Celebrating Eldorado Artists in the Heart of New Mexico’s Creative Landscape
Eldorado Arts and Crafts Association promotes the interests of arts and crafts by means of a membership association and sponsors the Eldorado Studio Tour™ and the Spring and Winter shows.
Relive the magic of the 2025 Winter Show!
We’ve put together a full event recap—complete with photos that capture the energy, artwork, and community spirit that made the weekend such a success. Click through to see highlights from the show and enjoy a look back at this festive celebration of Eldorado creativity.
Introducing: News & Announcements
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FEATURED ARTIST
Sam Elkind: Exploring the Quiet Drama of Light and Form
Sam Elkind’s photography invites viewers into a world where the familiar landscapes of the Southwest are reimagined through a uniquely constructed lens. Working exclusively in black-and-white, Sam blends his lifelong mastery of photographic technique with an inventive approach to composition—assembling multiple frames into expressive, collage-like panoramas that reshape our sense of space, history, and perception.
Whether capturing the sculptural cliffs of northern New Mexico, the weathered stonework of ancient ruins, or the delicate winter shadows cast across adobe walls, Sam’s images reflect a deep attentiveness to form. His work often bends or fragments the frame, transforming traditional landscapes into abstract meditations. These assembled images—sometimes sweeping, sometimes intimate—echo the tactile experience of darkroom craft while pushing photography into a realm that feels sculptural and hand-built.
Sam’s creative roots stretch back to the 1970s, when he learned darkroom processes while working at a photo studio in Illinois. Although his professional path later led to a long career in transportation, the discipline and curiosity of those early years remained constant. Over decades of exploring the world through his lens, Sam developed a visual language marked by clarity, restraint, and a literary sense of atmosphere—no surprise given his academic background, holding degrees in English from Lawrence University and the University of Virginia.
Today, in retirement, Sam has returned fully to his art. His recent works—several of which are shown here—demonstrate a striking blend of documentary precision and imaginative reconstruction:
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Stark mesas layered into rhythmic, shifting horizons
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Ruins reconstructed from multiple vantages, forming new architectural forms
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Doorways, shadows, and tree limbs woven into intimate spatial puzzles
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Skyward views of ancient stone walls warped and curved into sculptural voids
These images are not merely photographs; they are re-envisioned spaces, shaped by memory, movement, and the subtle distortions of time. Each piece invites viewers to linger, explore, and reconsider what a landscape—natural or human-built—can reveal when seen from more than one moment at once.
Sam Elkind’s work stands as a compelling testament to the power of black-and-white photography to elevate detail, structure, and emotional resonance. Through his innovative compositions, he expands our understanding of the Southwestern landscape, offering new ways to see the places we think we know.
To explore more of his work, visit Sam Elkind’s website at http://www.samelkind.com