Jeannie Adams
Painter of Stones
Capitan, NM
By Steppin' Out Staff
The afternoon sun was hot and bright when we pulled our car into the driveway at artist Jeannie Adams home and studio. At first, the place seemed deserted. After a moment, I noticed the garage door was open but the inside seemed as dark as cave to me lurking behind my tinted windows and sunglasses. Sitting there, it took several moments for my eyes to adjust to the sharp difference in lighting between the world around me and the darker space I was peering into. But I eventually realized the garage was filled with tables containing what appeared to be very oddly shaped art. Once that fact had dawned on me, I turned off the engine and with it the air conditioning. Then, after a moment's hesitation my beloved Owner and I quickly exited our dark-colored soon-to-be-an-oven sedan and ventured timidly toward the darkened space. Up to this moment we'd seen no one inside and I was, frankly hesitant to invade the private area inside artist Jeannie Adams home without clear evidence the artist herself was present there.
As we began to move toward the darkened but cool-looking space, a disembodied friendly female voice suddenly came from nowhere I could see, saying... "Please come in. It’s much cooler inside.” Instantly, my eyes began to scan the space in front of me in an effort to spot the enticing siren to whom that oh-so-inviting-voice was connected.
Suddenly the Lady of the Manor materialized out of nowhere just as if she had stepped through a wormhole from another dimension into the darkened cave I was about to enter. One moment she wasn't there. The next -- like an apparition who could appear and vanish at will -- she was. But she was smiling the smile of Gaia herself and had the sort of serene, unearthly beauty only Women in the prime middle-years of their lives seem able to achieve.
In that moment, my hesitation vanished. It was okay to enter now. Indeed the Prima Domina had in essence commanded it... for who was I to deny such an attractive and smiling Lady her slightest whim? She had personally invited us out of the heat into her cool space. In that moment, I had become her vassal, fan and friend.
This charming lady I had to meet; and her art I had to see. So I crossed the threshold from light into darkness and was instantly glad I had done so. Our hostess was right. It was cooler inside in the shade than out in the fiery New Mexico sun. As I greeted her and shook her hand, my sun-blinded eyes made their final adjustment and art suddenly appeared everywhere!
Yet, it wasn't the usual form of art. Looking again, I realized there were no canvases or pottery here. In their place, what I saw was rocks! Small rounded weathered rocks painted with butterflies... Larger, heavier, throwable rocks painted as frogs... small, flatter rocks painted with stars and galaxies and large flat slabs of stone painted in the native Anasazi petroglyph style with wild horses running or hunters stalking and killing game.
Could it be that our enchanting hostess was the Gaian earth mother after all? She seems to spend her days painting ROCKS! She takes the humblest and most mundane elements of our home world and turns them into objects de art! Rocks had never seemed so lovely to me before. And suddenly, I was in love.
I stood stunned for a moment, as I considered this room filled with tables that seemed to contain nothing but miraculously transformed stones. Then I began to move as I picked up stone after stone... holding them in my hand and turning them slowly -- marveling at the beauty of it all. As I moved from stone to stone, I gradually came to realize that no two of Jeannie Adam's artworks were alike. Here there were no gyclee prints... There is no chance to mass produce what she does. Each stone had its own personality. Each creature on each surface had been lovingly placed there by the hands of this magical artist. She who had somehow mystically determined that this rock was a destined to be a butterfly and the next was perfect for a star scene and the next was a frog or a turtle. Somehow, her choices always seemed right.
Gradually, over the next few minutes as we moved silently from stone to stone, it dawned on me that that I really like the work of painter Jeannie Adams. She dares to be different... With her own hands, she takes the humblest children of the earth and transforms them into things of beauty. And each of her new-born children has a proud story of its own to tell.
As I moved reverently from one artwork to the next, I began to chat with our hostess and eventually learned that she does paint in traditional media and on flat surfaces as well. After thinking about it, I realized there were two of this artist’s works in the Art Loop charity auction that we had attended a month earlier. And we talked for a moment about those works as well which were quite unique.
While we were there, a mother and daughter returned to the space and started discussing which stone the girl should buy. Obviously, she too had fallen in love with Jeannie's unique creations and wanted an artwork she could take home. It was fun to listen to them discuss which stone was the prettiest and which one would look best on the girl's desk. Clearly, here was another lover of Ms Adams' painted stones.
After a while, we reluctantly bid our hostess farewell and moved on to visit yet another studio. But for me, the magic of that day will always be best defined in the context of our visit with Capitan rock painter Jeannie Adams. Because she had somehow managed to define what true art is all about.
Thank you, Jeannie for inviting us into your space. And please tell your stones Steppin' Out says, "Hello!"
To view painter Jeannie Adams' work, click here to view her Art Loop sub-gallery (http://www.steppinoutnewmexico.com/pp-514/showgallery.php?mcats=575&si=jeannie+adams&what=title&name=&when=0&whenterm=&condition=and).
To make an appointment to view her sandstone and other paintings in her studio, Jeannie Adams can be reached in Capitan at: 505-354-5039.
Painter of Stones
Capitan, NM
By Steppin' Out Staff
The afternoon sun was hot and bright when we pulled our car into the driveway at artist Jeannie Adams home and studio. At first, the place seemed deserted. After a moment, I noticed the garage door was open but the inside seemed as dark as cave to me lurking behind my tinted windows and sunglasses. Sitting there, it took several moments for my eyes to adjust to the sharp difference in lighting between the world around me and the darker space I was peering into. But I eventually realized the garage was filled with tables containing what appeared to be very oddly shaped art. Once that fact had dawned on me, I turned off the engine and with it the air conditioning. Then, after a moment's hesitation my beloved Owner and I quickly exited our dark-colored soon-to-be-an-oven sedan and ventured timidly toward the darkened space. Up to this moment we'd seen no one inside and I was, frankly hesitant to invade the private area inside artist Jeannie Adams home without clear evidence the artist herself was present there.
As we began to move toward the darkened but cool-looking space, a disembodied friendly female voice suddenly came from nowhere I could see, saying... "Please come in. It’s much cooler inside.” Instantly, my eyes began to scan the space in front of me in an effort to spot the enticing siren to whom that oh-so-inviting-voice was connected.
Suddenly the Lady of the Manor materialized out of nowhere just as if she had stepped through a wormhole from another dimension into the darkened cave I was about to enter. One moment she wasn't there. The next -- like an apparition who could appear and vanish at will -- she was. But she was smiling the smile of Gaia herself and had the sort of serene, unearthly beauty only Women in the prime middle-years of their lives seem able to achieve.
In that moment, my hesitation vanished. It was okay to enter now. Indeed the Prima Domina had in essence commanded it... for who was I to deny such an attractive and smiling Lady her slightest whim? She had personally invited us out of the heat into her cool space. In that moment, I had become her vassal, fan and friend.
This charming lady I had to meet; and her art I had to see. So I crossed the threshold from light into darkness and was instantly glad I had done so. Our hostess was right. It was cooler inside in the shade than out in the fiery New Mexico sun. As I greeted her and shook her hand, my sun-blinded eyes made their final adjustment and art suddenly appeared everywhere!
Yet, it wasn't the usual form of art. Looking again, I realized there were no canvases or pottery here. In their place, what I saw was rocks! Small rounded weathered rocks painted with butterflies... Larger, heavier, throwable rocks painted as frogs... small, flatter rocks painted with stars and galaxies and large flat slabs of stone painted in the native Anasazi petroglyph style with wild horses running or hunters stalking and killing game.
Could it be that our enchanting hostess was the Gaian earth mother after all? She seems to spend her days painting ROCKS! She takes the humblest and most mundane elements of our home world and turns them into objects de art! Rocks had never seemed so lovely to me before. And suddenly, I was in love.
I stood stunned for a moment, as I considered this room filled with tables that seemed to contain nothing but miraculously transformed stones. Then I began to move as I picked up stone after stone... holding them in my hand and turning them slowly -- marveling at the beauty of it all. As I moved from stone to stone, I gradually came to realize that no two of Jeannie Adam's artworks were alike. Here there were no gyclee prints... There is no chance to mass produce what she does. Each stone had its own personality. Each creature on each surface had been lovingly placed there by the hands of this magical artist. She who had somehow mystically determined that this rock was a destined to be a butterfly and the next was perfect for a star scene and the next was a frog or a turtle. Somehow, her choices always seemed right.
Gradually, over the next few minutes as we moved silently from stone to stone, it dawned on me that that I really like the work of painter Jeannie Adams. She dares to be different... With her own hands, she takes the humblest children of the earth and transforms them into things of beauty. And each of her new-born children has a proud story of its own to tell.
As I moved reverently from one artwork to the next, I began to chat with our hostess and eventually learned that she does paint in traditional media and on flat surfaces as well. After thinking about it, I realized there were two of this artist’s works in the Art Loop charity auction that we had attended a month earlier. And we talked for a moment about those works as well which were quite unique.
While we were there, a mother and daughter returned to the space and started discussing which stone the girl should buy. Obviously, she too had fallen in love with Jeannie's unique creations and wanted an artwork she could take home. It was fun to listen to them discuss which stone was the prettiest and which one would look best on the girl's desk. Clearly, here was another lover of Ms Adams' painted stones.
After a while, we reluctantly bid our hostess farewell and moved on to visit yet another studio. But for me, the magic of that day will always be best defined in the context of our visit with Capitan rock painter Jeannie Adams. Because she had somehow managed to define what true art is all about.
Thank you, Jeannie for inviting us into your space. And please tell your stones Steppin' Out says, "Hello!"
To view painter Jeannie Adams' work, click here to view her Art Loop sub-gallery (http://www.steppinoutnewmexico.com/pp-514/showgallery.php?mcats=575&si=jeannie+adams&what=title&name=&when=0&whenterm=&condition=and).
To make an appointment to view her sandstone and other paintings in her studio, Jeannie Adams can be reached in Capitan at: 505-354-5039.