Artists of the Month & New Artists

Artists of the Month: December 2019

Michael Nail

Michael is a lifelong New Mexico resident and has lived in Las Cruces for 40 years. A self-taught artist with little formal training, he has loved drawing and painting from an early age but, until his retirement from the City of Las Cruces as a senior construction inspector, did not have time to pursue his passion full time. Michael works primarily in pencil, charcoal and ink, finding Western, Native American and wildlife themes the subjects he is most “drawn” to.

Ray Ponteri

Ray, a forty-year resident of the Las Cruces/El Paso area, spent his professional days as CEO of an El Paso credit union for 25 years. He retired in 2010 and began painting in 2014. He discovered he enjoyed painting and had some talent. Ray comments, “I have always had acute observation skills and therefore have a strong understanding of my environment/surroundings. Hopefully my art is a reflection of who I am and the world we live in.”

New Gallery Artists

Phillip Krumholz

Phillip was born in Peoria, IL in 1949, and moved to Las Cruces with his wife Jeanie in 2017. Phillip began metalsmithing as a hobby in 1991, learning the arts of blacksmithing, metal casting and fabrication. After building his own rock sawing and grinding equipment, Phillip began lapidary work in 2004. He uses no patterns or dies for his mountings - each piece is made from scratch, one at a time, and each piece is unique. He prefers using the materials of nature in his designs, especially the enduring beauty of gemstones and fossils. Phillip and Jeanie frequently mine their own stones in New Mexico, Colorado, South Dakota and Michigan. Phillip uses a variety of metals in his work, including Sterling silver, German silver, brass, copper and bronze. Much of his work has a distinctive Southwestern flavor to it.

Milette Lanphere

Milette has explored many artistic mediums including hot and cold glass and painting. She began sculpting in 2000 in clay, paper mache and found objects. She is currently working in fiber, primarily wool, which allows her to express a sense of whimsy in her nature inspired pieces. Native to the Mesilla Valley, she lives and plays on a lovely old farm north of Las Cruces.