Allegra Sleep
Biography
Allegra was born in Nicaragua just as that country was erupting into revolution. She lived in Central and South America until a move brought her to Taos in 1990.
Allegra is primarily self-taught. She works in watercolor and acrylic. Allegra’s bold representations have earned her a place in several publications. She was a finalist in The Artist’s Magazine’s annual art competition; Juror’s Choice in Southwest Art Magazine and Artist’s Choice Award at the Taos Fall Arts festival. Allegra's artwork has also been featured on Taos Mainstreet Utility boxes as well as "Taos IS Art" Lamppost Banners in downtown Taos over the years, most recently in 2021.
Allegra is collected internationally. Her work can be found at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art and Los Comadres Gallery in Taos. Allegra is a signature member and current President of TWS.
Shows
Taos Watercolor Society at the Taos Country Club, Taos NM 2021
Millicent Rogers Museum Annual Miniature Show, Taos NM 2021
Studio 107B Gallery, “What is Love?”, Taos, NM 2020
Millicent Rogers Museum, Annual Miniature Show, Taos, NM 2020
“Time, Travel” Taos Art Museum at Fechin House, Taos, NM Winter 2019 – Solo Show
Studio 107B Gallery, “Love and #metoo”, Taos, NM 2019
Millicent Rogers Museum, Annual Miniature Show, Taos NM 2019
"Water That Sustains", Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, NM 2018
"Best of the Southwest", Taos Watercolor Society, Stables Gallery, Taos NM 2018
Taos Fall Arts Festival, Taos, NM 2018
Millicent Rogers Museum- Annual Miniature Show, Taos, NM 2017
Taos Fall Arts Festival, Taos NM 2017
Park Fine Art, International Tour Show, Albuquerque, New Mexico 2016
Galerie AM Park, International Tour Show, Frankfurt, Germany 2016
Millicent Rogers Museum, Annual Miniature Show, Taos, NM 2016
Millicent Rogers Museum, Annual Miniature Show, Taos, NM 2015
Galerie 89, International Tour Show, Paris, France, 2014
419 Veronese Gallery, International Tour Show, Los Angeles, CA 2014
Park Fine Art, International Tour Show, Albuquerque, NM 2014
Taos Select, Taos, NM 2013
Blumenschein Museum, "Under the Hill" Group Show, 2013
Taos Select, Taos, NM 2012
Blumenschein Museum, Group Show, Taos, NM 2009-2010
Wilder Nightingale Fine Art- Small Works Show, Taos, NM 2008
Taos Open- Taos, NM 2007 (Award)
KRZA 2nd Annual Art Auction- Alamosa, CO 2007
Center for Contemporary Arts- Pushpin Show, Santa Fe, NM 2006
KRZA 1st Annual Art Auction- Alamosa, CO 2006
Taos Open- Taos, NM 2005
Taos Home Grown Gallery- Group Show, Taos, NM 2005
Taos Open- Taos, NM 2005
Taos Artisans Gallery- Solo Show, Taos, NM 2004
Taos Open- Taos, NM 2003
ThinkTank Studio- Group Show, Albuquerque, NM 1999
Bad Ass Coffee- Group Show, Albuquerque, NM 1998
Stables Gallery- Group Show, Taos, NM 1990
Publications
Southwest Art Magazine, "Off the Easel" article feature, May 2021
Southwest Art Magazine, New Mexico Editorial, August 2018
Southwest Art Magazine, “Juror’s Choice” article feature, January 2014
Southwest Art Magazine, “Artists of the Southwest” article feature, August 2014
The Artist’s Magazine, Annual Art Competition, Finalist for Abstract/Experimental, December 2013
Awards
Taos IS Art Lamppost Banner Winner, 2021
Taos IS Art Lamppost Banner Winner, 2018
Juror’s Choice, Southwest Art Magazine 2014
Finalist Abstract/Experimental Category, The Artist’s Magazine Annual Art Competition 2013
Artist’s Choice Award, Taos Fall Arts Open 2007
Contact
Web (Singulart)
Web (Saatchi)
“I live and paint in a small mountain town in Northern New Mexico called Taos. Its name is derived from the Native American Pueblo language Tewa, meaning 'place of red willows'. Located roughly seven thousand feet above sea level in the Sangre de Cristo mountain chain, which is the end of the Rocky Mountains; the geography is as awe-inspiring as its sunsets. Sangre de Cristo is Spanish for 'blood of Christ'. A fitting description for the blood red hue that the mountains turn at sunset. The town consists mainly of square adobe buildings which house both shops and residences. These adobes are built of dried mud bricks, which have fantastic insulative qualities. Their palate of hues are earth toned, the color subtle, yet striking.
The first inhabitants of the area were the Pueblo Indians, and Taos Pueblo is a National Historic Landmark and World Heritage Site, having been inhabited for over 1,000 years. The town of Taos was established in 1615 and dubbed 'Fernandez de Taos' by the Spanish. In 1846, the United States laid claim to the territory of New Mexico, installing its first American governor, Charles Bent, who was killed just four months later in what is called The Taos Revolt. The place of his death is less than a block from where I type this right now. On Bent Street, his home is now the Governor Bent Home and Museum, and is open to the public. According to the story, the women in his family dug a hole through the adobe wall of the house to escape the angry mob that killed Charles. They escaped into an alley which is now called Martyr’s Lane.
Starting in 1899, Taos became known as an artist Mecca, drawing big names from the East Coast and abroad. The Taos Society of Artists was created in 1915, by artists Bert Geer Phillips, Ernest L. Blumenschein, Joseph Henry Sharp, Oscar E. Berninghaus, E. Irving Couse, and W. Herbert Dunton. With the advent of Fred Harvey’s railroad empire at the turn of the century, Taos became even more accessible to artists. Socialite Mabel Dodge Lujan, known for her art salons in Europe and New York, moved to Taos and is responsible for introducing many famous artists and writers to the area. Names we all know, Ansel Adams, Georgia O’Keeffe, the writer D. H. Lawrence. America was enamored with the West, and it needed artists to record and preserve it.
Today, there are close to 100 art galleries in Taos. Located mainly in the historic district: on Bent Street; Kit Carson Road; the Taos Plaza; and Ledoux Street. Organizations like the Taos Gallery Association, the Taos Center for the Arts, the Taos Watercolor Society, and Taos Artist Organization (TAO) unite local artists and galleries, and hold shows, and exhibits throughout town. Taos boasts an art market that competes with much larger cities such as those in New York, and San Francisco. Not bad for a town of 6,000 residents.”
-Allegra Sleep, 2011
