Happy Little Summer

It seems that everywhere you turn during the summer months in Santa Fe, the city's deep love for all things art is palpable—from impressive works gingerly hung on gallery walls to the never-ending barrage of outdoor fests and the sweet sounds of buskers.

It's hard to ignore it, when it's the very life force that runs through our town's veins.

This year, we took extra pride in putting our Summer Arts Preview together. In these pages, you'll find everything from a rundown of the enterprising Summer of Color initiative, the skinny on a multigenerational music festival, a sneak peek into Aspen Santa Fe's gangbusters season, a primer for local arthouse films and a Q&A with none other than Fight Club writer and soap enthusiast Chuck Palahniuk.

Hungry for more? Get your best duds ready for opera season, experience the evolution of Theater Grottesco and preview impressive art from future exhibits in our Paper Gallery while you're at it. If that isn't enough to fill your seasonal agenda, find some of the best forthcoming events highlighted at the side of this page, and get your culture on.

On our cover, you'll find a fitting tribute to a familiar face, one Robert Norman "Bob" Ross, who thanks to his PBS program The Joy of Painting was instrumental in exposing adults and young children, like myself, to art during the '80s and '90s.

I remember watching Ross' TV show and being mesmerized at the ease with which he created his trademark serene landscapes.

This summer marks 10 years without Ross. It's fitting that the once-tough Air Force first sergeant chose July 4 to depart. "I was the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being late to work," he told the Orlando Sentinel. Once out of the service, lore has it that he decided to never scream again and to lose himself to art.

"I believe every day is a good day when you paint…This is your world, you're the creator," he would say during his demos, filled with happy little trees and clouds and creeks. There were no mistakes in this world, just "happy little accidents."

"Relax, let it flow; think like water," he'd instruct.

Parting from that spirit, here's hoping this issue inspires you to get out and become a collector, spectator or patron. Why not give art a try yourself? Artisan holds regular free figure drawing sessions, and the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico are set to host their big festival on June 6. For the little ones, the William & Joseph Gallery hosts mixed media art lessons for kids on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and if recreating the "Unchained Melody" scene from Ghost is more your speed, the Heidi Loewen Porcelain Gallery & School has you covered.

So what are you waiting for? Your own happy little masterpiece might be just a class away.

Santa Fe Reporter