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| All Photos and Photo Collage © Rosalyn Stevenson |
By Rosalyn Stevenson
In 2013, the Ruidoso Free Press printed, in the “Zine” about 51 stories and photos from this writer, mainly interviews and chats with some amazing people.
Amongst these stories have been, to name a few, a writer known across the nation who is almost as much a legend as those she writes about (Elizabeth Fackler); artists whose works will be visible in the museums of the area for generations, perhaps centuries (Peter Rogers; William Goodman; Ven Voisey; Jessica Kirkpatrick; Derek Chan); American crafts men and crafts women and artists who labor with their hands and the materials of the earth to bring beauty into the world (Georgia Stacy; Mike Lagg; Steve Sabo; Jerry Longbotham; Yolanda and Robert Espinosa; Zoe de Negri; Lay Powell; Rory Combs) artists from near and far whose one passion is to express the ineffable for those of us who cannot (James Tsoodle; Cheryl Gaer Barlow; Kathleen Cotton) contemporary artists living quietly in country studios who are gaining world recognition through their work (Paula J. Wilson) and many more.
We have learned that a little boy drawing at the kitchen table with only a pencil and a piece of writing paper as tools can grow up to be a master draftsman, an artist who brings honor to the title “American Western Artist” (Virgil Stephens).
We have learned that a young girl who was rejected for art school because she had no money for a proper portfolio and who dropped out of high school because of the despair, can go on to become a recognized, sought after sculptor, whose works are collected by celebrities (Misha Malpaca).
We have met a female woodcarver who did not let loss of her sight keep her from touching and carving wood (Madeleine Sabo) and a young man who, though he is known nation wide as a tough mountain boarder, is not afraid to sit on the couch and knit with his grandmother, and is brainy enough to make a business of the hats they make (Matt Silva).
We have been introduced to filmmakers who break new ground as they strive to advance the technology of film making through digital media (Jay Tavare; Brett Nichols; Alan Trever; Dusty Deen).
We have seen job creating programs in the film industry developing in junior and high schools (Desert Lights Film Festival) and in local branches of universities (Roswell, ENMU and Ruidoso ENMU).
We have met a man who is so modest in his demeanor you would never guess that he was the man who dealt the World Series of Poker for many years (Gary Morgan) and his brother who is a regular on New Mexico movie sets (James Lane).
Through these stories and many others, we have come to see that our part of the Southwest in New Mexico is positively brimming over with interesting people. The community of creators is alive and well in the mountains and the deserts, in the high and the low places, the visible and the hidden places, and we have seen that artists of high reputation (Susan Weir-Ancker) can and do attract teachers and artists of world-class ranking to the area to enhance and enliven even more this broadly diverse community (Joe Bova, Fulbright Fellowship winner).
The response to these stories, from the artists and the public as well, has been tremendous and I am pleased and proud to have been able to work with the Ruidoso Free Press to shine the light of public recognition on the people who agreed to be interviewed by me in 2013.
The year 2014 promises to be just as full of insight into creative, interesting and colorful lives!
Happy New Year Everyone! READ STORIES HERE
