Spirit of a Studio - Roberto and PJ Cardinale

Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

Roberto (Bob) and PJ Cardinale met 47 years ago in art school and it only took them a year to realize that they were smitten. So if my math is correct, these amazing artists  have been happily married for 46 years. They have both traveled many artistic paths wending their way to Santa Fe,  but their art has merged into a lovely collaboration   - Structures & Surfaces - Churches Around the World - that will be showcased at the JANE SAUER GALLERY from March 16th (artists reception) - April 10.

Bob's passion for ecclesiastical architecture began a number of years ago when he was a Benedictine monk. He began making architectural paintings that people loved. "What gets encouraged you do," quips Bob. And then he began making small churches and that evolved into larger scale and more detailed spiritual dwellings. Many of the churches have a door that swings open or  a drawer built into their architecture and PJ creates a diminutive assemblage that is carefully chosen for each church that presents a lovely visual treat when the drawer or door is pulled open.

But, their collaboration goes deeper than that. Their home  - a contemporary double adobe built in the style of famed architect Luis Barragan - is  a charming amalgam of their passion for collecting folk and contemporary art and their eye for arranging it. But they both admit that Bob is the facilitator -  he holds the ladder and drills the holes and PJ is the arranger. The end result is a home that is filled with art and draws the eye to every surface...

This wonderful ever-changing wall of hearts is Bob's Valentine to PJ each year.

And, they both have separate studios that are large, airy and full of their in-progress work. PJ is multi-talented. She is a jewelry designer, art book journeler and collagist. Her studio is filled with cabinets and drawers that beg to be opened to reveal their squirreled-away treasures.

P J' S   S T U D I O

Handmade valentines & jewelry

B O B' S   S T U D I O

A church in progress.

Bob uses a combination of white pine and corrugated paper, and begins with lots of research and then drawings.

This was his first church; a visual reminder of how far his artistry has come.

When I asked him why churches? He said simply - "They just excite me."

JANE SAUER GALLERY

652 Canyon Road - Santa Fe

ARTIST'S RECEPTION

Friday, March 16th

5-7pm

Outsider Art - Personified!

S . P. E . E . C . H . L . E . S . S

Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

I first met Orren (above left) at SOFA  and he was wearing this larger-than-life puzzle necklace made by his partner Robert (above right).



Months later I was invited to photograph their home for Chasing. They told me that it was a bit  eccentric  and wonderfully outrageousness, but when I walked through their front door - I was speechless. It was like stepping inside a zany, playful, uber -colorful kaleidoscope. I didn't know where to begin 'shooting'.

 .

Passionate collectors of Outsider Art and partners for 35 years, Orren and Robert (they own the delightful shop Wink at Sanbusco) have turned their home into a living museum, and lucky the individual or museum group that gets to take a personal tour.  Here goes..ready or not!

This large, velvet painting - framed with Mexican flowers - is your first hint of the exuberance within. But just so you can put it all in perspective, Orren and Robert  designed and built their house to accommodate their vast collections. Below is a photograph of their living room before they moved in...and below that is the after photo.

The Collections...

How do they choose.? Do they ever disagree on what to buy? 

 "No," quips Robert, "we see everything with 'one' eye."

 Singular art and collections have been artfully arranged on chairs

 and tabletops everywhere...

And every wall is festooned with paintings and art.

Even the skylights are graced with Robert's lace spider webs..

They rarely buy just one of anything. "When we find somebody or something we like," says Orren, "we try to gather a collection.That way we can document the artist's path, and it then becomes a diary of our life."

Color, texture, pattern and whimsy abound.

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