On Saturday, August 9, 2025, approximately 20 members attended not one, not two, but three artist studios in Santa Fe!
The first stop was Nancy Reyner’s large, bright, and welcoming studio. Nancy is a contemporary abstract artist with a distinctive painting style and enjoys painting on gold leaf. During her talk, she shared how her art career kicked off in a puppet theater in New York City, painting theatrical sets, building puppets, and performing on stage.
For over 40 years, she has painted, exhibited, written 4 books, and taught workshops. She shared that along her artistic journey, she moved from realism to abstraction, and how that shift mirrored her internal shift from being interested in rendering the physical world to expressing the inner world. With fascinating examples, she showed examples of how her work transitioned from one to the other over the years.
Perhaps most interestingly, she shared a story of how a friend could view artwork by someone they did not know and discern their personality. The trick? The friend told her that the background of a painting reflects the inner self of the artist, while the foreground shows the artist’s public face. Nancy then looked at her own artwork and showed us how that theory played out perfectly for her.
The second stop was Alexandra Eldridge’s tall and well-lit studio packed with inspiring objects and paintings. As everyone settled into comfortable vintage furniture, Alexandra talked about her life’s story and how she has lived many places and found success everywhere she went. Although she didn’t know how it all managed to work out, she did talk about embracing “flow”, or trusting the path before her.
As she showed her work and how it evolved over time, one thing became crystal clear: Alexandra has one foot in the physical world and one foot in the spiritual world. She says, “My paintings emerge from a place where contradictions are allowed, paradox reigns, and reason is abandoned.” Her imagination runs free as she melds human form with animal form, and she created original paintings for the Radiant Tarot card deck as well as an oracle card deck.
Perhaps you’ve heard of “forest bathing” – the practice of mindful interaction with trees and nature. Well, as everyone left Alexandra’s studio for a lunch break, there was talk of how being with her in her studio was a version of that which was being called “spiritual bathing”.
After lunch was the third and final stop, Sandra Duran Wilson’s colorful studio and home. We started by enjoying a walk through her beautiful backyard garden, admiring sculptures and thoughtful landscaping. Then we toured her delightful home and learned more about how her world travels have inspired her art. By the time we arrived in her studio, everyone was curious to learn more about how she makes her art.
Sandra comes from a family of artists and scientists. From an early age, she remembers looking through the microscope in her father’s office and painting what she saw. She still has that microscope! Her artwork is mixed media and features a lot of layering. Just as her synesthesia combines sounds and color, her artwork is a combination of science (physics, chemistry, and biology) and nature. Her work is process-driven as she enjoys experimenting with new surfaces, materials, and techniques.
Eventually, it was time to leave, and as everyone walked back to their cars, people reflected on the fascinating variety of art and artistic practices witnessed that day. There was a very real sense of gratitude for the artists sharing their stories and for how art enriches life every day. We all felt honored to have spent the day in yet another version of “forest bathing”, something we dubbed “art bathing”.
LUCY FINCH
Board Co-Chair of the New Mexico State Committee
(all photos courtesy Lucy Finch)