A
lthough much has been written about
the sage and sand, the towering mesas,
the purple hills in the distance and the
monument-like presence of human figures,
one of the unsung and sometimes overlooked
features of Logan Maxwell Hagege’s paintings
is the frequent depiction of Native American
weavings. For the California painter, these
colorful and intricately designed textiles are an
important part of the Southwest.
“I’m not interested in the texture so much,
but definitely the design. That weaving texture,
with the way I paint, would be far too much
detail to put into a painting. So instead
I try to focus on the light and dark shapes, and
how quickly the light and dark change, or how
a curve in the blanket will dictate how sharp
a transition is. It’s really all about the abstract
shapes, and then what that ends up looking
like around a figure or on the back of a horse,”
Hagege says. “The blankets are a good place
to kind of gauge where I’m at in a painting. If
it feels too technical or academic, then I know
I’m painting what I think I know and not what
I’m seeing and observing. And observation,
especially seeing those abstract shapes, is
where I want to be and where I want to go.”
The artist says he owns several Native
American weavings in his own collection, but
he often relies on his models when it comes
to what types of blankets he paints. “A lot of
times, if you see the same blanket on the same
person in more than one painting, it’s often
the case that it is their blanket, or from theirfamily,” he adds. “It’s great when the blankets
have come from the families and have a history
to them.”
In Sky Light, for instance, Hagege paints
three separate weavings in one picture: a red
and blue blanket wrapped around a male
figure, one with earthier colors over a female
rider’s lap and a saddle blanket with a more
geometric design against the white coat of the
horse. Each one adds a refreshing new element
to the scene, and together they create a unique
patchwork of fabrics and designs, itself a
metaphor for the West and the multitude of
people who came to bask in its warmth.
Sky Light will join five other works at
Hagege’s new show opening August 9 at Gerald
Peters Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. OtherDesert weavings
UPCOMING SHOW
Up to 6 works
Aug. 9-Sept. 28, 2019
Gerald Peters Gallery
1005 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe,
NM 87501, (505) 954-5700
http://www.gpgallery.com
L M
HSHOW LOCATION SANTA FE, NM