Pastels reflect artist's enthusiasm for life <center><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/MLUcenaarches.jpg align=center border=1 vspace=5 hspace=5 alt="Margi Lucena's works depict the grandeur of the area."><br><font size=3 Face="Arial Narrow" color=#000000>Margi Lucena's works depict the grandeur of the area.</font></center>
By Gwen Roath
a/k/a/ pengwen, publisher/peon
Socorro – In unsettled times, it’s the familiar that brings us comfort. We seek the tried-and-true, those things which have stood the test of time. Margi Lucena’s pastel that graces the cover during this uncertain time, “White on White Linen 2” imparts a reassuring calm, a heartening acceptance of the passage of time and the eternal renewal of hope and beauty.
Margi is one of the sweetest artists I have had the pleasure of meeting in my career. She puts a positive spin on the most trying of circumstances, of which she has had her share. Generous and caring, Margi often is helping others including her extended family.
Her enthusiasm for life spills over onto her canvases. Her landscapes portray the drama and beauty of the southwest in bright hues and amazing detail whether the painting is large or small. Her portraits capture the innocent of the youth and the wisdom of elders.
Margi says she has been creative all her life and has been painting professionally for the last six years. Born in San Pedro, Calif., Margi grew up in southern California and “on the east side of the Sierras in country very similar to here – mountains surrounding high desert.” Contrast that to 16 years in Hawaii with her husband.
<center><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/MLucenaPeace.jpg align=center border=1 vspace=5 hspace=5 alt="A Moment in Peace by Margi Lucena."><br><font size=3 Face="Arial Narrow" color=#000000>A Moment in Peace by Margi Lucena.</font></center>
The last decade or so, Margi has spent studying her art and learning techniques. But it wasn’t until just a few years ago that she discovered pastels. “I had always painted with oils and watercolors. For the last three and a half years, I’ve painted almost exclusively with pastels. I found my medium,” she says.
Indeed, finding pastels unleashed for Margi all constraints in her work. She paints with a passion, and prolifically – often going on day-long and weekend excursions with her husband to photograph new possibilities and occasionally trekking out for a plein aire painting session with other artists.
“I go through creative periods and sometimes I get stuck for awhile,” she said recently, “but I probably average a painting a week.”
Margi just became a Signature member of the National Pastel Society and was co-chair of this year’s National Pastel Society Competition in Albuquerque. She entered two pastels in this year’s state fair, coming away with the first and second place winnings in the Hispanic Arts Exhibit.
You can watch Margi at work most afternoons at the studio she shares with Natasha Isenhour. Curious Crow Studio on Abeyta Street in Socorro is open daily (575.835.4487) or visit LucenaStudios.com to see more of her work.
By Gwen Roath
a/k/a/ pengwen, publisher/peon
Socorro – In unsettled times, it’s the familiar that brings us comfort. We seek the tried-and-true, those things which have stood the test of time. Margi Lucena’s pastel that graces the cover during this uncertain time, “White on White Linen 2” imparts a reassuring calm, a heartening acceptance of the passage of time and the eternal renewal of hope and beauty.
Margi is one of the sweetest artists I have had the pleasure of meeting in my career. She puts a positive spin on the most trying of circumstances, of which she has had her share. Generous and caring, Margi often is helping others including her extended family.
Her enthusiasm for life spills over onto her canvases. Her landscapes portray the drama and beauty of the southwest in bright hues and amazing detail whether the painting is large or small. Her portraits capture the innocent of the youth and the wisdom of elders.
Margi says she has been creative all her life and has been painting professionally for the last six years. Born in San Pedro, Calif., Margi grew up in southern California and “on the east side of the Sierras in country very similar to here – mountains surrounding high desert.” Contrast that to 16 years in Hawaii with her husband.
<center><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/MLucenaPeace.jpg align=center border=1 vspace=5 hspace=5 alt="A Moment in Peace by Margi Lucena."><br><font size=3 Face="Arial Narrow" color=#000000>A Moment in Peace by Margi Lucena.</font></center>
The last decade or so, Margi has spent studying her art and learning techniques. But it wasn’t until just a few years ago that she discovered pastels. “I had always painted with oils and watercolors. For the last three and a half years, I’ve painted almost exclusively with pastels. I found my medium,” she says.
Indeed, finding pastels unleashed for Margi all constraints in her work. She paints with a passion, and prolifically – often going on day-long and weekend excursions with her husband to photograph new possibilities and occasionally trekking out for a plein aire painting session with other artists.
“I go through creative periods and sometimes I get stuck for awhile,” she said recently, “but I probably average a painting a week.”
Margi just became a Signature member of the National Pastel Society and was co-chair of this year’s National Pastel Society Competition in Albuquerque. She entered two pastels in this year’s state fair, coming away with the first and second place winnings in the Hispanic Arts Exhibit.
You can watch Margi at work most afternoons at the studio she shares with Natasha Isenhour. Curious Crow Studio on Abeyta Street in Socorro is open daily (575.835.4487) or visit LucenaStudios.com to see more of her work.