Coming Soon: Screenings at Santa Fe Film Center Sept. 19-25

'Maynard Dixon Art and Spirit' will return to the Santa Fe Film Center for three nights, Friday 9/19 through Sunday, 9/21. Showtimes are at 8:15 pm. By popular demand, there will also be a Sunday matinee at 4:15pm, 9/21. Producer/Director, Jayne McKay will be present at all of the screenings.

Just added! The Film Center have added two additional screenings: Tues. 9/23 and Thurs. 9/25, both are at 8:15pm. I won't be able to attend these, I need to return to L.A. to work on my newest project. I'd love to hear from anyone who attends, you can write me at: info@maynarddixondoc.com.

The film was an official selection at last year's Santa Fe film festival, and I'm really looking forward to returning to New Mexico. I met so many great people at those screenings, lots of fans of Maynard Dixon's art and other's who had never heard of Maynard Dixon, but were curious about the film. Their enthusiastic response to the film was very heartwarming for me, because my primary intention for producing the film was to introduce Dixon's art and life to people who hadn't ever heard of him or seen his work. Those who already know his art often stick around to thank me for producing the film, and for teaching them more about this remarkable artist, his colorful life and his unique talents.

I've spoken to my friend Dyanna Taylor about joining me for an informal panel after one or two of the screenings. Dyanna is an award-winning cinematographer, a Santa Fe resident, and is producing a film about photographer, Dorothea Lange, Dixon's second wife. She is also the granddaughter of Dorothea Lange, so she has a personal and unique perspective on Dixon and Lange to share. I'm hopeful that we can arrange to have her fit this into her busy schedule.

The Film Center, a division of The Santa Fe Film Festival, is occupying the theater wing of the former Cinemacafe and offers year-round film programming at the 125-seat theater. The Film Center at Cinemacafe opened in May, 2005 and is located at 1616 St. Michael’s Drive, in the St. Michael’s Village West Shopping Center. The Film Center serves as an exhibition hall, as a networking hub for film professionals and as the focal point for the festival’s educational programs. For further information and tickets, call (505)988-7414.

This Friday & Saturday! Screening at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center

Award-winning film on western artist Maynard Dixon to show at BBHC
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center presents the award-winning documentary, Maynard Dixon: Art and Spirit, on August 8 and 9 in the Coe Auditorium. Showings are at 1 and 3 p.m. on August 8 and at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. on August 9. The feature-length film about Dixon, known for his ability to capture the brilliant southwestern sunlight in his paintings, won the 2008 Spur Award for Best Documentary from the Western Writers of America. The screenings are included with regular admission to the historical center.

The film’s producer and director, Jayne McKay, hosts each screening and takes questions from the audience after the film. “I’ve always felt that Dixon is truly one of the finest American artists who ever painted in the West,” says McKay. “Artists all revere Dixon and credit him as a genius for his understanding of light and his ability to mix colors that are so accurate on canvas.” She will sell copies of the documentary following the screenings.

Art and Spirit chronicles the life and art of Dixon and was written by McKay and Daniel Dixon, the artist’s son. It is narrated by Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton, herself a collector of Dixon’s work. John McEuen, a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and a Grammy-award winner, wrote and performed the film’s soundtrack. Singer/songwriter Don Edwards brings Dixon’s own words to life.

Over four hundred of Dixon’s works appear in the documentary, as well as portraits of the artist by photographer Ansel Adams and family photos taken by Dixon’s second wife, documentary photographer Dorothea Lange. Rare audio by Lange also enriches the film. She once said of her husband, “When he was with the cowboys, he was the sophisticated artist; while when he was with the artists, he was a cowboy.”

Two of Dixon’s paintings appear in the Whitney Gallery of Western Art’s online collection here. Click on “Artist,” then Dixon’s name to view.

Start any journey into the American West at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, open daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through September 15. Devoted to western cultural and natural history, the center is comprised of the Buffalo Bill Museum, Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Plains Indian Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, Draper Museum of Natural History, and McCracken Research Library. For general information, visit www.bbhc.org or call 307.587.4771.