“Everything in the painting is something that makes me happy. The colors – really bright yellow on yellow, and reddish orange – the confetti and the cake, the people dancing and the roses,” she says.

“To me, happy equals hope. Even the crying is hopeful – because in despair there is always hope.” She attributes the title of the piece to the turbulent path we all take when we determine to keep optimism alive.

An award-winning watercolor and ink artist and visual storyteller, Zahra grew up in two deserts – Kuwait and Albuquerque. Though she had no personal role models for being a full-time, professional painter, she studied visual arts in high school and later in France. She returned to New Mexico with her French husband, saying she feels most comfortable and normal in New Mexico.

Zahra started selling her watercolors at the Downtown Growers’ Market, and since then has created for and collaborated with The National Hispanic Cultural Center; Éditions du Seuil along with the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris; Circus Luminous–Wise Fool New Mexico in Santa Fe; and Sharaf Studio for the Arabic translation of the American Science Magazine in Kuwait. Her first commissioned piece was the poster illustration for the National Institute of Flamenco’s 33rd anniversary season, which is how she came to the attention of the Foundation.

Despite the pandemic cancelling an exhibition in and trip to Italy and to see her family abroad, she had a productive year. She commonly completes one painting per day from her Harwood Art Center studio. She received a Creative Bravos Award from the City of Albuquerque for her contributions to the city’s vibrant arts community. A picture book featuring 27 of her original illustrations will be published in 2021 by Bloomsbury Publishing.

What is she hopeful for in the future? “I can’t wait to go back to Kuwait and bicker with my family,” she says.

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As part of our 40th Anniversary celebration, we collaborated with Padilla and other local artists making an imprint on the community.

The genesis of Reyes’s cover painting “Cruzando Ríos (Crossing Rivers)” was a playlist he created to bring himself hope. The abstract representation of surmounting obstacles symbolizes the energetic rise that comes from a hopeful outlook. “Crossing Rivers is about getting through tough moments,” he says. “When looking at hope, you’re definitely looking to overcome and rise.”

Reyes was lead artist for New Mexico’s first permanent traffic mural located in Albuquerque’s Barelas neighborhood, and his installation ¡Mira, Look! was purchased for the permanent collection of !Explora! Science Center and Museum. Other works have sold to collectors and museums, including the State of New Mexico and the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum in Arizona. His work “Cruzando Ríos” is now displayed in the Foundation’s office.

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“This is such a great organization doing great work, with a mission that everyone is committed to and enthusiastic about,” says Voelker. “It’s nice to work with people like that. Plus, they were so open about me doing anything I wanted. So I got to be more experimental.”

Voelker, a Helene Wurlitzer Foundation fellow, has also created works for the Harwood Art Center, 508 Mural Festival, the City of Albuquerque and various private collections – both nationally and abroad.

The painting, Fire Striker ( 24” x 24” oil on panel), depicts a pair of hands starting a fire, surrounded by nature. To find inspiration, she attended a Foundation staff meeting. When she saw everyone snapping their fingers as a way to give kudos, and the interesting assortment of hands around the room, the idea came to her of those hands sparking positive energy.

“I thought it was a nice metaphor for the work of the Foundation. The work they do sparks something that has the power to light the way,” she says. “Also, multiple fires can be lit from an initial spark, so the impact is far greater than the impact of one spark alone. Together, the staff is creating something beautiful.”

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