June Equinox by Bonnie Binkert
Staff Report
Mixed media work by Santa Fe artist Bonnie Binkert is on display through April 20 in the Portal Gallery at Fuller Lodge Art Center.
The Santa Fe landscapes in “Celebrating the Seasons “ compliment “We Who Are Clay” in the main gallery.
“In these latest mixed media works – all done in 2012-13 – I’ve tried to capture the land’s rhythmic and dynamic qualities,” Binkert said. “I’ve incorporated watercolor washes and accents of gouache and acrylic to create a series of atmospheric landscapes celebrating the seasons and senses of New Mexico.”
“In Ah! Pinon Moment, for example, I hope you can smell the pinon chimney smoke rising in the air. By using warm colors in the red-to-yellow range in August Sunrise, I wanted to convey the warmth of the New Mexico sun,” she said.
After a 30-year publishing career, Binkert returned to painting, not coincidentally, after moving to Santa Fe, a setting that has inspired many of her favorite artists including artists like John Marin, Richard Diebenkorn, Raymond Jonson and William Lumpkins.
Following a modernist tradition, Binkert works in a variety of mediums.
“I love the transparency of watercolors, the velvety texture of pastels, and the buttery consistency of oils,” she said.
“My work abstracts nature. In painting the landscape, I generally consider the idea of the setting perhaps more than the actual look of a specific landmark.”
Binkert has won numerous awards for her work, including Juried Show Winner at the Santa Fe Arts Commission’s Common Ground Show in 2011.
Be sure to stop by the gallery and experience our region in a unique way.
