Monthly Archives: March 2011

¡Somos taoseños!/ We are taoseños!

Posted on March 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

We are taoseños! ¡Somos taoseños!: Teresa Dovalpage

A book written by Dual Language students

Teaching children, who are generally full of life and curiosity, avid to learn, like little energetic sponges, is even more rewarding. The work done by the Enos Garcia School students that I have taught for the past three years (third, fourth and fifth graders) is an example of how much can be accomplished with children, in as little as twenty or forty hours during the school semester.

I started working with the Taos Municipal Schools’ Visiting Artists Program in 2008. Invited to join the program by its tireless coordinator, Tanya Vigil, I used my skills as a story teller and an author to promote creativity and spread the love of writing among the students. I worked closely with the Dual Language Program student and teachers and taught the kids different ways of writing about their personal experiences… and their imagined adventures.

The results have surpassed my expectations.

The first year, they wrote completely fictional stories, and illustrated them with their own drawings. The topics ranged from ghosts to mutant rabbits, and some were frankly hilarious.

The following year we delved into the realm of true life, and they wrote family histories which were later printed and made into individual books. They used family photos to complement the histories and interviewed the parents, uncles and abuelitos and abuelitas who were elated to see their memories preserved. Both the fictional stories and the family narratives were exhibited at the Millicent Rogers Museum, in the annual shows, in 2009 and 2010.

I feel that my classes have contributed to encourage the students’ creativity. I have also worked hard to improve their written abilities in English and in Spanish, which is the focus of the Dual Language Program. Their spelling and grammar, in both languages, were remarkable.

In the fall of 2010, while working with fifth-grade students, I decided to complete a more ambitious project. Under the expert guidance of their teacher, Mary Donley-Slover, they wrote, in English and in Spanish, about their town, Taos, and why they liked living in it. Then, to unleash their imagination, I also asked them to write a bilingual poem, too. Their articles and poems, collected in the book ¡Somos taoseños!/ We are taoseños! (Eriginal Books, 2011)  are a delight to read.

I want to thank Vicki Breen, Arts Consultant at New Mexico Public Education Department, Rose Martinez, Director of Instruction and Federal Programs’ Coordinator for the Taos Municipal Schools, her administrative assistant Sandra García and Tanya Vigil, the Visiting Artist Program coordinator, for their invaluable help in completing this project.

The book is available in Amazon: We are taoseños! ¡Somos taoseños!

http://www.amazon.com/We-are-taose%C3%B1os-%C2%A1Somos-Dovalpage/dp/098292139X/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300418892&sr=1-6

 

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Squeaky green: How to do an eco-friendly spring cleaning

Posted on March 14, 2011 | Leave a comment

Originally published in Taos News lifestyles:

Spring is almost here and perhaps you are already thinking of giving your home a well-deserved deep cleaning.

But the job can look overwhelming. You may want to develop an action plan to tackle it.

“The hardest part of starting spring cleaning is, precisely, getting started,” said Shalmai Hollingshead, owner and founder of Taos Green Clean. “But once you see results, they will be an inspiration to continue.”

Hollingshead suggests working in sections and keeping in mind that it may take more than one day to complete the task.

Another key aspect is choosing the right cleaners.

“Most of the products commonly used to clean contain toxic materials that affect the environment and our health, particularly when used in surfaces that we touch all the time,” said Kevin McCourt, assistant store manager for Cid’s Food Market. “That is why ‘green products,’ that is, environmentally safe cleansers, are best.”

One of the main problems with products that contain harsh chemical ingredients is the toxic residue they leave behind. It is later breathed in (like fumes given off by some carpet cleaners) or even ingested (chlorine used in dishwashers). Glass cleaners that contain ammonia can also irritate eyes and skin.

“The products we sell still clean dishes and floors, but are not so hard on the environment and don’t present a hazard to the users’ health,” said McCourt.

Now, we don’t always need to run to the store before cleaning.

“It is simple and fun to make your own cleaning products,” said Hollingshead. “When you mix a few tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and a teaspoon of Castile soap with a vinegar and water solution and essential oils, you get an all-purpose spray that can clean just about anything.”

Both McCourt and Hollingshead praise Seventh Generation cleansers and disinfectants, sold at Cid’s, because of the company’s commitment to be absolutely transparent in the disclosure of all the ingredients they use in their products. Among them is the Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner, that, according to its label “kills over 99.99 percent of household germs, specifically: Influenza A, H1N1, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli on hard nonporous surfaces.”

However, one doesn’t need to worry about killing each and every germ.

“This is not a sterile world. It is full of bacteria and not all bacteria are bad,” said McCourt. “Our stomachs need bacteria to process food. If we don’t have ‘good bacteria,’ we will certainly die. And considering that we don’t live in hospitals, but houses, it doesn’t make sense to try to make our homes absolutely germ-free, which is, on the other hand, impossible.”

McCourt prefers to use concentrated products over those that come already prepared. “Many people like the cleansers that come ready to use because it saves them time, but by using concentrates we are saving the environment,” he said. “Besides, they allow users to control the amount of concentration they need for every cleaning job, depending on how dirty or greasy a surface is.”

He recommends the Natural Multi-Surface Concentrated Cleaner as a great option to cut through grease and grime.

But aren’t environmentally products more expensive than their nongreen counterparts?

“I doubt that green products cost much more,” said McCourt. “Citrus salt, for example, cleans very well and is reasonably priced. Even if they cost a little more, I’d rather not have my family exposed to poison.”

A wonderful book on this topic is “Clean and Green: The Complete Guide to Non-Toxic and Environmentally Safe Housekeeping” by Annie Berthold-Bond, which offers “485 ways to clean, polish, disinfect, deodorize, launder, remove stains, even wash your car, without harming yourself or the environment.”

All the information is neatly packed in its 160 pages of recycled paper.

Shalmai Hollingshead, owner of Taos Green Clean, offers these tips for spring cleaning:

• Break up your house into sections and do one section at a time. Start by cleaning the first room, working left to right around the room, and then work left to right around the house.

• Use color-coded rags so you won’t cross-contaminate the rooms by using the same rags in different parts of the house. You can even just buy washcloth packs in different colors and use them for cleaning, but the microfiber cloths work nicely.

• A simple solution of one part white vinegar to three or four parts water makes a great cleaner. To use it on the floor, sweep and then just spray and dust mop. White vinegar is effective in killing some molds, germs and bacteria because it is highly acidic. Vinegar is also a neutralizer and the odor will dissipate.

• Use a duster with an extension to reach the cobwebs in the upper corners of your home. If you don’t have a long-handled duster, just use a broom.

• You can add essential oils to your spray. Tea tree and lavender are antiseptic and antibacterial. And lavender is soothing!

• To clean your microwave, put in a bowl with water and some vinegar and cook until it boils. Carefully remove the bowl and wipe away all the stuck-on food. The vinegar will also help to eliminate the funky popcorn or bacon smells that microwaves can have.

To contact Taos Green Clean, an eco-friendly cleaning service, call Shalmai Hollingshead at (575) 779-9694, e-mail her shalmai@ taosgreenclean.com or visit her website http://www.taosgreenclean.com.


 

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Always and Only and Ever About Love

Posted on March 7, 2011 | Leave a comment



Mom’s collage, by Marlena Valdez Freelove

The Taos Gallery will be hosting a talk and exhibit on March 9th from 3:00-8:00 pm on the end of the Mayan Calendar. The title of the show is “Always and Only and Ever About Love.”

Artists Patricia Padilla, Janie Cutliff and Marlena Freelove will be exhibiting their art. Padilla will give a talk on the energetic of this time.
Padilla and Freelove are completing a Tarot deck and manual based on what is known of the Mayan calendrical system of energetics. Much of the art at the show will be originals from the deck.

An opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday, March 9th at 6:00 pm. Tarot readings from their deck will be offered from 3:00 – 6:00 pm and refreshments will be served at 5:30 pm.

Marlena Valdez Freelove currently lives in Northern New Mexico in a small community nestled at the foot of the Taos Mountains.  As a child of immigrant parents, she was provided with a rich backdrop of cultures and sensibilities that always encouraged her to think deeply and to embrace the world from different points of view. Although Marlena spent 26 years as a salaried computer professional, her true passion was art. After a near fatal car accident, she was told by several eye specialists, late in her career, that she was losing her eyesight. She decided that it was time to stop chasing a paycheck and start pursuing her artistic vision.

Although it took another decade to move from a predictable life, she packed her suitcase and household in 2009 and moved to Taos to pursue art.

The ability to shift gears into different life situations and places has served Marlena well. She enjoys finding new and innovative ways of looking at life. She uses many different mediums to express her experiences by combining acrylics, collage, digital art, assemblage and crafts. Her present focus involves combining texture, color and images to tell a “story.”

Her desire is to move fluidly through three dimensions as a cohesive whole, with a multitude of layers both obvious and hidden. She is interested in capturing a fourth dimension which allows her visual image to change with light and the position of the observer.  Like life, our perceptions of what we are observing change, from moment to moment.

Though she worked for over two decades in the computer field, Freelove’s true passion was art. She had a mentorship with several scientists and complimented this study with university courses to work with computers, and she still uses the computer as a medium in her artistic pursuits. For instance, in the memorias, she used scanned photos, digital images and personal artwork.  The past year, she self-taught Adobe Photoshop to add digital photography and downloaded images to collage and crafts projects.

Art is also in her blood. Her mother was an artist, a singer and dancer. “She was a seamstress extraordinaire,” said Freelove, “she made some of the most beautiful hand-quilted, embroidered and designed quilts and was a doll maker too. My father loved to paint; he was good but suffered from so much insecurity around his art.”

Freelove studied art at the University of Colorado in Boulder for a year and also worked with several artists in the Boulder area that were truly inspirational in their approach to creating art.

Dreams 2, by Marlena Valdez Freelove

Here is Marlena Valdez Freelove, in her own words:

Teresa Dovalpage: Where does your inspiration come from? How do you choose subjects and themes?

Marlena Valdez Freelove: I draw inspiration from all that surrounds me and from my own interpretation of life circumstances. I am particularly drawn to spiritual ideas and nature.

Teresa Dovalpage: And it shows in your work! Do you have any upcoming shows? When and where?

Marlena Valdez Freelove: I will be participating in a collaborative project on March 9, at The Taos Gallery in Taos, NM. The theme will be the prophesies of the Maya, and the transition we are in presently.

Teresa Dovalpage: A very appropriate there, I would say. Are all the pieces for sale? Is so, where can they be bought?

Marlena Valdez Freelove: Yes, I will sell all the artwork that I exhibit.  I occasionally offer some art work on Ebay, plan to exhibit in several arts shows in Taos and special shows at The Taos Gallery throughout the year.

Teresa Dovalpage: Here is The Taos Gallery website

http://www.thetaosgallery.com/

Now, I know how difficult it is to explain one’s own art, but…let’s try. Is there some hidden meaning in this gorgeous piece, Dreams 2? All the explosion of oranges and blue…what do you want to transmit with this piece?

Marlena Valdez Freelove: In a word… freedom.  The sometimes hidden watery depths of “blues”, the fire and transformative energy of “oranges,” and strength, grace and movement conveyed in the image of “galloping horses across an unknown pathless landscape of possibilities.”

Teresa Dovalpage: What about Tree hugger? That sphere of light where the head is suggests…

Marlena Valdez Freelove: Letting go…of personal identities such as judgment, past experiences, future fears, allowing the greater experience of the “universe” to merge with your being. The pieces you are referring to are experiments with paint and freedom. I use this technique by squirting paint on canvas or paper and watch how the colors flow together. The fun part is looking at the juxtaposition of form, color and texture to see what emerges. This accomplishes many things, learning to work with color and opening the door to the subconscious mind.

Teresa Dovalpage: There is one that I loved at first sight—Mom’s collage is a particularly emotional piece. Who is Jesusita Velez? Is this your own family?

Marlena Valdez Freelove: Jesusita Velez Lehmann was my beloved, artistic and beautiful mother. I was lucky to spend two intimate years with her after a major stroke. As a memorial gift to her sisters and extended family, I created this memoria on the second-year anniversary of her death.

Teresa Dovalpage: That is such a beautiful piece. What about Private Yole?

This was a commissioned piece I did for a client in Las Cruces.  From the pictures chosen, to the small flowers that I fashion from polyclay, to the poetry included; these are from memories of the client.  These are intimate pieces to honor those that have passed and are on a commission basis only.

Teresa Dovalpage: Thank you so much, Marlena, and I hope to see you in The Taos Gallery on March 9th. ¡Buena suerte!



Visit Marlena’s profile in Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001394575302

To learn more about Patricia Padilla, visit her blog

http://curanderapadilla.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/bien-venidos%E2%80%A6welcome/

http://teredovalpage.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/curanderismo-an-old-message-for-a-new-world/

And don’t forget the March 9 Event!

La Paloma Guadalupe by Marlena Valdez Freelove

The Taos Gallery is located at 133 Bent Street, Taos, New Mexico 87571Phone:   575.758-3911


http://www.thetaosgallery.com/

the taos gallery


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From Gabon to Paraguay: Peace Corps volunteers living in Taos swap memories

Posted on March 7, 2011 | 1 Comment

Former Peace Corps volunteers, now living in the Taos area, gather at the Living Light Studio to celebrate the organization’s 50th anniversary. Photo by Teresa Dovalpage

Originally published in The Taos News

From the Costa Rica National Park to the small town of Lastoursville in Gabon, to a Guarani village called Nyupyshuguazo in Paraguay, Peace Corps volunteers now living in Northern New Mexico have been everywhere.
They gathered Saturday (Feb. 26) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of an organization that, as Bonnie Lee Black said, “shows to the world one of the finest faces of the United States.”
The celebration was one of more than 700 parties being held all over the world to mark the day that President Kennedy signed the executive order creating the Peace Corps, on March 1, 1961. Black, who served in Gabon from 1996 to 1998 and whose memoir, “How to Cook a Crocodile,” was just released by Peace Corps Writers, organized the event in Taos.
Close to 60 returned Peace Corps volunteers and friends gathered at Lenny Foster’s Living Light Studio.
Everybody had a story to tell.
The returned volunteers shared funny, sad and even scary moments. They talked about what it meant to jump into an unknown territory, often without knowing much about the language or the culture.
Many referred to the surprises they found after arriving in their posts.
“I thought I would be using Spanish, since I already knew the language,” said Ana Pacheco, UNM-Taos Library information specialist, who served in Paraguay in the early ’80s.
“Instead, I ended up learning and speaking Guarani.”
Pacheco worked as a health and agriculture home extension agent in a small village called Nyupyshuguazo. In Paraguay she met her future husband, Kevin McCourt, also a Peace Corps volunteer. Though they discovered they were in love when she was ready to come back to the states and he had six more months to go, that didn’t discourage them. They have been married for 26 years now.
“My experience was extremely positive, but a lot of it has to do with luck,” said Pacheco. “I was lucky to be embraced as a family member by the wonderful people I worked with.”
McCourt helped with the sanitation in a town called General Patricio Escobar. He helped to install a running water system and taught the locals how to keep wells and outhouses clean. Both he and Pacheco were in Paraguay during the Stroessner dictatorship. “People lived in fear,” said McCourt.
Another love story was shared by Patrick Nicholson, who met his wife, Andrea, in Uruguay, while working in environment protection projects. The couple lives now in Taos with their two children.
“The Peace Corps brought us together,” Andrea said.
The American Indian community was represented by the Taos Pueblo potter and artist Bernadette Track. She worked for AmeriCorps VISTA, the domestic Peace Corps. Track also directed the Native American Peace Corps recruitment at San Juan Pueblo for the Eight Northern Pueblos.
“There are so many ways to serve in our communities, too,” she said.
Serving in the Peace Corps was a life-changing experience for most of them.
“I learned more from the people I helped than they did from me,” said Judy Vickrey, who served in Ethiopia from 1963 to 1965. She was a nurse and worked in an US-AID Hospital, as part of one of the first groups of Peace Corps Volunteers.
Vickrey came to Taos to work with the Pueblo Health Center and has been in this area for over 40 years.
Though it wasn’t too common, sometimes an entire family had the Peace Corps experience together. That was the case with Don and Lorraine Goldman, who served in Costa Rica from 1972 to 1976. They were one of the few families with children that went into the Peace Corps.
Lorraine Goldman said, during the first years, only single volunteers or married couples without children were accepted, but then more experienced volunteers were requested.
“‘Experienced’ meant, in many cases, older people, that is, families with kids,” she said.
She taught English at the University of Costa Rica while her husband (who is a handicapped person and did his service on crutches) worked for the National Parks and also taught at the university. Their two little daughters, Emily and Jessica, were with them at the time.
Emily also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras from 1991 to 1992.
Though the family program was discontinued after a few years, the Goldmans look back fondly on their experience.
“They brought us closer as a family,” said Lorraine. “And our children speak perfect Spanish now.” To learn more about the Peace Corps visit www. peacecorps.gov

Cooking Crocodiles & Other Food Musings

Bonnie Lee Black during her Peace Corps service (pictures taken from the blog http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/cooking-crocodiles/author/bblack/)

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Taos News lifestyles: Specialty of the House: Heyam Khweis

Posted on March 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

From left, Abdul, 8, Nadeen 16, Ziad, Tareq, 14, Khaled, 11, and Masjdolene, 18, are behind Heyam Khweis as she holds a Makloubeh. Photo by Tina Larkin.

Originally published in The Taos News

Heyam Khweis, a native of Palestine, is the operator and owner of Arabian Nights Foods, a successful line that sells locally and elsewhere in the state.
Her hummus dip — a good source of protein — and her tabouli salad are best-selling items.
However, Khweis didn’t grow up cooking.
“I was the youngest of nine siblings and studied all day long,” she said. “I didn’t have the time to learn how to cook.”
But her favorite place to study was at the kitchen table. Someone was often cooking while she pored over her books.
“I smelled the aroma of freshly ground spices added to the dishes that were prepared nearby,” she said. “That’s how my love for food started.”
Her love affair with cooking was a slow one, however. It took several years and crossing the Atlantic Ocean to flourish. In Palestine, Khweis was a teacher and one of her students, upon hearing that she didn’t know how to cook, gave her an Arabic food cookbook.
“But I didn’t touch it for years,” Khweis said. “Only when my husband and I decided to come to the United States, I took the cookbook with me. I wanted to make sure I would have something interesting to read in my language. I started reading it on the plane and was shocked to discover that the book had been written by an American, Kathy Kitten.”
But the recipes, she found out later, were accurate.
“The dishes tasted just like the ones from home,” she said.
Ten years ago, Khweis visited for the first time the Taos Food Center and, after a threemonth instructional period, she started selling ethnic products that, under the name Arabian Night Foods, became popular quickly.
“They helped me a lot,” she said of the Taos Food Center team, “from teaching me how to do packaging, labeling and business development to offering day-care services while I was in training, when my children were little.”
All cooks have favorite kitchen gadgets. Khweis’ is a mixer.
“I use it all the time,” she said. “One day I will get a KitchenAid Professional Big Mixer. It is expensive but extremely useful. It comes with a lot of attachments and does so many things.”
Other darlings are her Middle Eastern pans and pots, particularly the pot she uses to make a traditional dish called Makloubeh — literally meaning upside down.
The pot is narrow at the bottom and becomes bigger in the upper part. Inside, layers of chicken, eggplant, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, rice and fine noodles are arranged in a tantalizing blend and cooked together. Once it is ready, she uses a big stainless steel platter to pot and the platter shipped from Palestine. Khweis favors “Home Cookbook” for American food.
“But I have bought every cookbook I could find in garage sales as well as bookstores,” she said. “I love to read them so as to be inspired. That’s my fun time: I take my cookbooks and food magazines to the porch with a cup of tea and go through them.”
Khweis takes care of her food business during the weekends, when she works in space she rents at the Taos Food Center. Arabian Nights Foods can be found locally at Cid’s and Albertson’s, as well as at Whole Foods and La Montañita in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and at different stores in Dixon and El Dorado.
“We are really lucky to have her products here in Taos,” said Cid’s Assistant Store Manager Kevin McCourt. “Her hummus is delicious.”
During the weekdays, Khweis is a long-term substitute teacher at the special education department at Taos High School. Besides, she is a housewife and the mother of six children, five of whom live at home. How does she manage to accomplish so much?
“As long as I have food ready, I feel that things are fine,” Khweis said. “Before I go to work I cook, so when the kids come home, they can eat right away if they want to. I also try to rest every day, at least for an hour, when I come home from school. Above all, it is good to have a routine. Once an activity becomes a routine, you find time and space for it.” But doesn’t she get tired?
“Cooking gives me energy,” she said. “I put music, turn on the stove and I immediately feel in a good mood.”
Living in New Mexico has influenced Khweis’ cooking style. She now incorporates chile in some of her traditional recipes. She adds it to chicken soup, falafel sandwiches and stuffed pita bread.
“I love my roasted chile sandwich,” she said.
But living above sea level means that recipes also need to be adjusted.
Khweis shares a few tips for high-altitude baking:
- Increase oven temperature by 25 degrees.
- Decrease sugar by 2 to 4 tablespoons.
- Decrease baking powder by one-third to one-half of total at 5,000 feet.
- Increase the amount of liquid by 2 to 4 tablespoons.
- Increase the amount of flour by 2 to 4 tablespoons.
“The time needed for dough to rise in yeast breads is shorter here due to the reduction of the air pressure in high altitudes,” she said. All of Khweis’ products can be frozen successfully.
“Just thaw them overnight and … eat them,” she said.
Khweis is thrilled with her career and her enthusiasm shows when she talks about food and family. She has also shared easy, tasty and family-friendly recipes. Try and enjoy.
Chicken with Lemon in the Oven
Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut up (3 pounds)
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1⁄2 tablespoon allspice
1⁄2 tablespoon black pepper
1⁄2 cup butter 1 large head of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to broil. Clean chicken pieces with water and spread out in a 4- quart rectangular baking dish. Rub each piece of chicken with lemon juice to coat all sides and pour the rest in the baking dish. In a small bowl, mix the salt, allspice and black pepper.
Spread the mix on each of the chicken pieces on both sides. Put the half cup of butter on the chicken, placing a small amount on each piece of chicken. Put the baking dish in the oven on the bottom rack.
Turn the chicken over after half an hour. After another half hour, sprinkle minced garlic and a teaspoon of salt on top of the chicken. Broil for another 10 minutes. Optional: Surround the pieces of chicken with baked potatoes and/or vegetables. Serves 4-6.

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Hide from the light or frame it right? How to take proper care of your artwork.

Posted on March 1, 2011 | Leave a comment

Metal Picture Frame Standard S04 Frosted Gold Metal Picture Frame Standard S01 Silver Metal Picture Frame Techline T21 Matte Black

People who live in a high-altitude, dry climate, like the Southwest, may be concerned about the care and preservation of their precious artwork.  However, “in this climate, artwork is better off than in more humid places,” said Michael Vigil, artist and owner of Gallery Elena. “It is a very desirable climate because we don’t get the mold that is so common in the back east, for example. That’s why many artists came here in the first place.”

Still, some precautions should be taken to preserve the artwork and prevent damage. Since sunlight is the main cause of discoloration and fading it is advisable to use ultraviolet-filtering glasses on prints and especially on textiles, and never hang a piece on a wall directly opposite a window.

“Some of the newer inkjet prints are pretty stable,” said Robbie Scott, owner of Final Touch Framing, “but I still wouldn’t hang them in direct sunlight. All textiles and watercolors should have ultraviolet glasses on them to avoid fading.”

Excessive moisture can be as bad as too much sunlight. “Though it tends not to be a problem here in the dessert, one needs to be careful and not hang a valuable piece of art in a damp place,” said Scott. “Condensation can stain or permanently discolor the artwork.”

A good frame is important—it both enhances and protects the work of art. But when framing is done using the wrong materials, it could cause harm to the piece, rather than shield it. “If you have a painting, a textile or any kind of artwork that have been framed in the last twenty years, make sure that the materials used in the mats, backing, adhesives and hinges are acid-free,” said Scott.

Nowadays most of them are acid-free but people used to use masking tape (or worse, duct tape) to affix artwork to the backing or frame. In that case, they should be replaced as soon as possible to help prevent further deterioration. Masking tape leaves a residue and it is practically impossible to get it off the artwork.

Oil paintings are framed without glass, but should also be kept away from excessive smoke and direct sunlight.

“Special attention needs to be paid to watercolors,” said Vigil. Its very nature makes them fragile and more susceptible to damage than other mediums. It is recommended to frame them because dust and stains, once settled, are very difficult to remove without damaging the artwork. Using ultra violet-filtering glass is a must for them.

Textiles, particularly when they are old, wools and silks should be dry-cleaned before they are framed. Dry cleaning will kill moths and their larvae, which are natural enemies of wool. “Use pesticides to keep your home free of insects, but never spray the surface of the artwork,” said Scott.

Navajo textiles should be kept away not only from direct sunlight but also from bright artificial lights to avoid bleaching of the dyed wool yarns. Ultra violet filtering glasses help protect them, but if you have them hanging, use a metal or wooden dowel rod, don’t nail them to the wall! Inspect the back of the rug often, because moths use the side against the wall to lay their eggs.

It is better not to place textiles near the kitchen; the natural fibers tend to absorb odors and even grease. Washing isn’t recommended, it is safer to vacuum clean them. “They can be dry-cleaned, but testing should be done before,” said Scott.

It is never a good idea to hang oil paintings and anything that doesn’t have a glass over a fireplace because the heat coming from the chimney and the walls, and the changes from hot to cold, can make the artwork crack. The soot from the fireplace will also damage it. If you absolutely want to hang that painting above the fireplace, mount it to the wall and leave a couple of inches of “air space” between the piece and the wall.

In frames, the glass shouldn’t touch directly any original artwork because the photo or painting may stick to the back of the glazing, or moisture can get inside and grow mold. Contact between the artwork and the glass can be avoided using spacers or mats.

“Make sure that the backing paper is intact so that no bugs can get inside and cause trouble,” said Scott. Textiles and wools ought to be inspected periodically too, for the same reason. Enjoy your artwork and prevent bugs and critters from doing the same.

Finally, Caring for Your Art: A Guide for Artists, Collectors, Galleries and Art Institutions, by Jill Snyder and Joseph Montague, is a great reference book for any artist or art collector. It contains valuable information about protecting, transporting and displaying artwork.

 

 

Final Touch Framing is located at 800 Bond Dr # B
(575) 758-4360

Gallery Elena is located at 111 Morada Lane
(575) 758-9094

 

From Gallery Elena, Taos, NM

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