Farm life inspires Farm and Ranch Museum artist

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Growing up on a farm, Carlitta Harvey’s inspiration and foundation as an artist were cultivated at an early age.

Her show, “Rural Life in New Mexico: Paintings by Carlitta Harvey,” opens in the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum’s arts corridor with a reception 1:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17.

Admission to the reception is free, but regular admission applies to the rest of the museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road.

Harvey began painting farm scenes when she was old enough to buy her own watercolors, the museum said in a news release. Coming from four generations of farmers, and marrying a cattle rancher, her love of the rural life is apparent in her paintings.

As a young person, the Las Cruces artist lived on a farm and helped grow cotton, onions and other crops. She became a landscape architect, studying horticulture and healing gardens. This knowledge allowed her to capture the character of the crops she paints and to acknowledge the benefits of green and growing plants for the health of body and soul. Her realistic style attempts to document the beauty and abundance of the agricultural and cultural landscape of New Mexico from planting to harvest. She frequently creates her work “plein air,” outdoors on site.

There are 23 paintings in the show, which will be on display through April 2, 2023.


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