visual territory. Mills’s latest work continues that conversation while offering us an opportunity to experience paintings that are both visually striking and deeply meditative.
Together, these exhibitions reveal the thoughtful curatorial vision Deborah Fritz has cultivated through her two galleries. Rather than duplicating one another, Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art and GF Contemporary present distinct and complementary programs that broaden the conversation around art in Santa Fe. Each gallery provides a unique context for its artists, allowing individual voices to flourish while contributing to the city’s vibrant culture.
Melinda K. Hall’s Coloring Outside the Lines and Gigi Mills’s Weighing of the Heart offer two memorable experiences connected by a shared belief in the power of art to transform perception. Hall reminds us that creativity begins with curiosity and the courage to color beyond the expected. Mills invites us to pause beneath vast skies and rediscover the quiet wonder of the world around us. Together, these exhibitions celebrate not only two accomplished artists, but also the enduring role of thoughtful galleries in bringing diverse artistic visions to the community.
Melinda K. Hall: Coloring Outside the Lines opens September 11, 5-7 pm, at Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art, 702 Canyon Road, Santa Fe.
Gigi Mills: Weighing of the Heart opens September 18, 5-7 pm, at GF Contemporary, 707 Canyon Road, Santa Fe.
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