Field Trip

In 2022 I was ecstatic to be accepted into the artist residency program at Ghost Ranch, near Abiqui in Northern New Mexico. I knew nothing about where I was headed other than Georgia O’Keefe once lived there.

I knew not the names of the mesas and monumental mountains she would call her front Portola view. Nor did she know she would share camp with mule deer, ravens, snakes and red ants or that sandy soil erodes swiftly as a monsoon rain wipes out trees and trails, and that dust settles on skin like an extra pair of socks. I was delighted to find that the Milky Way still strides upon the moonless night sky.

The paintings and works on paper in this series are a tribute to transitions, and to the powerful relief of spaciousness felt when one is able to unpack the excess baggage of life and leave it behind for 30 days. Painted in just 8 weeks, this body of work is like a held breath followed by a deep exhalation.

The pieces are reflections of my connection to this land of enchantment. The artwork representing the spirit of place, like hearing ravens chatting amongst themselves in the early morning while witnessing the sunrise over Kitchen Mesa, marveling at the spareness and quiet.

MARY NEVILLE

MARY NEVILLE