Alexis Palmaffy hangs a painting for her exhibit ‘Strange Magic’ in Step Up Gallery. Photo by Katy Korkos
‘Still Point’ oil painting by Santa Fe artist Alexis Palmaffy now showing in Step Up Gallery. Courtesy/Palmaffy
STEP UP GALLERY News:
The new exhibit opening this week in Step Up Gallery at Mesa Public Library features the work of Alexis Palmaffy, who credits Los Alamos as one of the places that helped her to find her creative inner voice. Her work is exquisitely drawn and colorfully painted, and reminiscent of spiritual Tibetan art as well as of psychedelic art from the 1960s and ‘70s.
More than 60 paintings, copper plate etchings, and drawings grace the walls of the gallery in the show that makes its debut this week. “Strange Magic” runs through Feb. 12. The public is invited to a reception with the artist during the closing weekend, 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, with a gallery talk at 2:30 p.m. by the artist.
Palmaffy was born and raised by her artistic family in Maplewood, N.J. She studied printmaking and oil painting at Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick, N.J. It was there that she interned at the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions and discovered the magic of copper plate etching. After her formal training was completed, she continued her artistic education by working in several different arts-related businesses- in art conservation, art restoration, and framing.
Palmaffy is a former Los Alamos resident. She describes this experience as “three of the most transformative years of her life—discovering the healing power of henna and tattoo art through her relationship with the beautiful people of the Los Alamos community.”
Palmaffy now lives in Santa Fe, as a full-time self-employed artist. She continues to draw and paint in several media. She is a proud member of the Santa Fe Artists Market and participates in three art markets per week in the Santa Fe Railyard.
Step Up Gallery (https://stepupgallery.org) is on the top level of Mesa Public Library in Los Alamos, at 2400 Central Ave. The gallery is open the same hours as the library: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and 1-5 p.m., Sunday.
The Mothership by Alexis Palmaffy is one of several copperplate etchings in the exhibit ‘Strange Magic’ now showing in Step Up Gallery. Courtesy/Palmaffy