(Published July 2020) Dad called me the “Why girl”. At the age of two I continually asked him why? Why this? Why that? It seemed like everything I saw or felt was fair game. Dad was very patient!
As is the case with most children, I was so excited about the world, I wanted to know everything. I wanted to explore everything. I was also intrigued with what I perceived to be “the beyond”. We lived above a store in Battle Creek, Michigan when I was 3 to 4 years old. My bed was in the corner and when I sat on the bed in that corner, I could hear muted sounds, like voices, so that was my favorite place to sit and listen. As a child, I found this so intriguing – positive I was hearing other-worldly sounds. You guessed it, my bed was probably over a ventilation shaft and the voices were those from the store below. However, I prefer my child’s fantasy; it’s much more interesting.
I’ve always been one to push the envelope. In high school, I could hardly wait to get out and begin living my life. I took classes during summer school every year and toward the end of the first semester of my senior year, I went to the office and asked how many credits I had and how many were necessary to graduate. I had enough credits and told the counselor that I wouldn’t be returning for the last semester. Then I went home and told my parents I was finished. Dad said, “get a job.” I realize my parents’ approach isn’t acceptable today, but in the 60’s things were different or my parents were…not sure which. I just knew that I wanted change.
Since the death of my husband in 2017, I’ve been in another phase of self-exploration and expansion. I have been blessed with a full and exciting life and could continue happily in Santa Fe. However, Austin (2020) is called and I realized it was time for me to push the envelope again. To that end, I rented an apartment and once there believed I would locate studio space and continue producing passionately energetic, colorful abstract paintings. Well…that plan changed drastically to marriage and refocusing. We did keep the home in beautiful Santa Fe and divide our time between there and Austin.
I’m so excited about this new adventure and will keep you posted.
New Work from Aleta’s Personal Collection
The Path Beyond by Aleta Pippin, mixed media, plaster, acrylic on panel, 48″ x 24″, Collection of the Artist
Not Finished Until I’m Done by Aleta Pippin, acrylic on 2 panels, 3″ x 54″ x 2″ and acrylic on yupo paper affixed to 3 panels, 4″ x 60″ x 2″ – Collection of the Artist
Momentum by Aleta Pippin, acrylic on panel, 44″ x 44″ x 2″
This is my first video for the year created by Kyle Maier, Kamio Media. We spent several days conversing about various aspects of painting as it relates to my life journey. He condensed numerous hours of conversation down to a few minutes. What a talent! I also want to acknowledge Gregory Webb who wrote the soundtrack.
Enjoy the video.
Last October, I made an important decision to change my life drastically. I decided to close Pippin Contemporary and have more time to focus on my artwork and pursue other opportunities.
I admit it – I’ve been a control freak many years of my life. I wanted so much for everything to run smoothly, for my children to do as I requested, for my husband’s business to do well (aside, he was in the oil and gas exploration business drilling wells for limited partnerships in the late 70s early 80s – disaster) and that the business I started in Houston would be successful (opened in 1984, sold in 2008). Being tightly wound, I achieved a lot, but I was taking steps that didn’t necessarily give me joy.
(Published June 2019) Aleta Pippin’s solo exhibition, “Landscapes of the Mind” opens on Friday, July 5, 2019 with a new body of work that represents subconscious emotion in response to nature and physical environments. For Pippin, it’s the clear light, deep blue skies, long views and majestic mountains of the desert – from her childhood memories in Southern California to her adult life in Santa Fe – that stir her passion, influence her emotions and fuel her paintings.
In her latest work, Aleta describes the landscapes of her life with warm color, rugged texture and abstract mark making – an artist’s emotional impression of breath-taking sunsets, impressive mountains and desert flora. In addition to outward environments, Pippin’s exhibition paintings also symbolize internal landscapes as bursts of movement and variations of color relate to personal growth, influential relationships or followed dreams. In this way, Aleta aims to connect with the viewer on an emotional level while reflecting on her own journey.
“The title of my exhibition is a metaphor for each of our life journeys, decisions made, dreams won and lost, love, health, joy – life. As such, the paintings will no doubt be interpreted by each viewer’s perception, choices, decisions, and overview of their own life.”
Below, Aleta Pippin provides insights behind her new paintings for “Landscapes of the Mind” in how they relate to the energy, color and emotional impact of nature.
Through The Portal, oil on panel, 60″ x 24″
“The colors in this painting can be found in the rich blue of desert skies, rose and pinks of sunsets and blooming cacti, and yellow representing the vibrant warm sun that heats the environment. One can imagine diving through the portal (light pink moving into the yellow almost in the middle of the painting) and swimming around in the rich color, enjoying the texture, searching behind the forms, so much to observe in this painting.”
Intertwined, oil on panel, 48″ x 48″
“This painting moves away from my very abstracted work by giving you well-defined forms resembling flowers. I kept the major portion of the pallet in purples and grays purposely to draw your attention to the light magenta emanating from behind the flowers, with an alizarin yellow, and teal and red pops of color.”
Movement in Color, oil on canvas, 36″ x 60″
“To me, this painting is purely abstract – it’s all about color and energy. I blossom in a more arid climate and this painting represents that energy. The colors are the rich hues of the desert and the movement of strong wind whipping bushes and palm fronds about.”
(Published July 2018) Aleta Pippin is constantly evolving her creative practice. Over the course of her career, the Santa Fe artist has poured, brushed and scraped; she’s worked with oil, acrylic and mixed media as well as canvas, aluminum and panel surfaces. Pippin is even known to incorporate digital and new media components into her paintings. “I continue to experiment which is key for my creative muse,” she says. “New ideas are continually born, some finding their way into new work.” Unchanging in Pippin’s process, however, is her commitment to color and the emotional effect it can have on the human psyche. “Color is my driving force,” she states.
Aglow IV by Aleta Pippin
While impressions from Pippin’s early life would become a key inspiration for her artistic career, she didn’t begin painting until 1992 upon moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Influenced by Santa Fe’s creative culture, she began taking classes and experimenting with various media and painting styles until honing in on acrylic and oils. In 2003, Pippin fully committed herself to her art, which she considered to be her third career after building a business and raising a family. “My passion for painting became realized when it bloomed into a full-time career,” Pippin explains. “I improved my technique and found my voice – becoming a contemporary abstract expressionist painter.”
Trip Through the Cosmos by Aleta Pippin
Pippin’s July exhibition, “Here We Go Round in Circles,” is indicative of her commitment to creative exploration as well as her early and ongoing passion for painting in oils – the medium she always returns to even when continuously exploring other avenues. Her love of color, as always, is consistent throughout the exhibition. Her spontaneous nature and personal life impressions also remain constant across this body of work. “I do not plan the images,” she explains. “They are intuitive expressions created by life experience, accessing my broader knowledge. The impressions of my childhood environment express themselves in my paintings. They show up as color, freedom, and energetic movement.”
Pippin’s return to oil – her original inspiration for pursuing a career as an artist – is represented in pieces like “Joy Spreads,” “Carried by the Wind”, “Summertime, and Sunrise…Sunset.” Circular paintings such as “Trip Through the Cosmos” illustrate Pippin’s current explorations painting in the round. For these pieces, Pippin uses a variety of tools including her hands or a spinner to move paint across the panel. The panels are painted with colored resin, which incorporates acrylic or oil paint, and are often embellished with copper leaf or gold leaf details. “Resin is an interesting medium,” says the artist and gallery owner. “It accentuates the surface yet is a visual block to the viewer. In a way it says come closer, but not too close.”
Here We Go Round in Circles I by Aleta Pippin
Other mixed media pieces in the show are created using this process including “Fracture II” and “Through the Portal.”
(Published September 2017) Aleta Pippin presents contemporary visions of the landscape in her upcoming exhibition, Inspired Views, opening Friday, September 8th, 5-7pm. Pippin offers modern interpretations of typically traditional subject matter through her own distinct style, which is guided by an emotional, visceral response to nature.
Aleta Pippin fully abandons the classical techniques of landscape painting in favor of abstraction. Her current environment in Santa Fe as well as memories of her childhood in the Coachella Valley instilled in her an awe-inspiring view of the desert. Pippin recalls the desert’s ever-changing light as a young girl exploring the San Jacinto foothills and fascinated by the rose-colored skies descending over craggy mountain ranges at sunset. Light and color are Pippin’s driving sources of inspiration; these elements along with a fluid and intuitive painting process allow Pippin to reveal her personal relationship with the landscape, which is one of freedom and adventure.
The Journey, oil on panel, 54″ x 18″
The Journey is a 54×18” atmospheric oil painting that Pippin created for Inspired Views. Pippin says of this painting: “I like the color and light in this piece. When I was a child the idea of climbing the first hill to see what was there and wonder what was beyond inspired me to spend hours hiking. This painting illustrates the many hills you can choose to climb and if you continue on you’ll eventually reach the furthest pinnacle. To me, it’s a metaphor for life’s adventures and challenges, as we explore the many opportunities.”
(Published October 2016) This weekend is the Canyon Road Paint & Sculpt Out, a lively event where artists demonstrate their creative process along historic Canyon Road. Artists bring paint, clay, fire, glass, easels and more to this event, and give visitors an interactive art experience as they involve onlookers with their process. Autumn is a beautiful time of year in Santa Fe with sunny blue skies and crisp mountain air, providing a brilliant backdrop for the event.
Alongside the visual artists, music students from Santa Fe public schools will perform from 1-3pm, and a parade of all 500 performers will take place at noon. Choirs, string ensembles, bands and more will participate in what is a highly anticipated event for the students.
This year at Pippin Contemporary, Cody Hooper, Gina Rossi, and Rebecca Haines will participate in the Paint & Sculpt Out. Watch Cody’s light-infused abstracts take form through his layering and blending process; see Gina’s cloud and mountainscapes evoke the magic of a Santa Fe sunset; and witness the soft personalities of wild animals come to life in Rebecca’s contemporary wildlife paintings.
Join us on Friday evening 5-7pm to kick off the weekend with Aleta Pippin’s exhibition, For the Love of Color. The vibration of color in Aleta’s new work will energize your evening and lift your spirits as you experience the freedom and passion imbued in each piece.
(Published September 2016) This October, an explosion of color will enliven the gallery with Aleta Pippin’s exhibition For the Love of Color. The show will run from October 12th through October 26th, with an opening reception on Friday, October 14th, kicking off the weekend of the Canyon Road Paint & Sculpt Out.
For this exhibition, Pippin is exploring new imagery within abstraction using both acrylics and oils. Vivid color continues to be central to her artistic expression with painting palettes that vary from soft mingling hues to strong contrasting colors. Swirling movement and flames of soft color rise up the canvas in Radiance, a 60×36” oil painting, while energizing motion and layers of striking hues vibrate against each other in Color Burst, a 36×36” oil on canvas.
Pippin’s intuitive painting style allows her to freely express her personal visions through abstract art. “My goal with every painting is to impart an internal expression that flows freely through me,” says Pippin. “It’s basically a narrative inspired by the paint.”
Color Burst by Aleta Pippin
Pippin is also revisiting pouring the paint, a technique she explored many years ago in her career. Feeling drawn to the free flowing movement of the paint and the ambiguity of the outcome, Pippin is now approaching the process with a broader skill set and renewed vision. New poured pieces will be on display for the exhibition including Magenta Pour, 48 x 48”, oil.
Pippin says of this piece:
“In 2003 through 2005 I used the process of pouring the color. I liked the large splashes and serendipitous events occurring through the use of this process. All of those paintings were done using acrylics; I’d never tried it with oils. So in revisiting the technique, I decided to do some of the paintings using oils. I loved what happened. The color melded together differently than acrylics. I plan on continuing to fine-tune this process.”
Magenta Pour flowed oil on canvas, 48″ x 48″
(Published May 2016) This weekend is the highly anticipated Grand Opening of our new location and Fifth Anniversary Celebration at Pippin Contemporary. We moved into our new gallery space at 409 Canyon Road back in March after weeks of preparations, and now we’re gearing up for the season in the heart of Santa Fe’s historic art district. This permanent space is the culmination of a dream that started when Aleta Pippin opened her namesake gallery on Lincoln Avenue back in 2011. Since the original opening of Pippin Contemporary, the business has moved twice and now rests permanently at 409 Canyon Road in a space that is more than double the size of any previous location.
From selling her own work with the Santa Fe Society of Artists in a downtown bank parking lot to owning a gallery space on Canyon Road that exhibits the work of 19 painters and sculptors, Pippin shares her journey in a city known as one of the top art markets in the country.
Q&A: Aleta Pippin
What was your first impression of the Santa Fe gallery scene and how did you break into it?
I started painting in 1992, landscapes and portraiture. It seemed that most art in SF at that time was Native American or Western. As I progressed in my ability I moved toward abstraction. It wasn’t until 2004 that I committed to painting as a career (third) and proceeded to sell my work. I juried into the Santa Fe Society of Artists and began showing my work every weekend from the end of April through mid-October. The shows, though challenging to be out at 5:30 a.m. Saturday mornings to set up the tent, display panels, etc. were fun and a real learning experience. The first painting I sold was $4000. That couple bought two more paintings over the next few months and I still stay in touch with them. That painting signified a life-changing time for this couple and they remember it fondly as a celebration.
I met many artists, including Barbara Meikle and Guilloume, whose sculpture we show. Barbara eventually became my business partner and in 2006 we opened Pippin Meikle Fine Art. I’m thrilled to say that this is the 10th year celebration for Barbara’s gallery, Barbara Meikle Fine Art, which she continued after we decided to move forward on our own.
You’ve moved the gallery three times in the past five years. How did Pippin Contemporary evolve into what it is today?
In 2011, I asked Barbara whether she’d be interested in opening a gallery downtown. When she wanted to focus on her work and the Delgado location, I decided to go ahead and form Pippin Contemporary and sublet space on Lincoln Avenue. It was fun and we did fairly well, however the space was small and the location didn’t have near the foot traffic as what I’d experienced on Delgado, just off Canyon Road. Gallery space came available on the corner of Canyon Road and Paseo de Peralta in 2013. I decided to lease it and move back to Canyon Road. It actually ended up being a fortuitous move as there was room for outdoor sculpture and I ended up showing the work of a few amazing sculptors.
I have a habit of following my intuition in business. I believe I have an advantage that most people don’t have in that I’ve always been entrepreneurial, starting my business in 1984 in Houston during a terrible recession. I sold that business in 2008, not because I was looking to sell, but because I was given the opportunity by a large company who was buying. Since I no longer lived in Houston and wasn’t as directly involved in the business, it seemed that the timing was right.
Since I’d been focused on art and making a career in it, owning my gallery was a no-brainer.
Did you ever dream you would own your own building on Canyon Road? How does it feel?
No, I didn’t anticipate owning a building on Canyon Road. However, as a result of some events that occurred during my lease, owning my building seemed like a practical option. It had to be the right building though as most buildings on Canyon Road don’t have large space for sculpture. Then the building at 409 Canyon Road came on the market and it seemed like the perfect fit.
I think the building is wonderful. It’s beautiful, the location is outstanding, and it’s one of the largest gallery spaces on Canyon Road.
A Bright Future, acrylic on acrylic panel, resin surface, 24″ x 24″
What do you envision for the future of Pippin Contemporary?
My vision is that we grow the current business via those collectors who come to Santa Fe. My broader view is that we move beyond to focus on the corporate and public art markets. Most of the artists represented by Pippin Contemporary could easily provide artwork for corporate clients, as well as site-specific work. Developing that client base will take time and effort. I realize it won’t happen overnight. There is so much happening right now with technology and the changes it has caused in how retail business is accomplished. We embrace the opportunities that technology provides and as it becomes more refined, we will continue to adapt our business style to it.
I believe just as one step led to another with my art career, that one step will lead to another growing the gallery.
