Collection: Arlene Ladell Hayes

“I have been working as an artist since 1979. As Oscar Wilde said, “Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” When I first read that I knew exactly what he meant. There are so many ways to express yourself and so many mediums to do it with.” — Arlene LaDell Hayes

Born in the Texas panhandle, Arlene LaDell Hayes found her childhood imagination fueled by the austere landscapes and spare beauty of her surroundings. During her adolescent years, Hayes moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where her career as an artist began in earnest. Initially working as a sculptor, she mastered the human form in three dimensions. Later, she turned to painting, developing the stylization and abstraction of form that she is renowned for.

The paintings of Hayes provide the viewer with a transitory experience, visually and emotionally. Her imagery is filled with intense colors and strong lines, merging the conscious and the subconscious, evoking a sense of wonderment. Drawing on both Eastern and Western traditions, she conveys a universal influence. Using calligraphic brush strokes, she accentuates the dreamlike nature of her subjects. Her Star Traveler series is in fact derived solely from her dream states.

Hayes lives, explores, works, and dreams in a small village northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico