Lois Fernandez

ARTIST STATEMENT: “Somewhere between shadow and light dwells the magic”

Art, Music and Dance have always lived in my soul, seeking it’s expression through a variety of mediums. Growing up in my parent’s night club in the fifties, afforded me an endless supply of quarters for the juke box and pool table. In between stolen sips of orange juice and vodka when customers were too drunk to notice, or Shirley Temples with enough grenandine and marichino cherries to cause tooth decay, I was a 7 year old D.J. spinning the latest 45’s for the bar patrons. My musical tastes were as varied as the regular customers…Cream Cheese Mike always requested “Ramona” by Jim Reeves, Whiskey Willie couldn’t go a day without hearing “Harbor Lights” by the Mills Brothers, Bar Fly Sally “Ramblin Rose” by Nat King Cole, my mother…. anything by Julius La Rosa and when we had a chance meeting of the singer walking on the Atlantic City boardwalk one summer’s evening after losing everything at the race track, my mother with her high heeled shoes and mink stole was star struck yelling Julius LaRosa, Julius LaRosa as her heel got stuck in the boardwalk and catapulted her into his arms. This skinny Ukranian girl was destined to live a creative gypsy life….
ARTIST STATEMENT: “And the magic is risking everything for a dream nobody sees but you”
For as long as I can remember, I was bound for the Southwest, Georgia O’Keeffe my guiding star. After graduating Ramapo University with a Bachelor Degree in Fine and Performing Arts, I headed to NYC and talked my way into my first job as a designer of embroidery and lace in the garment district, little did I know at the time that Georgia O’Keeffe also designed embroidery and lace in Chicago in her early career. I designed for Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Diane Von Furstenburg to name a few. While designing in the fast paced garment district where if the goods weren’t delivered by yesterday you were dead in the water, I was also a fiber artist weaving tapestries for shows in New York, Philadelphia and beyond. I furthered my knowledge of weaving and embroidery design at The American Farm School in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1976 and returned to the island of Paros and Rhodes in 1978. After photographing the Biennale Fiber Arts show in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1977, I did a slide show tour and talk throughout the Southwest. When I landed in Taos, I knew someday I would live there.
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Fast forward 2003…move to Taos. The Enchanted Dreams Foundation is founded selling Art and Antiques benefiting Families and Individuals with Autism, developed a parent support group and advocacy for educational needs. Acquired a real estate license, Graduated from New Mexico Highlands with a Masters in Special Education and all the while caring for my special needs daughter Alyssa and painting the New Mexico landscape. The Enchanted Dreams turned into Taos Artist Collective and I have had the pleasure of meeting, representing and guiding Artists in a variety of mediums on their creative journey while pursuing mine.