Featured Work

Art

Andy Warhol (2022). Oil on canvas, 16x20”.

Fallingwater (2023). Oil on canvas, 5x7”.

Shades of Self (2023). Oil on canvas, 9x12”.

Bulldog (2022). Pen and ink.

Australian shepherd (2022). Pen and ink.

Basset hound (2022). Pen and ink.

For more drawings and paintings, visit my Art page.

Writing

“The art of death: Amanda Martinez’s creative fascination with animal remains” Published by Downtown Albuquerque News August 5, 2021Amanda Martinez knows her artwork isn’t for everyone. From gem-encrusted animal skulls to delicately framed scorpions, she offers a dose of the macabre that can startle unsuspecting shoppers. “Especially at the [Downtown] Growers’ Market, when it’s kind of an older demographic,” Martinez told DAN. “I have all my jewelry on one table, and then I have all my oddities and décor on a separate table on the side. So, when they come into my booth—a couple old ladies chatting—they look around, and then they’re like, ‘Oh my god, what is that! Is that a bone?’” Yes, it’s a bone: Her handcrafted pieces include everything from gracefully posed snake skeletons to earrings with tiny mammalian jaws. […]

“The art of death: Amanda Martinez’s creative fascination with animal remains”
Published by Downtown Albuquerque News
August 5, 2021

Amanda Martinez knows her artwork isn’t for everyone. From gem-encrusted animal skulls to delicately framed scorpions, she offers a dose of the macabre that can startle unsuspecting shoppers.

“Especially at the [Downtown] Growers’ Market, when it’s kind of an older demographic,” Martinez told DAN. “I have all my jewelry on one table, and then I have all my oddities and décor on a separate table on the side. So, when they come into my booth—a couple old ladies chatting—they look around, and then they’re like, ‘Oh my god, what is that! Is that a bone?’”

Yes, it’s a bone: Her handcrafted pieces include everything from gracefully posed snake skeletons to earrings with tiny mammalian jaws. […]

“Remember That You’re Alive: Artist Adri De La Cruz on grief and the creative process” Published by Southwestness April 22, 2021“You’re hiking with your family, and there’s just — a dead thing,” they continue. “It’s really not uncommon when you’re out in the desert.”Death is indeed everywhere in the desert. It’s in the cracked ground and parched air, the rattle of bones and prick of cactus needles. De La Cruz wants us to face this death — and, in the process, face life. After all, life is everywhere in the desert, too: Those bones and needles are grown by creatures in a thriving ecosystem. […]

“Remember That You’re Alive: Artist Adri De La Cruz on grief and the creative process”
Published by Southwestness
April 22, 2021

“You’re hiking with your family, and there’s just — a dead thing,” they continue. “It’s really not uncommon when you’re out in the desert.”

Death is indeed everywhere in the desert. It’s in the cracked ground and parched air, the rattle of bones and prick of cactus needles.

De La Cruz wants us to face this death — and, in the process, face life. After all, life is everywhere in the desert, too: Those bones and needles are grown by creatures in a thriving ecosystem. […]

“Ancestral Land, Contemporary Lens: Photographer Kevin Beltran on the backroads of northern New Mexico“ Published by Southwestness April 15, 2021New Mexico is famously photogenic — or at least, parts of it are. Tourists flock to the golden adobe of Taos Pueblo. Cameras click at fiery sunsets over mesas. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta touts itself as the most photographed event in the world.There’s more to this place than sunsets and balloons, though. One young photographer has a keen eye for documenting what others might miss.“I’ll just be driving around backroads, and people will look at me funny cause I’m taking photos,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t think they get that a lot.” […]

“Ancestral Land, Contemporary Lens: Photographer Kevin Beltran on the backroads of northern New Mexico”
Published by Southwestness
April 15, 2021

New Mexico is famously photogenic — or at least, parts of it are. Tourists flock to the golden adobe of Taos Pueblo. Cameras click at fiery sunsets over mesas. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta touts itself as the most photographed event in the world.

There’s more to this place than sunsets and balloons, though. One young photographer has a keen eye for documenting what others might miss.

“I’ll just be driving around backroads, and people will look at me funny cause I’m taking photos,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t think they get that a lot.” […]

“The Three Sisters of Lindy Vision: Music as an act of self-determination” Published by Southwestness February 16, 2021“We’ve reconnected with our tribe in our adult years, and that’s — for me — the best feeling in the world,” Natasha says. “Every time I go, I feel welcomed. You just tell someone your last name and who your family is, and they’re like, oh yeah, we’re related! Those are my cousins, those are my people.”“Even though I didn’t grow up there, it’s always been home,” Dee Dee agrees. “It’s just so sacred to us. The mountains. The land. Everything.” The more they embraced Jicarilla culture, the more it influenced Lindy Vision’s aesthetic.“When you’re finding your own identity, you’re defining it for yourself,” Dee Dee says. “We like to mix elements, like wearing our moccasins onstage when we perform.” […]

“The Three Sisters of Lindy Vision: Music as an act of self-determination”
Published by Southwestness
February 16, 2021

“We’ve reconnected with our tribe in our adult years, and that’s — for me — the best feeling in the world,” Natasha says. “Every time I go, I feel welcomed. You just tell someone your last name and who your family is, and they’re like, oh yeah, we’re related! Those are my cousins, those are my people.”

“Even though I didn’t grow up there, it’s always been home,” Dee Dee agrees. “It’s just so sacred to us. The mountains. The land. Everything.”

The more they embraced Jicarilla culture, the more it influenced Lindy Vision’s aesthetic.

“When you’re finding your own identity, you’re defining it for yourself,” Dee Dee says. “We like to mix elements, like wearing our moccasins onstage when we perform.” […]

Care to keep reading? I’ve collected up years’ worth of writing by category.