Arbol de la vida—Mid twentieth century tree of life (polychrome ceramic)

Heron Martinez Mendoza (1918-1990)
San Miguel Acatlan, Hidalgo Mexico

Keep the home fires burning, wherever home might be.

Happy New Year 2015

"I am not asking to bed loved. I want to love."

"A pure act of love is its own reward, and needs nothing in return."—Richard Rohr, Meditation for November 26, 2014

I will not let you go unless you bless me.—Genesis 32:26

Elsa Kells Skinner

Birth place: Syracuse, NY.

Addresses: Albuquerque, NM

Profession: Painter, illustrator

Studied: Syracuse Univ. (B.F.A.); Univ. New Mexico with Randall Davey & Kenneth Adams; Rex Brant; Milford Zornes; Robert E. Wood Jr.; Bud Biggs; George Post.

Exhibited: Nat. Assn. Am. Penwomen Nat., Smithsonian Inst., Wash., DC, 1960; Mus. New Mexico Biennial, Santa Fe, 1963; Southwestern Regional, Oklahoma City, 1964; Reno (NV) Regional, 1965; El Paso (TX) Sun Carnival Nat., 1967; Wagon Trails Gal., Albuquerque, NM, 1970s. Awards: "The Humming-bird," first prize watercolor, 1962 & "Gold and Brown," first prize mixed & "The Creatures," first prize acrylic 1967, New Mexico State Fair; "Old Mine at Golden," first purchase award, City of Albuquerque, 1968.

Member: Southwestern WCS (mem. chmn., New Mexico Chapt., 1971-72).

Work: Old Mine at Golden, Albuquerque (NM) City Hall; Seminole Child, Bernalilo Co. Health Bldg, Albuquerque; Out Cerrillos Way, New Mexico Bank & Trust Co., Hobbs. Commissions: oil portrait of Onate, New Mexico Hist. Soc., New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces.

Comments: Preferred media: watercolors. Positions: painter & designer, Charles Hall, NYC, 1932-33; free lance bookjacket designer, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1934-35; designer, Decorative Utilities Corp, Newark, NJ, 1934-40; free lance illustrator & designer, Berland Printing Co., New York, 1935-39.

http://www.artprice.com/artist/194123/elsa-kells-skinner/biography

Parfleche bag by artist Robert Blanchet

A parfleche is a Plains Indian rawhide bag, "typically used for holding dried meats and pemmican" (Wikipedia).

The word originated with French fur traders and derives from the French "parer" meaning "parry" or "defend", and "flèche" meaning "arrow". (First known use of the word, 1827). The hide was tough enough to be used as a shield, thus the term.

Again, according to Wikipedia, "the original bags had graphics that were actually maps, general geographical depictions of the surrounding land." The artist told me that the paint designs of this bag are influenced by historic Crow Indian work.

Driving the Rio Grande from Taos to Santa Fe--October 21, 2014