ARTIST STATEMENT
Laurie Celine Balliett
For me, every painting begins with a sense of place. My paintings are rooted in two landscapes: the shores of Cape Cod, where I began painting, and the mountains, canyons, and rivers of Northern New Mexico, where I found my artistic home. My plein air and studio oil paintings reflect a lifelong passion for wild places, both East and West. My intuitive sense of color harmony, expressive palette knife and bold brushwork capture the immediacy of landscapes, intimate settings, the animals that share our world. I sometimes include evidence of humans with a sprinkling of architecture throughout my oil paintings as well.
My work explores what I call a sense of place: the emotional connection that emerges when we pay close attention to the natural world. Whether painting outdoors in the moment or later in the studio from memory and experience, I strive to translate not only what I see, but what I intuit, onto the canvas.
My journey to painting has been shaped by years of teaching philosophy, ethics, women's studies, working as a naturalist in environmental education, and writing. Together, these disciplines strengthened my belief that we are inseparably connected to the natural world and to all living beings, a perspective that continues to guide both my paintings and my life.
In 2009, I came to Taos for what was planned as a two-week visit and stayed for five months, painting daily with local plein air artists. The landscape and creative community resonated deeply with me, and in 2013 I made Taos my permanent home.
I have exhibited in New Mexico, Colorado, and Massachusetts, and my work is held in private collections throughout the United States and abroad.
My paintings are available at the Ammann Gallery in Taos. Prints and greeting cards are available at the Harwood Museum Store and Confluence at Taos Ski Valley.
To learn more about my artistic journey, vist "My Journey" page.
Laurie's Art Biography
Laurie Celine Balliett
PO Box 989
El Prado, NM 87529
www.laurieballiett.com
(508) 237-9499
laurie@laurieballiett.com
Artist Bio:
Exhibitions and Galleries
Present - 2021, Ammann Gallery, Taos, NM Originals, prints, and cards
Present - 2022, Harwood Art Museum Store, prints and cards
Present - 2024, Confluence, Taos Ski Valley
2025 -- 2023 Western Regional Art in Public Places Recipient, University of New Mexico Hospital, Tower, installed Fall 2025.
2024 - 2022, Taos Museum at the Fechin House, Selected Originals
2026 Millicent Rogers Museum, Miniature Show Fundraiser.
2025-2026 Winter Lamp Post Banner Artist, Town of Taos & Taos Arts Council, October - April.
2025- Summer Lamp Post Banner Artist, Town of Taos & Taos Arts Council, April - October.
2025 - Millicent Rogers Museum, Miniatures Show Fundraiser.
2024 - Millicent Rogers Auction, October through November.
2021 - Present, Ammann Gallery, Taos, NM Originals, prints, and cards
2022 - Present, Harwood Art Museum Gift Shop, framed prints and cards
2024 - Spring Light Post Banner Artist, Town of Taos & Taos Arts Council April - October.
2024 - Millicent Rogers Museum, Miniatures Show Fundraiser. February.
2023 - Present Confluence at The Taos Ski Valey, Prints and Cards
2023-2024 Winter Light Post Banner Artist, Town of Taos & Taos Arts Council, November 2023 - April 2024
2023 - Summer Lamp Post Banner Artist, Town of Taos & Taos Arts Council, April - October.
2023 Taos Fall Arts Festival, September.
2023 - Millicent Rogers Museum, Miniatures Show Fundraiser. February.
2022 - Taos Arts Council, “Random Art Show” Taos Center for the Arts, People’s Choice Award.
2022 Taos Fall Arts Festival, September.
2021 Taos Fall Arts Festival, September.
2020 Brewster Ladies’ Library, Brewster, MA, Feb. 2020 Solo show, High Altitude Landscapes of Northern New Mexico, Large Paintings.
2019 Inkberry Books, Niwot, Colorado, September, 2019.
2019 Taos Center for the Arts Juried Solo Show, The Taos Historic Inn January - May.
2018 Farmhouse Cafe and Gallery solo show, January - March
2017 Millicent Rogers Museum Miniature show, January-February, Taos, NM
2016 Farmhouse Cafe and Gallery solo show, December 2016 - February 2017
2016 Taos Open, Fall Arts Festival, September 2015
2015 Taos Artist Collective, May, June 2015
2015 Taos Select, Taos Fall Arts Festival, September 2015
2015 Millicent Rogers Museum Miniature show, January-February, Taos, NM.
2014 - 2018 Desert Dolphin Art Studio, El Prado, NM
2014 Taos Community Arts, Quick Draw and Auction, Taos, NM
2014 Taos Fall Arts Festival, Taos Open, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Taos, NM
2014 Charles Collins Gallery, Taos, NM
2013, 2012, 2011 Laurie Balliett Fine Art Studio, Eastham, MA
2013 Solo show: Salt Pond Visitors Center, Cape Cod National Seashore, Eastham, MA
2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 Orleans Medical Center Gallery, East Orleans, featured artist.
2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 Provincetown Art Association, Provincetown, MA
2013, 2012, Addison Art Gallery, Orleans, MA, Plein Air Paint Out Shows and Receptions
2012, Moab Utah Plein Air Paint Out, Quick Draw, and Group Show, Moab, UT
2012 Dancing Turnip Gallery, Provincetown, MA
2011 Cotuit Arts Center, Cotuit, MA, “Wild Things” Juried Show
2010 Three Fish and a Ram, Mashpee, MA
2010 Solo Show, Rockland Trust Bank: “New Paintings by Laurie Balliett”
2009 Solo Show, Brewster Ladies Library, “High and Low Altitude Landscapes of New Mexico and Cape Cod”
2009 Anna Karin Gallery, Truchas New Mexico, “Taos Paintings”
2009, 2008, Cape Cod Art Association, Barnstable, MA, various member shows.
2006, Dairy Center for the Arts, group show, Boulder Colorado
Teaching:
October 2022, Ghost Ranch Plein-air Palette Knife, co-taught with Michelle Chrisman
May 2023 and 2024 Private Group at Ghost Ranch, Plein Air Palette Knife.
Ongoing: Private Individual and Group Lessons
Affiliations:
Taos Arts Council, Artist Member
Taos Center for the Arts, Artist Member
New Mexico Plein Air Painters, 2022 - 2025
Oil Painters of America 2014 - 2025
Taos Plein Air Painters 2014 - present
Provincetown Art Association, Artist Member 2008 - 2018
Cape Cod Arts Foundation, Artist Member 2009 - 2014
Cape Cod Art Association, juried Artist member 2008 - 2013
Education
Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts BA Philosophy, 1994
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado MA Philosophy, 1998
Cape Cod Community College, W. Barnstable, MA 1989 to 1991 transferred to MHC
Contact
PO Box 989
El Prado, NM 87529
Feel free to call or email me about any paintings you'd like to purchase, or if you have questions about my work.
508.237.9499
Connect with the Artist
