Tijeras Open-Air Arts Market

This weekend we have a great group of exhibitors. Carey McDonald is returning with her beaded belly dancer necklace bags, and wonderful bracelets. Carey’s work is not only original and lovely to wear, but very affordable. When she isn’t busy with her artwork, she works as a psychologist.

Karen Neissany is returning with her sterling silver wire wrapped turquoise necklaces. Her work is delightful, as is her beautiful display. Each time she comes to the market, we delight in her new and delicate creations.
Paul Sugar, one of New Mexico’s foremost and knowledgeable turquoise and semi-precious strand dealers will have his booth manned this weekend by “Duck”, an interesting and unusual fellow from Louisiana. Paul & Kim are at a show in New Orleans, but they have a huge, varied, quality, yet affordable selection of strands available this weekend for beaders.

David Umpleby is on hand with his original sterling silver pendants. He offers you the chance to select your own stone to be set, or purchase one of his creations. Again, he is a very knowledgeable stone merchant, as well as a skilled silversmith.

Visit Wes and Alice Thompson while at the market. Wes teaches carving to several students on site. Together, Alice & Wes sculpt, paint, do woodworking, and forging. They have a tremendous collection of work including original repousse, cast scuptures, and paintings. They rotate their exhibit every two weeks.

Amari Magdelena will be on hand showing her beaded Medicine Wear. Her work is elegant, timeless, and spiritual, mostly comprised of treasured pendants, and semi-precious stone strands.

Be sure to check out the latest work by one of our favorite groups of up and coming artists, Gabe Nemiroff, Jenn Ferriday (his lovely and gracious wife), and Bryan Kitson, a family friend. Both conventionally educated, and talented are these three artists sharing a space at the market.

Gabe specializes in sculptural glass, creating flowers and other natural and senusal forms, along with functional formed glass ornaments, and wearable pieces.

Jenn creates multi-media wall art using paints, pen and ink. Her style is distinctive, recognizable, and bold. She has just received a master’s degree in art, and will be teaching soon.

Bryan has mastered the art of embedding Gilson’s opal in glass and making pendants, paper weights, and other objects of great interest. The opal inside the glass appears to float, and produces a magical rainbow affect when touched by bright light.

This weekend you can meet Tom Honea who has a great collection of barbed wire jewelry. His metal has been treated to prevent rusting, and is sure to please any cowgirl.

Katie Simmons will be back with her sterling silver bracelets and rings with bezel set stones. Her pieces are great for stacking together, so you will want more than one!Yvette Bernal and her daughter Sofia will be at the market. Her young daughter creates angel and other fimo pins, and is an up and coming artist. Yvette makes lovely purses using a great selection of fabrics.

Paula Manning-Lewis will be showing and selling her brightly colored paintings. Each piece has her original style, yet is unique and different from the next. Her images of peace are timely and appropriate, along with her vast use of floral and amorphic shapes.

One of my favorite artists this weekend is Mel Dayringer. His folding handmade furniture flys out of his booth so you better visit him early. His quality is excellent, and his prices are even better. He designs and handcrafts tables, chairs, stools, and so much more. You have to meet Mel to appreciate him. His son will also be on hand with his original paintings!

Eric Brown and Wesley Owen display Native American jewelry. Both specialize in a different tribe of work. Eric has a great selection of higher end inlay and crosses, signed by the artist. He can tell you lots about the sterling silver designer jewelry he shows. Wesley has cut stones and strands, along with Native American made jewelry. He also carries inlay and set stone pieces.

Gail Yovanovich will be returning after a few weeks off to do a photo shoot. Visit with her and you’ll find out which magazine she was photographing for. Her shots of hummingbirds frozen in the moment are some of her best sellers. She also has a grand collection of flowers, some of which were photographed in our garden here at Just Imagine Gallery. Many of her images are available as cards, so if you can’t go home with a wall piece, pick-up a card to drop in the mail to someone special.

Laura Crew, massage therapist and artist, will be on hand on Saturday to do on-site portraits. Remember going to Disneyland, or to the State Fair and having a portrait done while you waited. Well, that’s what Laura does.I can’t wait to get a portrait done of my son. She also can do a portrait of your pet.
Gosh, I have to tell you about Wally Plemon’s chimes. I love them! I had to have one the first time I saw them. He has created several sounds and looks by varying his materials and finishes. I especially appreciate his chimes with heat treated copper rods. Norma his wife, does the woodworking. She creates boxes with a variety of woods, along with doing woodburning for Wally’s chimes.

Look for Mary Ann Leroy for handpainted ceramic or glass pieces. She is a painter who prefers to work on platters, and other functional objects. She also paints great mailboxes for all of us out here in the country. Some of her pieces have a traditional Southwestern look, but she can take special orders.

And, of course, be sure to visit our store, Just Imagine Gallery and Coffee House. Help support the arts market and keep us going, so that we can provide this affordable venue for artists each weekend throughout the summer. We have live musical performances both Saturday and Sunday, and it’s all free to the public. Please help us continue to create this space of tranquility and beauty by supporting us, and our artists!

Thank you,
Anna King