Claire Kahn’s Winter in Jacona.
A celebration of color, a celebration of light.

Claire Kahn returns to Patina to introduce her latest solo exhibition, Winter in Jacona.

This is a time where the days get shorter and where a humble serenity blankets the Pojoaque Valley. Winter in Jacona features a collection of works born from the subtle colors and rich textures that populate the area of Jacona, NM where Kahn has lived since 2016.

Situated alongside a beautiful, lush pasture, the Jemez Mountains sit in Kahn’s forefront. A pond, surrounded by cattails and reeds, caresses the edge of her studio and the sweet sounds of nature echo near and far. 

Observing the flourishing winter landscape around her, Kahn transforms the moment, using light, color, texture and transition. Within her necklaces and bracelets, she achieves a visual composition, gleaned from the discerning use of glass beads and precise arrangement of jewels and stones. Each entity is a micro-impression, joined to convey an overarching artistic expression influenced by the environment around her.

“The environment inspires me for color. I love the idea of doing seasonal things. I find the four seasons an inspiration and living here in New Mexico is inspiring for that reason”

Claire Kahn

Shining from within toasty adobe homes in the brisk winter grounds, colors dance through the pitched evergreens and ornaments hung.

Capturing the brilliance before her, Kahn compliments the serene winter whites of a beaded chord with scored reflective glass beads that sparkle along its surface.

A new piece by Kahn exudes moonstone charms, encapsulated by rings of high karat gold. The moonstone extends beyond the usual boundaries of the cylindrical glass beads and travels proudly along Kahn’s wintry passage. 

Kahn’s Winter in Jacona is an interpretation of her varying perspective upon the advent of wintertide in Northern New Mexico. Her work echoes the rhythm of sensuous progression and celestial beauty, harnessing the rich luster of the holiday season and the enduring beauty of winter in the Pojoaque Valley.