CAROL MOTHNER
ARTISTRY OF THE DELICATE
The Last Egg with Newspaper, monotype & mixed media on paper, 8 x 8 in
CAROL MOTHNER - ARTISTRY OF THE DELICATE
Carol Mothner is a much beloved Santa Fe artist and a widely acclaimed master of figuration and small still lifes. She is renowned for her intimate work in diverse media that subtly unveils the profound emotional resonance and quiet magic inherent in the quotidian, transforming commonplace objects, portrayed as ‘objects of contemplation,’ into subjects of deep introspection. Over an esteemed career spanning more than five decades in the Southwest, she cultivated an oeuvre that includes botanicals, interiors, flora, and portraiture. A particular hallmark of Mothner’s work is its often diminutive scale, which imbues her depictions of foraged birds’ nests, birds’ eggs, ripe fruit, and lone flowers with an intense sense of focus. Mothner’s starkly simple still life arrangements effectively create an atmosphere of mystery, arousing curiosity and imaginative thinking far beyond the image presented.
Mothner’s technical rigor is a central element of her work, often utilizing minuscule brushes to manipulate fluid acrylic or egg tempera on gessoed panels. This meticulous application gives her subjects an ethereal luminescence, born from a masterful handling of subtle chiaroscuro. Drawing inspiration specifically from Dutch and Flemish masters such as Jan
Her Chamber, 2000, egg tempera on panel, 17.75 x 17.75 in
van Eyck, Rachel Ruysch, and Vermeer, she creates delicate light and exacting lines in her compositions. Mothner is particularly well-known for her botanical studies and her exquisite depictions of diminutive organic forms. Throughout her life, Mothner has explored a variety of mediums, including oils, acrylics, and watercolors, and created monotypes, lithographs, and illustrated journal spreads using multiple mediums on paper, all of which are featured in this exhibition. Her works demonstrate a remarkable attention to detail, evident in her meticulously painted birds’ nests, delicate etchings of young women, and vivid botanical oil paintings.
Originally from New York, where she was born in 1943, Mothner received her first formal training at the Brooklyn Museum School of Art. She further honed her skills through studies at the Art Students League, Brooklyn College, and the School of the Visual Arts in New York. Her relocation to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1971, established her as an influential and admired presenceninnthe city’s artistic community for more than 50 years. She holds then distinction of being one of a small cohort of female artists featured in the seminal and historically significant Santa Fe Armory exhibition of 1977. Mothner is the widow of noted Santa Fe landscape painter Daniel Morper (1944 – 2016), an acclaimed visual artist whose realistic portrayals of the Santa Fe Railyard prior to its gentrification are celebrated as irreplaceable pictorial documents of its historic character. Morper’s work is also represented by LewAllen Galleries.
Puppet), n.d., oil on panel, 5 x 4 in
Untitled (Male
Woman in Armor, Brown, 2012, oil on panel, 7 x 7 in
Bird with Blue, n.d., oil on panel, 6 x 6 in
Bloodless Conquest, 1992, gouache on paperboard, 7.50 x 8.50 in
Blue Iris, oil on panel, 8 x 8 in
Yellow Crocus, n.d., oil on panel, 5.88 x 5.88 in
Botanical Mélange 3, n.d., oil on panel, 7 x 7 in
Duo, monotype & mixed media on paper, 8 x
8 in
First Born, monotype & mixed media on paper, 7.75 x 7.75 in
The Dawning of a New Day, monotype & mixed media on paper, 8.25 x 10 in
The Long Wait, monotype & mixed media on paper, 8 x 10 in
Only Child, monotype & mixed media on paper, 8.75 x 8.75 in
Townee Nest with Finest Eggs, monotype & mixed media on paper, 6.25 x 6 in
Foggy Dusk, 1997, monotype & mixed media on paper, 9.75 x 9.50 in
Two Night Tulips, monotype & mixed media on paper, 10 x 10 in
Golden Rembrandt Tulip, monotype & mixed media on paper,10.25 x 10 in
Single Yellow Tulip, monotype & mixed media on paper, 12.25 x 12.25 in
Pink Tulip, n.d., oil on panel, 8 x 8 in
Yellow Tulip, n.d, oil on paper, 4.25 x 4.25 in
Flower & Bird I, 1991, oil on handmade paper, 10 x 13 in
Bird in Flight, n.d., oil on panel, 8 x 8 in
Bird on Limb, n.d., oil on panel, 8 x 8 in
Journal Pages:
Dueling Cranes, mixed media on paper, 8.25 x 8.75 in
Journal Pages: Elizabeth’s Findings, mixed media on paper, 5.62 x 7.50 in
Journal Pages: Grapes, 2007, mixed media on paper, 7.50 x 7 in
Jo urnal Pages: An Open Letter to Tom Udack, mixed media on paper, 7.50 x 7.50
Journal Pages: Latin America, mixed media on paper, 7.37 x 7.50 in
Journal Pages: The Weekend, mixed media on paper, 5.87 x 7.62 in
Journal Pages: Two Bluebirds, mixed media on paper, 3.50 x 4.50 in
Masked and Ringed Neck Silly Goose, monotype & mixed media on paper, 12.25 x 12 in
Masked Silly Goose, monotype & mixed media on paper, 12.25 x 12 in
Mating Call for the Silly Goose, monotype & mixed media on paper, 10.25 x 10 in
Pink Flowers, oil on panel, 8 x 8 in
Pink Flower, n.d., oil on panel, 6 x 6 in
Girl with Dragon Tattoo (Ed. 12/15), original lithograph on paper, 8 x 8 in
The Girl with the Pearl Earring (AP Ed. 3/5), 2007, etching on paper, 8 x 8 in
Invitation #1, 1990, graphite on board, 7 x 9.75 in
Transformation: Anger, graphite on board, 13 x 11.50 in
The Missing 9-11, original lithograph on paper, 6.87 x 6.37 in
Single Rose, acrylic on panel, 5.62 x 5.62 in
Valentine (Box of Kisses & Letter to Daniel), 2013, oil on panel, 9.75 x 9 in
Valentine (Fan), n.d., mixed media assemblage, 9.50 x 14.50 x 1.25 in
