Except from Southwest Art Magazine February 2021

*Tubac Festival postponed or cancelled. Artist show featuring Cynthia Duff and Barbara Meikle will run through the 30th of February with Duff present for an artist weekend February 12th-14th.***

Contact the gallery for a preview of the new pieces arriving in the gallery for the show.

SHOW PREVIEW

Tubac, AZ

CYNTHIA DUFF AND BARBARA MEIKLE

Cobalt Gallery Fine Arts, February 10-30

Every February for the last six years, Cynthia Duff and Barbara Meikle have exhibited their work together at Cobalt Gallery Fine Arts at the invitation of gallery owner Mesia Hachadorian. The artists did not know each other prior to this introduction, but Hachadorian sensed they would make a great pairing for simultaneous shows and public events, not only for their shared love of Southwestern subjects but also for their similar social affability and strong following of loyal collectors.

These annual exhibitions coincide with the Tubac Festival of the Arts, and both artists travel to Arizona — Duff resides in Colorado, Meikle in New Mexico — to participate in the long weekend of events. This year the artists plan to continue that tradition, and attendees can expect to once again meet Duff and see her work at Cobalt’s festival tent, while Meikle’s live painting demonstration of local horses at the gallery, with a portion of proceeds donated to Equine Voices, is also scheduled to take place.

This year’s dual exhibitions have the benefit of brand-new space, as Hachadorian recently opened a second location on Tubac Road. Duff’s “The Woven West” show will take place at the 5 Camino Otero Road location (with the artist in attendance from February 10th-February 14th), while Meikle’s “My Favorite Color is Wild” exhibition will be on display at the 22 Tubac Road location, with the artist in attendance from February 12th-14th. The works are for sale in person at the galleries and online through Cobalt’s website, and Hachadorian will send a preview of new works to interested buyers digitally.

For Duff’s part, she is looking forward to sharing approximately 20 new works painted in her signature multi-dimensional, bent-birchwood style known as fracturing. “SAGUARO MONARCH shows this style the clearest,” she shares. “I’m playing with the light and its reflection on the edges of the fractured cactus in the foreground. The wood grains come through beautifully, and you can really get a sense of the light quality.” Although Duff enjoys painting with bold color, this year’s body of work includes some created with a neutral palette, including the contemplative paintings FLASH OF EPIPHANY and WOODLAND AURA. There are also smaller abstracted pieces available, a new direction for her, and works of various sizes to meet a range of collectors’ preferences.

Meikle is equally eager to share new works, including a just released life-size bronze titled EYE OF THE STORM, with hand-painted custom patina. In addition, there are several colorful paintings of horses, subject matter close to the artist’s heart, including two Salt River wild horses, which the artist saw in person and photographed during a recent trip to the Salt River in Arizona. “These stunning wild horses that descended from Spanish mustangs are, sadly, also slightly endangered,” Meikle explains. “I wanted to paint them not only to bring awareness to their endangered habitats but also because they challenged me to find new ways, including abstracting specific elements, to recreate the powerful feeling of the horses splashing in or laying by the river.” Meikle will have a total of 10 works on display.

One of the many ways the artists’ work complement each other is in their shared intuitive abilities with color. “People always lean in to see the whirls of color, the unique shift in light, and the bold color choices present in both artists’ work,” she observes. “It’s mesmerizing and beautiful. It’s also notable how much joy comes through in the work — a reflection of their lives.” - Mesia Hachadorian