Southwestern and Italian Landscapes: Recent works of Italian photographer Donatella Davanzo

Donatella Davanzo is an Italian anthropologist and photographer, who has travelled and studied widely in the Southwest.  This show presents just a glimpse of the many powerful and captivating images coming from her camera – her eye on life.  Her photographs show us some of the fascinating traditions, architecture, land and water spaces shared by Italy and the Southwest.

Donatella works as a photographer for her home city of Trieste.   She also studies and photographs Italian life, American scenes and her great love – Native American cultures of the Southwest.  In Italy she has captured views and stories about the ancient Venetian lace and glass crafts, fishing, water courses, the tango and clown-doctors, among other themes.  One summer she travelled and photographed Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles.  In her anthropological and photographic fieldwork she focuses on culture, the use of space, architecture, the relationship between communities and the land, acequias, and local landscapes.

Besides exhibitions in Italy and Europe, her photographic works have also been published in a number of essays, articles and artistic monographs.  She also prints her photographs on selected handmade Italian coloured and textured paper to enhance their characteristics – defining this technique as “pictorial photography.”

Another casualty of Route 66, I don’t think Twin Arrows is a town so much as it’s a roadside attraction.  At one time it was a gas station with a diner that just so happened to have two huge arrows protruding up from the parking lot.  Another similar arrow can be seen at the corner of Carlisle and Indian School here in Albuquerque.

Two Guns

I don’t believe this KOA camp ground is actually part of Two Guns but it just so happens to be right behind it.

A lot of people ask us where the name Dry Heat Photography came from.  For those of you who don’t know the whole story; once upon a time Rick and I managed a different studio here in Albuquerque and we had a side project that was our collective works from all the ghost towns and old cemeteries that we would shoot, usually on the way to somewhere else, like a wedding.  Eventually, we amassed a large body of this work and began to seek gallery representation for it.  In order to this we needed a name and a website and, after much deliberation, Dry Heat Photography was born.  Later on, when we decided to open our wedding studio, the name was already in place and people knew Dry Heat Photography meant Rick and DeAnna so we just decided to keep it.

Anyway, we don’t get out to these places as often as we used to but last fall we went camping with our friends Jessica and Kemp.  They have a boat and like to hang out at Ute Lake near Tucumcari.  There are several ghost towns along this stretch of I-40 (between Albuquerque and Tucumcari) that once thrived on the motorists traveling Route 66.  Unfortunately, when I-40 was built most of these towns declined and fell into ruin.  Cuervo was never really a booming metropolis.  At it’s height it boasted a population of about 300.  Today, the population is less than 50 but what Cuervo does have is an abundance on semi intact, creepy looking structures that are a ghost town photographer’s ideal playground.

These first 14 shots are from another little ghost town that is just west of Cuervo.  I believe the name of it is Montoya.  Montoya boasts a tiny gas station that just might have the most repugnant bathroom this side of the Mississippi. The remainder of the town is comprised mostly of abandoned buildings.

If you want to visit Cuervo I strongly suggest not going alone.  There ARE people around who ARE watching you and sometimes it feels a little uncomfortable in a The Hills Have Eyes kind of way.  In addition there are partially covered wells and most of the structures are not sound.  All I’m saying is – pay attention to your surroundings and make sure you tell someone where you’re going.  If you disappeared it would be a long time before anyone figured out what happened.

-DeAnna Dimmitt

Dry Heat Photography

P.S. Here are a couple links to some past trips down the Mother Road

Seligman, Arizona

Ashfork, Arizona

Cuervo starts here

David Cramer (on left) with his partner, Avi.  Photo dated November 8, 2008

Last week the Dry Heat Gallery lost an artist and a dear friend.  On the evening of Thursday, March 25, 2010, photographer David Cramer was in the field heading an expedition to photograph wild horses when he suffered a massive heart attack.  He passed away later that night.  David was widely known for his fine art nature photography and his advocacy for the preservation and freedom of wild horses in the American southwest.  David was also an active member of the New Mexican Horse Project, New Mexico’s largest wild horse sanctuary and genealogical study.  When Rick and I wanted to start photographing wild horses, it was David that volunteered to help us and he chaperoned us on several outings, always knowing right where the horses were likely to be.   We thought of David as a kind and generous soul, we are so thankful for the time we shared his friendship and we will remember him through his many photographic works.  You may learn more about David Cramer and view more of his photography on his personal website.

-DeAnna Dimmitt and Rick Meiers

Dry Heat Photography

Please feel free to leave to leave your thoughts for David in the comment space below or by clicking the “comments” link at the top of this post.

The Dry Heat Gallery is pleased to announce the addition of a very unique fine art photographer, John Ferrell, to our stable of artists!

John Ferrell’s one of a kind work is instantly identifiable!  He brings objects, mostly antique cars, to life in the middle of night using a technique known as Painting With Light.  His creations are fun, visually interesting and technically inspiring.   John has created a signature look that is all his own.

Photographs by John Ferrell may now be viewed and purchased from The Dry Heat Gallery! To view more of John’s work click here .

Soul Portraiture continues with “A Lifted Spirit”

photograph by Aggie Villanueva

The Dry Heat Gallery is proud to host this series of juried fine art photography exhibitions.  Soul Portraiture is a journey into the essence of life.  In a series of four shows we will explore the energy and spirit that defines life through a variety of subject matter.   “A Lifted Spirit” is open to the artist’s interpretation. Both professional and amateur photographers are invited to submit up to five images illustrating a soaring spirit and expanding consciousness.  

Rules For Submission

Jury fee of $25 may be paid via Pay Pal or by check. To pay by Pal Pal click here. You will be re-directed to a secure page. If paying by check please make checks payable to Dry Heat Photography.  Please note that we are not able to consider your work for this show unless the jury fee has been paid.

Artists may submit up to five digital images sized no larger than 485 pixels in any direction.  Please include image titles, format, and finished sizes for each image.  Send images with artist’s bio and resume to info@dryheatphotography.com.

Deadline for submission is  August 25, 2009

WoManDalas provided by ShaRi Brooks

All accepted artwork must be delivered to the gallery (framed and ready to hang) no later than August 28, 2009.  All artists are responsible for the matting and framing of their own images and all artwork must be ready to hang when delivered.  Works selected by the jurors will demonstrate excellent composition, technical skill, and a strong sense of presence.

All participating artists are invited to attend the shows so that they may be present to represent their work. In addition, there will be prizes! At each show gallery directors DeAnna Dimmitt and Rick Meiers will conduct a “People’s Choice” poll in which everyone who attends the event will be able to vote for the piece they like best.

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

1st Place – $100 Cash

2nd Place – $50 credit towards framing services at Dry Heat Gallery

3rd Place -  $25 credit to be applied towards the jury fee of the next Soul Portraiture show

An artist’s reception will be held Tuesday September 1, 2009 at the Dry Heat Gallery

For more information please contact:

DeAnna Dimmitt

info@dryheatphotography.com

The Dry Heat Gallery is located at:

4685 Corrales Rd. Ste 4

Corrales, NM 87048

(please do not mail checks to the above address)

The Dry Heat Gallery is very pleased to be graced with the presence of the one and only Robert Medina Cook!  Rick and I have long been fans of Robert’s work but somehow managed never to meet him in person until just recently.   When Robert came by the gallery to drop off his prints, what should have been a ten minute meeting turned into a 3 hour conversation. It was just like we had all known each other forever.  Despite the fact that our photography is quite different from Robert’s he has a way of explaining his work that very closely mirrors the way we approach our work.  One topic in particular that Robert hit on is that his primary concern is in the final product.  Creating an image that allows the subject to speak to the viewer is his art form and when questioned about his process Robert’s response is “what difference does it make?”  Obviously a response like that could be interpreted in a number of different ways but I took it to mean to that it is not the process that determines whether the finished piece will be effective, it is the intention put into the work that breathes life into art. To learn more Robert Medina Cook visit his website by clicking here.

Robert’s signed and numbered, limited edition, prints can now be viewed and purchased from the Dry Heat Gallery.

In Memory of Raven

April 5, 1995 to April 12, 2009

Rick and I only met Raven a couple of times and even in these brief encounters he touched our lives.  To know Raven is to know that he was an exceptional being who was able to bridge the chasm between man and wolf and rebuild the relationship between the two.  Raven lived most of his life as the chief Ambassador Wolf at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary.  His best friend was Leyton Cougar and the two of them worked side by side for many years to improve public education about wolves.  Raven passed away this morning in Leyton’s arms. He was 14 years old. This is nearly double the average life span of a wild wolf and, while it is very sad for all of us who will miss him, we must take heart in the fact that Raven completed the work he came here to do and his spirit is now uninhibited as it was always meant to be.  Run free dear friend, we will miss you.

Most sincerely,

-DeAnna Dimmitt and Rick Meiers

Dry Heat Photography

Our last images of Leyton and Raven together.  March 5, 2009

A couple weeks ago, on March 5th, Rick and I made another trip out to Candy Kitchen to visit our friends at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary.  As always, Executive Director Leyton Cougar, escorts us around on our photo tour.  There is something really magical about visiting this place.  The animals are exceptionally well cared for and it’s clear that they all LOVE Leyton. This is our third trip out to photograph the wolves and it gets better every time.  I really never expected to actually interact with a wolf, much less to be licked in the face.  Wolves are sensitive and intelligent and, though they do exhibit some dog-like behavior, it is very obvious when you make eye contact with a wolf that it is certainly not a dog! The Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary is a non-profit organization that operates entirely on donations.  The sanctuary serves two purposes; to care for wolves and wolf-dogs that have been rescued from various situations and cannot live in the wild, and to educate the public that wolves must never be kept as pets. Let me put that a different way – wolves make very terrible pets.  A good deal of the animals at Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary were rescued from people who tried, unsuccessfully, to keep them as pets.

To Leyton and everyone at the sanctuary, Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us and for helping us to get these awesome photographs!

-DeAnna Dimmitt and Rick Meiers

Dry Heat Photography

One of the newest residents at the sanctuary is Romeo the Red Fox.  Romeo came from a zoo that was down sizing and when Leyton saw him he just had to do something so he and the crew built Romeo his very own, extra special, fox enclosure.  Romeo is incredibly friendly.  He is very cat-like in the way that he moves and he loves to play.  I also did not realize that foxes have a scent gland similar to, though considerably less potent than, a skunk.  When they get excited the air gets fragrant!  Romeo is the most awesome little creature.  I love him!

This is Brutus

Brutus has a very noticeable and endearing snaggle-tooth

Rick and Lucian

Raven

Leyton and Raven have a very special wolf/human bond.  It’s touching to see them together.

Raven came to the sanctuary in 1997.  For nine years he was the public face of the sanctuary, making numerous public appearances with Leyton to educate the public about wolf conservation and, again, about not keeping wolves as pets.  Raven is now retired and continues to live peacefully with his mate, Cheyenne, at the sanctuary. To learn more about Raven click here.

This is Dakota.

This is Sugar

Sugar is a little cross-eyed

This is Teton

Introducing digital artist

ShaRi Brooks

The Dry Heat Gallery is pleased to announce that we have added another member to our stable of exceptional artists!

Digital artist and photographer, ShaRi Brooks creates what has come to be known as wOManDalas.  They begin as original photographs that undergo a magical transformation and emerge as calidescope-esque, meditation focal points.

The following is ShaRi’s artist statement:

Happiness runs in a circular motion.
Thought is like a little boat upon the sea.
Everybody is a part of everything anyway,
You can have everything if you let yourself be.
~Donovan Leitch

This refrain from the song ‘Happiness Runs’ pretty much sums the affect mandalas, or wOManDalas as i call them. has on both myself and the viewer, as seen in this quote by writer and friend Michelle Miller Allen McCallum,  “Your mandalas are so amazing, I am in awe. You found it! Endless bottomless potentials…makes me think of all the dimensions we don’t know about, of our existing…”

I discovered mandalas through Jungian psychology as a part of my post~graduate studies in art therapy at the University of New Mexico. Mandala means center in Sanskrit, the ancient East Indian language. Other meanings include “circle circumference” “completion” and “magic circle”. My wOManDalas are digitally produced in Photoshop from my original photos. As they come together, it certainly feels like magic as the pattern begins to reveal itself. On my blog, http://womandalas.blogspot.com/, I have posted a ‘Sorceress’ photo next to the wOManDala that came from it. This is the source photo from which the mandala originated. Sometimes the original image can be found in its mandala, but most of the time it morphs into a completely new and surprising form!

Mandalas are intricately linked with the movement of consciousness and are a focal point for meditation and contemplation, and I must admit, I am somewhat addicted to making them. They are my ‘apples’, as in a mandala a day keeps the doctor away

ShaRi’s wOManDalas are now available at The Dry Heat Gallery!

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