Featured Passing of great NM artist

I want to share one of my favorite pieces of art (no, not one of mine!), and say some good words about a beautiful lady.

Betty Hummer, a very popular artist in the "4-corners" area (where NM, UT, AZ and CO meet) has died at the age of 87 in her beloved Las Cruces, NM.

Regionally adored for her depictions of local scenery (pecan groves, old adobe houses, the Rio Grande, and more), she often mixed watercolors with pastel crayons to bring beautiful portraits of places to life. I own one of her pieces... it's about 2 x 3 feet... purchased directly from her circa 2000 (for about $200, which was a LOT for me in those days, but I HAD to HAVE it). It's called "Hecho en Casa en Mesilla" ("Home-made in Mesilla") and depicts an old (abandoned or not; it can be hard to tell sometimes) house in Mesilla (founded circa 1800 --- Billy the Kid did some time there). Check out the old evaporative cooler on the roof... and beautiful flowers, which to me appear tended. She loved to include interpretation hints and hidden treasures in her works.

I enjoyed her company on several occasions. She encouraged me to be proud of my roots and not to be shy about expressing that artistically, however it came to me. She passed away after a long and beauty-filled life.

Dulces suenos, Bettita.

Thank you all for reading.

 

Beautiful !

 

Love the painting and the memories.

 

Thank you! So much.

 

That was very nice of you !!!

 

And nice of you folks to take an appreciative look at her work... this is kind of her first "international" showing...

 

I can see why you would be attracted to it. Lovely!

 

What a great painting. It kinda gives off a peaceful vibe to me! Thank you for sharing the story and her beautiful artwork.

 

Sorry to hear of her passing but glad you are sharing her work. She will live on through her work. Gorgeous painting and I like that it is large scale. So many of these detailed regional paintings are small.

 

Thank you all. I feel proud for her. Yankees like her stuff!

 

That is a beauty of a painting!

Thank you for sharing.

 

Thank you so much.

 

Beautiful painting and I loved the story that went with it. Thank you.

 

Thank YOU!

 

Gila......what a lovely tribute to post, and I love the painting. Sounds like she was a wise and talented woman, and you are lucky to have one of her works!!!!

 

Thank you... it's a treasure to me!

 

Gila, your post is a wonderful tribute to your friend. I like this piece a lot!

Fig

 

Thanks a million, Fig!