FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2012
Contact: Erica Asmus-Otero (505) 259-2202 Erica@griffinassoc.com

‘Taos Portraits’ Book by Paul O’Connor Examines The Faces of Taos Including ‘Remarkable Women’

                                         'Taos Portraits,’ Official Event of NM Centennial

TAOS, NM — Acclaimed Taos photographer Paul O’Connor shares the timeless images and fascinating anecdotes of the many remarkable Taos characters who made an impact on the community in his new book titled, Taos Portraits. The book will be released on June 1, 2012 at the Millicent Rogers Museum, concurrent with the opening of the museum’s Taos Portraits exhibition, plus other exhibits focused on the Remarkable Women of Taos and Northern New Mexico. The Taos Portraits exhibition runs through July 1, 2012.

The Taos Portraits exhibit has also been selected as an official event of New Mexico's Centennial Celebration in 2012 for its importance in documenting Taos’ rich artistic heritage.

“I’m honored that Taos Portraits is not only the official event of the Centennial but happens to coincide with Taos’ ‘Remarkable Women of Taos’ theme,” said O’Connor. “Taos Portraits is an attempt to capture the spirit of some of the Taos artists who have affected me and the art world, most profoundly. I've been collecting these portraits for years, so putting them all together in a book and pairing them with short, colorful stories was a great opportunity to bring some context to this incredible community of artists.”

The Millicent Rogers Museum will host an exhibit-opening reception and book release celebration on June 1 from 6 - 8 p.m. O'Connor and many of the artists featured in the book will be in attendance.

“The Millicent Rogers Museum is delighted to have been selected to host the ‘Taos Portraits’ exhibition featuring women and men that have been influential in making Taos come alive,” said Millicent Rogers Director Fred Peralta. “Millicent Rogers Museum is honored to help showcase the 'Year of the Remarkable Women of Taos.' This exhibition is part of our year-long celebration of the women of Taos through exhibits and lectures.”

The Hulse Warman Gallery will also be hosting a celebration on June 3 from 3 - 5 p.m. featuring additional portraits. Then on June 7 at 7:30 p.m., the Society of the Muse of the Southwest (SOMOS), will present “An Evening with Paul O’Connor and Taos Portraits” at the Harwood Museum of Art located at 238 Ledoux St.

The exhibitions and book will feature black and white photographs of more than 60 influential Taos “characters” – many who are well-known including the late Dennis Hopper and and R.C. Gorman, and others whose faces may not be as familiar outside the Taos community, but whose contributions were significant.

Along with the single-page images in Taos Portraits, each facing page will feature a vignette, anecdote or brief biography of the artist, written by the artist’s friends and family or by well-known Taos writers.

Some of the featured subjects in Taos Portraits, such as Bea Mandelman and Agnes Martin, are also profiled in greater detail on Taos.org’s “Remarkable Women of Taos” section.

“Taos has a very strong, feminine energy about it and a sense of creative inspiration,” said O’Connor. “Many of the artists in Taos Portraits exude that sense of power that’s imbued in this town. The women and men that I’ve been photographing for years are strong, dynamic people who have definitely made an imprint on Taos – and vice versa. Through my book, and the traveler education theme, visitors to Taos may access a deeper understanding of why Taos is such a special, creative place.”

For the past 20 years, O’Connor has earned a reputation in the community for his artful manner in which he captures the timeless images of many remarkable people who made an impact in the Taos community.

After O'Connor decided to share the images he took with an even larger audience, he collaborated with Bill Whaley, the former publisher/editor of Taos’ Horsefly, to produce the book. The book is a gorgeous keepsake for lovers of Taos, art, or both, and tells the story of some of Taos’ most well-known artists from the Moderns to present day.

As writer Lyn Bleiler reported in TREND Magazine, “O’Connor’s book is a veritable time capsule in the continuum of Taos’ rich history as a mecca for alternative lifestyles and creative souls. It builds on a tradition established by the late Mildred Tolbert, a gifted photographer who captured the Taos Moderns and others on film in the ‘40s and ‘50s.”

O’Connor moved to Taos with his wife in 1989 after leaving California where he studied photography at the Pasadena Art Center. He worked in Taos as a professional photographer shooting artwork and architecture for the artists, galleries and museums.

O’Connor returned recently from a visit to Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, to oversee the final changes and printing of Taos Portraits.

Taos Portraits will be available on the release date, June 1, 2012. Pre-ordered copies can be purchased online at http://taosportraits.com/the-book.html.

For more information about the Taos Portraits exhibition at the Millicent Rogers Museum, visit millicentrogers.org or call 575-758-2462 or email mrm@millicentrogers.org.

Join the Millicent Rogers Museum on Aug. 3 and 4 for a weekend of arts and culture featuring artist demonstrations, Quick Draw and Quick Sculpt, lectures, raffles, silent and live auctions on Aug. 3, followed by dinner and music at the El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa on Aug. 4.

More information on Taos Portraits, the book, can be found at taosportraits.com/blog.html or taosportraits.com.

For more information on the Remarkable Women of Taos and related workshops, events, and tours, visit www.taos.org/women.

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