Rock of Ages, oil, 40 x 80
Manitou Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
May 19-June 4
A 13th-generation New Mexican who traces his roots back to 17th-century Spanish settlers, is nothing short of a modern Renaissance man. His many accomplishments include studying classical guitar at the University of New Mexico, co-owning a manufacturing business, piloting with the Civil Air Patrol, earning a drone pilot’s license and dancing in professional tango competitions along with his wife, Patricia Duran.
Chávez’s primary occupation these past four decades, however, has been as a painter, through which he has earned a stellar reputation for frequently large scale, always finely detailed landscapes of the Southwest. The works often offer bird’s-eye views of their subjects thanks to the high-resolution reference photos he takes. “I go on location with my painting gear,” he explains, “set up and then fly the drone to get a whole different perspective on the subject matter.”
Such sometimes-vertiginous scenes feature prominently among the approximately dozen-and-a-half paintings that make up Where the Stones Touch the Sky, Chávez’s solo exhibition at the recently remodeled on Palace Avenue in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The artist, who lives and works in “a high-ceilinged New York-style loft” a short drive from the center of Santa Fe, looks forward to greeting guests at the opening reception, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 19. “There will probably be a classical guitarist to complement him and his work,” says Cyndi Hall, Manitou’s associate director. Her enthusiasm for the show and for Chávez, who signed on with the gallery just one year ago, is boundless. “It’s mind-blowing to me how much talent that man has. He can paint anything.”
Case in point is the self-portrait he looks forward to displaying, presenting him, palette in hand, against the backdrop of the Grand Canyon’s Zoroaster Temple. “And I’ve got a very serious, ‘Don’t bug me,’ look on my face,” he says with a laugh, “because I’ve only got about 45 minutes left before the light is different.”
Whether he’s painting smaller works on location or larger ones based on reference photos back home in his studio, the region’s radiant light plays an essential role in his work. WESTERN CUMULONIMBUS and ABOVE THE WHIRLING DIN, for example, take viewers up into the clouds to behold Southwestern sunsets. “As a pilot, my favorite place to be is on top of the clouds,” Chávez notes. “And my second favorite place is in them, flying on instruments.”
Western Cumulonimbus, oil, 16 x 20
Above the Whirling Din, oil, 24 x 36
Closer to the earth, both NEAR LA VENTANA and NEAR LA BAJADA offer stirring looks at landscape features that most locals and visitors might miss while they’re speeding along New Mexico’s highways. “I slam on the brakes and go back to photograph them so I can paint them,” says the artist.
Near La Ventana, oil, 24 x 60
Such a lifelong dedication to impeccably memorializing the beauty of his homeland brings richness to Chávez’s work. “Having been born and raised here, he has a sense of ownership in the landscape of New Mexico,” observes Hall. “It very much feels like he’s a steward of the land, and painting it is almost like an act of preservation.” —Norman Kolpas
contact information
(505) 986-0440
www.manitougalleries.com
This story appeared in the April/May 2023 issue of Southwest Art magazine.
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