Nedra Matteucci Galleries opens the 2024 season with A Lifetime of Learning: Two Artistic Journeys, a two-man exhibition featuring work by sculptor Ed Smida and painter Chris Morel. Meet the artists at the gallery reception on Saturday, June 22, from 2 – 4 PM.

From abstract to representational, Ed Smida’s distinctive bronze figures push the boundaries of visual vocabulary. His imaginative and cerebral sculptures each tell a story. His work is often autobiographical, and inspiration may be “triggered by something such as travel, literature, a painting, or emotions.” Smida turned to working in the arts full-time following a thirty-year career in the business world. Smida is an Elected Member of the National Sculpture Society, and his work is currently held in private collections across the United States and internationally.

Northern New Mexico provides Chris Morel with a bounty of inspiration. His pull to capture the regions’ natural beauty in combination with its traditional architecture is on full display in his most recent works. Morel says, “Taos is interesting to me because weather and time are literally whittling the historic buildings away.” Morel’s dynamic compositions capture the essence of New Mexico and are noted for his interplay between color, contrast, and depiction of light. Morel is a Signature Member and current Board Member of the Plein Air Painters of America. He won “Best of Show” in the 2022 American Impressionist Society Annual Member Online Exhibition.

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