Art Bio
Holly Grimm
I am Diné (Navajo). I am of the Bit’ahnii (Within His Cover) people and born for Bilagáana (Anglo). My maternal grandfather’s clan is Tachii’nii (Red Running Into the Water), and my paternal grandfather’s clan is Bilagáana (Anglo).
Born in Denver, Colorado; schooled at Stanford University; based in New Mexico.
My work begins with creating sketches “en plein air” or “on location” of New Mexico landscapes. By creating a direct impression of a scene, I become a medium for the vital energy of the landscape (nilch’i or qi). The resulting studio paintings provide the viewer with an opportunity for dynamic contemplation and meditation.
The colors in my paintings mimic the natural dyes of Navajo rugs. I use modern organic pigments to mix transparent browns and ochres. When these colors are mixed with acrylic mediums and applied with varying thicknesses, they create encaustic-like depth and luminosity.
I’m influenced by the form and philosophy of Chinese landscape paintings, particularly the relationship between negative space and taoist concept of Wu Wei.
Additionally I’m interested in using Machine Learning to create works of art. I’ve written a neural net, ACAN, to augment AI-generated art with values of art composition such as texture, contrast, and color.
Solo Exhibitions
2018 Betterday - Santa Fe, NM, “Color Spree: Investigations in Human-Machine Co-creation”
2016 Betterday - Santa Fe, NM, “Color Spree”
Group Exhibitions
2023 Roadrunner Gallery and Studio - Madrid, NM, Life Drawing Exhibition
2023 North Fourth Art Center - Albuquerque, NM, Bucket Exhibitions
2022 Färgfabriken - Stockholm, Sweden, Sentient Machines?
2022 Axle Contemporary - Santa Fe, NM, 8x8 Exhibition Exchange
2021 Terminal 5 - NYC, “Dreamverse”
2021 Honor Fraser - Los Angeles, CA, “Thin as Thorns, In These Thoughts in Us: An Exhibition of Creative AI and Generative Art”
2020 NeurIPS Creativity Workshop “Aikphrasis Project”
2020 Site Santa Fe - Santa Fe, NM, “silver linings”
2019 A Gallery Somewhere - Santa Fe, NM, “Shakespeare on the Wall”
2019 Durango Arts Center - Durango, CO, “Practice”
2019 Argos Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Figuratively Speaking”
2018 Harwood Art Center - Santa Fe, NM, “12x12 Exhibition”
2018 Santa Fe Arts Commission Community Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Exquisite Corpse Exhibition”
2018 Argos Studio/Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Full Disclosure”
2017 Harwood Art Center - Albuquerque, NM, “12x12”
2017 Santa Fe Arts Commission Community Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “CRED”
2017 Ellsworth Gallery - Santa Fe, NM “Creative Nation II”
2017 Axle Contemporary - Santa Fe, NM, “Local Coloring”
2017 Argos Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Go Figure!”
2016 Harwood Art Center - Albuquerque, NM, “12x12”
2016 Sorrel Sky Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “PAPNM Members Juried Exhibition”
2016 Hispanic Arts Center - Albuquerque, NM, “PSNM Annual National Pastel Painting Exhibition”
2016 Ellsworth Gallery - Santa Fe, NM “Creative Nation”
2016 Argos Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “XPOSED”
2016 InArt Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Santa Fe Plein Air Festival Juried Exhibition”
2016 Hispanic Arts Center - Albuquerque, NM, “MasterWorks of New Mexico”
2015 Blue Rain Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Santa Fe Artists’ Medical Fund”
2015 Harwood Art Center - Albuquerque, NM, “12x12”
2015 Santa Fe Collector Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “PAPNM Annual Juried Exhibition”
2015 Community Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Common Ground”
2015 InArt Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Santa Fe Plein Air Festival Juried Exhibition”
2015 Studio Broyles - Santa Fe, NM, “Body Language”
2015 Argos Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Skin Deep II”
2014 Harwood Art Center - Albuquerque, NM, “12x12”
2014 ABQ Open Space Visitor Center - Albuquerque, NM, “Enchanted Lands”
2014 InArt Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Plein Air Santa Fe Juried Exhibition”
2014 Harwood Art Center - Albuquerque, NM, “Surface: Emerging Artists of New Mexico”
2014 Gary Kim Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “PAPNM Annual Juried Exhibition”
2014 Argos Gallery - Santa Fe, NM, “Skin Deep”
2014 Warehouse 21 - Santa Fe, NM, “1 Billion Rising For Justice Art Show”
2013 Center for Contemporary Arts - Santa Fe, NM, “Collect 10 / Lucky 13”
2010 Campbell River Art Gallery - Campbell River, BC, “Member’s Exhibition”
2007 Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - Burnaby, BC, “Spring Gala”
2006 Center for Contemporary Arts - Santa Fe, NM, “Collect: Inside 8”
1997 Southwest Arts Festival - Albuquerque, NM, Juried Exhibition
1995 Stanford University School of Art - Stanford, CA, “Senior BFA Show”
1994 Stanford University School of Art - Stanford, CA, “Annual Art Student Show”
1993 Beaver Creek, CO, “Seeing Through New Eyes”
1989 Denver, CO, “Inner City Expo”
Publications
2019 “The Soul of the New Machines” Vasari21. April 8, 2019
2016 “Up Close and Personal” Su Casa Magazine. Summer 2016
2016 “The Annual Santa Fe Studio Tour: Entering the Creative Space” Santa Fean Magazine. June 2016
2015 “SWAIA 2015 Artist Fellowships” Now Magazine. August 20, 2015
2015 “Residency Fellowship” Albuquerque Journal. August 16, 2015
2015 “Two Navajo Artists named SWAIA residency fellows” Navajo Times. July 16, 2015
2015 “Body Language” THE Magazine. April 2015
1993 “Bringing Together Worlds Apart” (PDF) Winds of Change
Awards and Honors
2016 Terry Ludwig Award, PSNM National Pastel Painting Exhibition, Albuquerque, NM
2016 Honorable Mention, SWAIA Indian Market, Santa Fe, NM
2016 Art Santa Fe Spotlight Artist Award, Santa Fe, NM
2015 SWAIA SFAI Residency Fellowship, Santa Fe, NM
2015 2nd Place, Quick Draw, Santa Fe Plein Air Festival, InArt Gallery
2010 Honourable Mention, 28th Annual Member’s Exhibition, Campbell River Art Gallery
Education
2009 University of British Columbia Okanagan - Kelowna, BC, Mixed Media with Shawn Serfas
2008 Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - Burnaby, BC, Chinese Painting with Nancy Ruen-Fen Chen
1995 Stanford University - Stanford, CA, B.A. Studio Art with Nathan Oliviera and David Ireland
1994 Accademia Di Belle Arti - Florence, Italy, Stanford Overseas in Italy Program
1988 The School of the Art Institute of Chicago - Chicago, IL, Early College Program Summer Institute