November 9 - November 30

Mi Valle Vitales

Jeri Desrochers

Jeri Desrochers brings her new "valley scenes" to the gallery for her solo exhibit and fundraiser for Casa de Peregrinos Food Program. Mi Valle Vitales opens in the gallery on Saturday, November 9 with an artist's reception from 4 to 6 PM. The show closes on Saturday, November 30, with a special event where additional "giftable" art by Desrochers will be unveiled for holiday shopping. An image of each day's painting will be posted to the gallery's web site on the day following its creation. Click here to jump to a "calendar" of images created by Desrocher during her 30 Day/30 Paintings Challenge.

Desrochers grew up on a small family farm, and her youthful experiences contributed to both the subject of her art work and selection of the Casa de Peregrinos Food Program as the group she and the gallery would support through donation of a portion of the proceeds from Mi Valle Vitales sales.

Speaking about her valley scenes, Desrochers says, "I love the color and pattern of cultivated fields played against the organic shapes of the mountains and trees. The workers in the fields remind me of the hard work and sacrifices my parents and grandparents made to give their children a better life."

From her research on hunger, Desrochers says, "the dichotomy existing in Dona Ana County is this: the county is one of New Mexico's top food producing areas; it also has the second highest percentage of hungry people in the state. According to the 2013 Map the Meal Gap study, Dona Ana County has 37,280 people who have inadequate food. That's 18.1% of our population." Lorenzo Alba, Jr., Executive Director of Casa de Peregrinos, talked of our community's real need when he told us the organization has provided will over a million food distributions to hungry people in our area. Last year, for the first time since its founding in 1979, Casa de Peregrinos distributed more than 1 million pounds of foods.

Desrochers, whose work is highly sought, had two of her "Chile Harvest" series art works selected for inclusion in the new El Paso City Hall, as well as numerous installations in local businesses and homes. The abundance and fragility of our local farm valley is echoed in her images made with thick gem-like oil paint applied with a palette knife over transparent minimalist washes. Click here to jump to images of Desrochers' new work, artist statement and exhibit history.

So, please join us for the artist's reception on Saturday, November 9th, 4 to 6 PM. Visit throughout the exhibit and be sure to return for the Saturday (November 30) "holiday shopping" closing event featuring Desrocher's "giftable" art.

Unsettled Gallery and Studio; November 2013