“I want to be an artist.” That was Lydia’s goal from the time she was a little girl. Although life can sometimes take a person down a different path than the one envisioned when young, creativity and design have always been a part of Lydia’s life.
After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Photography from the University of New Mexico, Lydia pursued a life as a freelance writer and photographer in Los Angeles, California . . . along with 100,000 other writers and photographers. She soon learned that paying the rent and eating was easier working as a paralegal. But her artistic nature would not be denied, and Lydia began to study painting at local community colleges in California. She continued her studies at the University of New Mexico, when she returned to Albuquerque in 1991. After completing a post-bachelor program in Education, she began a career with the federal court, where her design skills have been utilized in court publications, web site design, and, most recently, interior design and construction.
In 2008, Lydia had an epiphany. “I asked myself, what do I value? My answer was art. Then I asked myself, what are you doing to pursue your art? I realized then that I wasn’t engaged in what I valued the most, so I picked up a paint brush and I haven’t looked back.”
Lydia works in a variety of media, including acrylics, fused glass, stained glass mosaics, monotype print making, photography, clay and gemstone jewelry. "I really love it all, and find myself moving from one medium to the other, depending on my mood.” Lydia is the owner of Grand Mesa Studios and has sold her jewelry on-line and through stores throughout the country. She is praised for her glass mosaics, and, for the last two years, has participated in the “Protect Our Wildlife Corridors Community Mosaic’s Project,” a series of mosaic panels sponsored by Pathways-Wildlife Corridors of New Mexico. She continues to paint, print and photograph her surroundings, and has recently ventured into the world of fused glass.
In July, 2011, Lydia had her first gallery showing at Bright Rain Gallery in Albuquerque as part of “Vanishing Horizons” show. The show was produced by Studio League, a group dedicated to supporting artists in New Mexico.
grandmesastudios.com
Albuquerque, New Mexico
