Candace Cates-Cavellier

I moved to New Mexico to become an archaeologist and ended up pursuing Art, becoming an Artist, Landscape Architect, and Art teacher.”

Ms. Cates-Cavellier is an Artist, Art Educator and Landscape Architect. She lives in Corrales and teaches Art at Bernalillo Elementary School. She holds several degrees from the University of New Mexico with a Masters in Art. Art studies and teaching have taken her to France, Italy, the Middle East, Thailand, and China, where she lived and traveled for 4 years. Her art work has won many awards and been shown in galleries and exhibitions throughout the US. She enjoys working in watercolor, mixed media and clay with an emphasis on Nature. Her artwork is inspired by natural forms, patterns, and the individuality of place and visual experience. Each tree has its own personality and each place has its own unique aura.

I always meant to live on an island, but found myself in Albuquerque. Having lived in the North Valley for many years, 15 years ago I moved about as close to an island as you get in NM. I now live in Corrales next to the Bosque, between acequias and the river. Water and trees have long provided inspiration for my art work and my life and I am now fortunate to have both to enjoy and contemplate on a daily basis. The paintings and collages in this selection span a period of time from the 90’s to the present and were done with a deep appreciation for our fragile New Mexico environment. It is the enigma of the bosque and it’s constantly changing arena that intrigues me. Light, seasons ,migratory patterns of birds, and subtle everyday changes become part of my art experienced as I ride my horse down bosque trails. The experiences are not only visual but auditory as well. Who can forget the sight and sound of snow geese landing in fields adjacent to the bosque? In these selections, some paintings are unique to a specific location, while others are a wonderful amalgam of special bosque places and events.