ART | ALBUQUERQUE
‘On the Rise’ offers a glimpse at artists in early and mid-career
Gallery With a Cause exhibit features 14 New Mexico artists and 300 works
Three hundred works from 14 New Mexico artists make up the “On the Rise: Works by Artists in Early and Mid-Career” exhibit at Gallery With a Cause.
On the walls of the New Mexico Cancer Center, the pieces are made from a variety of mediums.
Collin Delker takes a mathematical approach to art, combining electrical engineering with an artistic eye.
“The artwork I did is all mathematically defined,” Delker said.
His pieces, which he said are considered fractals, are designed using mathematical algorithms through computer code. It is an iterative process as he writes the code to produce the pieces, he said.
“Usually I start with the equations that generate the fractal,” Delker said, “and so I experiment with different equations until I get something that looks interesting.”
He tweaks and adjusts the parameters until he gets shapes that he likes. While there is an element of surprise to the final result, Delker said he usually knows what an equation will look like.
“I’ve been doing this long enough that I have some general idea of kind of what’s going to come out,” Delker said. “Or how, if I change things, what it’ll change in the image.”
Delker began making fractals when he learned about them as a new data visualization technique, and it blossomed from there.
He said his pieces get fun reactions. Artistic people admire the colors and shapes, he said, and mathematical people examine the equations he writes on the back of each piece.
“Everybody seems to enjoy it and be fascinated by what comes out,” he said.
Sharon Eldridge’s work delves into shapes and colors through acrylic rather than code. Looking for a creative outlet, she began painting in 2016 and found she enjoyed geometric abstraction.
“I can’t say I’m really good at drawing people or landscape things like that,” Eldridge said, “and my brain kind of works that way. I like math and numbers.”
She enjoys using a wide range of colors and patterns, drawing inspiration from modern architecture. Recently, Eldridge began incorporating circles into her work. She said it was nice to branch out and use something new.
“A lot of modern architecture has a lot of straight lines and different angles and things like that, which appeals to me,” Eldridge said.
Cate Stetson’s paintings in the show focus on horses, which, along with churches and landscapes, are among her main subjects. She began painting after retiring around two years ago.
Stetson said she thought her focus would be on ceramics and writing, but one day, she was drawn to painting.
“I saw somebody who had a beautiful face and I wanted to try to paint what I saw in that face,” Stetson said.
While all of her pieces have a story behind them, she said she enjoys others’ interpretations more. When painting “Concertina,” she envisioned the background as a dandelion, but others interpret it as a sun or a Ferris wheel.
“I’m always surprised people tell me what they think the painting is about,” Stetson said, “and I don’t argue with them, because really, that’s what it is about. If that’s what you see, then that’s what it’s about.”
Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow for the ϼ. You can reach her at esecor@abqjournal.com.