Opening Reception: Friday, March 13, 6-9 pm
On view: March 12 – April 5, 2026

What We Tend is a collaboration between Melody Epperson and Tricia Soderberg. Both artists explored new studio practices in which they ”tended” their inner artist, leaning into abstraction and intuition while maintaining their nature-inspired subject matter. Each artist moves through a process where they rely less on conscious thought and more on what arises from the unconscious, resulting in a series of truly unique and intuitive art pieces.

This approach is also evident in their collaborative wall painting, which invites a conversation between the two artists and will unfold throughout the exhibition.

Melody Epperson – artist’s statement

There is a time to look outward at the world and a time to turn that gaze inward. This series of encaustic mixed-media paintings embodies the latter. After a long period of seeking wisdom from my external environment through nature, I have shifted my focus inward. Through exploring new practices of meditation, self-compassion, presence, and gratitude, I create art that captures layers of consciousness and thought, intertwined with ethereal swirls inspired by my enduring relationship with the natural world.

This meditation-based process contrasts with my typical approach, which often involves internal judgment and critique. In this series, I embrace what arises organically, resulting in a more intuitive body of work—less deliberate and more reflective. The materials I’ve chosen—photo-silkscreen images from nature, charcoal from natural matter, gold foil, and wax—evoke my connection to nature while expressing both my inner reflections and the current state of my mind; the charcoal symbolizes transformation, the gold adds a touch of illumination, and the wax creates a tactile depth that invites viewers to explore the layers of meaning within each piece.

Tricia Soderberg – artist’s statement

My mixed-media work explores the cycle of cultivation and transformation. I begin by building a self-curated library of organic imagery—natural forms, textures, and patterns gathered through observation and research. These elements are my visual raw material, cultivated over time with care and intention.

Through layering, combining, and reimagining these visual elements, transformation occurs. Using a range of mixed-media techniques, I manipulate the familiar into something newly evocative—allowing images to shift, merge, or dissolve in unexpected ways. The work becomes a site of metamorphosis, where natural forms are abstracted, and meaning unfolds through process. Each piece in this exhibition reflects this ongoing rhythm: a dialogue between intention and chance, memory and material, structure and change. My work invites viewers into that in-between space—where something is always becoming.

GALLERY EVENTS:

• Show Reception: Friday, March 13, 6 – 9 pm

• Third Fridays on Santa Fe: Friday, March 20, 6 – 9 pm (This is a Santa Fe Arts District event)

• Sundays on Santa Fe: Sunday, March 29, 11 am – 4 pm (This is a Santa Fe Arts District event)

• Show First Friday: April 3rd, 5-9 pm

• Last Look: Sunday, April 5, 11 am – 4 pm

• Live Wall Painting Collaboration between Melody and Tricia: Sundays, March 15, 22, 29, 1-3 pm

All events are open to the public.

Banner Image: Melody Epperson, “Last Year’s Bounty,.” 18 x 24.