A mother and daughter, both lifetime artists, have teamed up for an art show that started last Friday evening at the Cortez Cultural Center.

The M.A.D. exhibit is named for “Mother And Daughter.”

Cortez resident Vivienne Kenyon and her daughter, Melissa McIntyre, who lives in Rio Rancho, N.M. teamed up to showcase nearly 100 pieces of artwork. The artwork comes from pieces that they have created during their lifetimes.

McIntyre said the art showing was secondary, with the special part of the exhibit coming from working with her mother for their very first show. McIntyre said what made it more special is that her mom is 85 years old and still very active.

McIntyre said her mother never pushed her toward an art career, but while growing up she always saw an example of an artist at work when she observed her mom always painting. McIntyre said her love of art grew from there.

McIntyre humbly says that she is nowhere close to her mom when it comes to painting ability.

“My mom is an awesome painter,” she said. “Without a doubt she is amazing.”

McIntyre said she cannot remember the first time she picked up a paint brush, but added for as long as she remembers, she has been either painting or drawing.

“I have probably been painting for about 20 years, but this is our first real show,” she said.

Teaming up with her mom the “awesome painter” makes the exhihibit very special for McIntyre, saying that it is wonderful and means so much that she was able to team up with her mom for this.

“She is 85, and this has been a great experience,” she said.

Kenyon said words cannot describe how wonderful it was to team up with her daughter for the showing.

“It is one of the highlights of my life,” she said. “She is not only my painting partner, but she is my adorable daughter and one of my best friends,” Kenyon said.

She said it was obvious from an early age that her daughter was following in her footsteps as evidenced by the animals McIntyre made with clay as a child. Kenyon remembers the little bear figurines McIntyre created.

“She had all of this creative urging at an early age,” she said during Friday’s art showing, as many people passed by to congratulate her.

Kenyon said she knew when she was a teenager that she wanted to be an artist because of the desire to create something from scratch.

When the cultural center offered Kenyon and McIntyre the building for its first art show, they were told that if they did not have enough artwork for the walls the center could add some of its own.

Kenyon and her daughter brought in more art renderings than the center could handle, and was asked to take some of the paintings back home.

“I have a lifetime of stuff,” she said. “I am 85 years old.”

The paintings showcased at the showing were created in her adult life, Kenyon said because this is when she turned the corner with her art.



michaelm@cortezjournal.com