‘Beyond The Threshold’ Opens Thursday At Step Up Gallery

Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on August 12, 2024
- 6:26 pm

STEP UP GALLERY News:

Take a step “Beyond the Threshold” with artists Linda Storm and Sandra Duran Wilson in Step Up Gallery at Mesa Public Library. The artists have created more than 100 inspirational paintings and sculptures designed to ignite the intellect and spur imagination to envision worlds beyond. The show opens Thursday.

The artists will host an opening reception 2-3:30 p.m. Aug. 17, and give a gallery talk at 2:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and all are welcome.

Although both artists have shown their work widely, the enthusiasm they have for this exhibit is palpable. The two first met at a party in Santa Fe, and then continued to run into each other over the years, leading them to believe that their friendship and eventual artistic collaboration was meant to be.

Wonder and possibility are the most important tools of Storm. Her series of paintings tell of her kinship with nature, music and mythical goddesses. They are stories that go beyond the threshold of the mundane and nourish the inner sanctuary. Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., she moved to New Mexico after she married Gary Storm, who was born and raised in Los Alamos. Storm’s art has been licensed and commissioned for stage projections, murals, public spaces, magazines and album covers.

“With rainwater, pigments, and stardust, I make art to convey wonder, as we rotate on a living orb revolving around a star,” she said.

More of her work can be found on her website: https://lindastormart.com

Duran Wilson was born and raised on the Mexican border. She’s lived in Santa Fe since her teens. Wilson grew up with scientists, healers, and artists and began oil painting with her great aunt Santa Duran, a renowned artist.

“The work for Beyond the Threshold takes me a step beyond the liminal space I usually portray,” Duran Wilson said. “I love to imagine standing on the threshold of creating where anything is possible.”

She has been recognized around the world for her artwork, which is included in many private, corporate, and educational collections. Duran Wilson is also the author of six best-selling art technique books for Penguin Random House, including Awakening Your Creative Soul. More of her work can be seen on her website: https://www.sandraduranwilson.com/

Step Up Gallery (https://stepupgallery.org) is on the top level of Mesa Public Library at 2400 Central Ave. The gallery is open the same hours as the library: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.