Patsy Welch

Driving north from Albuquerque to Santa Fe along the Turquoise Trail thirteen years ago, this strange landscape completely mesmerized me. There were polka-dotted mountains and stripes in a riot of textures and colors that subtly shifted as we drove into the shady sides of the mountains. I felt I had landed on some yet-to-be-discovered planet, and I could not wait to get out my watercolors and paint this special place. After retiring to Santa Fe three years ago, I began in earnest to try to capture this elusive light that only dwells here in New Mexico. On my first attempt, I mixed a range of colors with water on my palette as usual, but when I made a move to dip my brush into the wet colors, I found all of the paint on my palette had completely dried out. It was a bit of a shock to realize the way I had been painting for several decades was not quite workable here in the high desert. Happily, I was able to adapt my painting to this arid climate without too much difficulty. I hope my recent New Mexico landscapes are windows for the mind to wander in, and even escape into for a bit. And if one were to revisit these windows, I hope one could always find a new area to get lost in once more.

I was born, raised, and attended college in Tennessee. After receiving my BFA in painting, I attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It would be impossible to overstate the enormity of that transition - a young and naïve Tennessee painting student, having never lived in a big city nor ever been out of the U.S., I suddenly found myself in Paris. What helped most in my adjustment to Paris was the magic of my student card that allowed me entrance into any museum in France free of charge. And Paris was an endless parade of art museums with paintings from everywhere in the world. I lived a few blocks from the Louvre, visiting it most days, roaming galleries, and doing my best to soak in as much as humanly possible. I lived in Paris for three years and became "an emerging artist", exhibiting in France as well as other parts of Europe. Returning to the States, I settled in Chicago teaching, watercolor for over 35 years, most recently at the Chicago Botanic Garden for the last 12 years. At the age of 56, I received my master’s degree in architecture and ran a small residential design firm for 12 years. My husband and I retired and moved to Santa Fe three years ago, and I have been happily painting full-time again. My hope, in my older years, is to become a "re-emerging artist".

2-D, Painting (all materials)