Courtesy Steve Cie
In anticipation of local gallery Globe Fine Art opening its new abstract exhibition Saturation Point (5 pm Friday, July 1. 727 Canyon Road, (505) 983-3888), we spoke with gallery owner and director, Steve Cie to learn a little more about our reactions to art—both manmade and natural. The upcoming collection centers itself around deep, immersive colors and features works from some of Santa Fe’s favorite artists, such as Karen Haynes and Carolyn Cole. Think of it as an opportunity to explore themes of “the juxtaposition of fragility, impermanence and enduring strength,” according to Cie. Read on to discover more about the artwork’s impeccable expression of summer in Santa Fe, the importance of straying from the analytical once in awhile, Cie’s definition of beauty and even his personal favorite piece from the collection.
What is special to you about this exhibit and what can gallery visitors expect when they walk in the door?
The whole gallery is designed to light up different parts of the brain, particularly the right and creative side. We are constantly bombarded with news, cellphones and computers, which are more analytical in their essence and tend to light up the left side of the brain. It’s all about tapping into the reptilian part of the brain, the fight or flight. When you walk into our gallery, every piece of art is something that lights up the part of the brain associated with creativity.
Take a group of people driving up a mountain. All of a sudden they stop at an overlook and watch the sunset in silence, in awe of the beauty, because you can feel it in your heart. In this case, you’re not thinking analytically, you’re just enjoying the view. When you come into the gallery, the paintings are all designed to light up that part of the brain; where you stop thinking and you just feel, in your spine and your heart.
The experience should be fun, stimulating and satisfying—obviously not overstimulating, like a roller coaster ride, but more like a beautiful sunset where you can look into the work of art. Paintings are like poetry: They take some time, they take some analysis and feeling. They’re not screaming at you. The more you look the more you see. The experience should make you feel happy and good overall, so that hopefully, when you leave the gallery, you carry that feeling with you throughout your day.
In promotional materials, you mention that Saturation Point is associated with the season of summer in your mind? Why so?
Right now, we’ve been through a long drought. It’s been hot and dusty. I, for one, have been praying for rain every day for the last two months. Then, when the rain finally comes, it just feels like life. I have this gorgeous garden in front of the gallery and people go out of their way just to be there, to see the life of the bees and hummingbirds and the butterflies. So now with this rain, it’s perfect timing for this exhibition. The whole garden is bursting forth and all of Santa Fe is, too. The birds are singing, everything is green and happy. I feel that the show is perfect, that it has bottled that same feeling. It’s just about the color that’s bursting forth, but simultaneously not screaming at you. It’s like looking at a flower or a garden.
Is there a piece in the exhibit that you’re particularly drawn to or excited to be showing off?
The piece I’m particularly fond of is Karen Haynes’ work. “Together” is a piece that has layers of meaning. The two flowers growing out of bricks could represent a relationship. The bricks could represent something we believe to be permanent, which of course isn’t the case. This painting, to me, encompasses all of Haynes really well, with her typical juxtaposition of permanence and impermanence, depth and unique color. It’s a painting that overlooks analysis. Instead it simply makes you feel, to be present and to not miss our journey through life before it’s gone. All the pieces together are just exciting, and more than anything else, we want people to walk into the gallery and simply enjoy.
