Searching for Beyul is a comprehensive overview of the artistic career of Albuquerque, New Mexico artist Jane Abrams. Starting with major paintings completed in spring of 2021, the book takes the reader on a voyage back through time, ending with her first print, created at the dawn of her career in the late 1960's. The pages in between include examples from every major series of works created over the course of Abrams' artistic journey, including the turbulent and vibrant botanical paintings that are her trademark, her seldom-seen polychrome wood carvings, and masterfully executed hand-pulled prints. The book includes an introduction by the editor, Troy L Buchleiter, Director of New Concept Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The title reflects Abrams' artistic and spiritual journey. "Ancient Sanskrit texts tell of hidden lands high in the Himalayas, abounding in vegetation and wildlife found nowhere else on earth," Abrams writes. "The ancient words tell of wild rivers encircling mountain peaks and majestic waterfalls that guard the entrance to what is believed to be the mythical place of 'Beyul', a Tibetan word referring to a place where the physical and spiritual worlds mingle." "As I venture beyond my studio, whether the destination is the jungles of Costa Rica, forests of Maine or the fields and acequias near my home in New Mexico, I think of the hidden places spoken of in the historic writings. I observe the plants where I am as though they were the mythical residents of Beyul. My continuing thoughts of 'Beyul' over the years have spawned an ongoing group of paintings depicting larger than life plants and the magical places they inhabit. My intent is for the paintings to be that place where the physical and spiritual worlds mingle." About the Author / Artist: For nearly five decades, Jane Abrams has lived & worked in the village of Los Ranchos, a quiet community nestled in the Rio Grande valley near Albuquerque, New Mexico. "The familiar fields, desert, acequias and rivers near my home have readily provided a rich source for my paintings," she says. "Over the years I have also, through travel, found inspiration in my sensory wanderings around the globe. I have walked in the ancient ruins and jungles of Mexico and Central America, cloud forests of Guatemala, along rivers in India and in the mountainous regions of Thailand and China. Other journeys have taken me to The Netherlands and Spain." Most recently Abrams was selected as a recipient of The Tao Hua Tan International Artist Residency in Anhui Provence, China. In previous years she has been honored with artist residencies at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska; The Robert M. MacNamara Foundation, Westport Island, Maine; and the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Award, Roswell, New Mexico. Abrams also has received international residency awards at the Fundación Valparaiso in Mojácar, Spain and the Julia and David White Artist' Colony in Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica. "I have continued to enjoy how landscape painting is as much a revelation of the facets of the mind, as it is an exploration of the wonders of the natural world." Over the course of her career Jane has exhibited her work extensively. She has received recognition through numerous prestigious awards including a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and two senior National Endowment for the Arts grants. She has been honored with many artist-in-residencies and is Regents' Professor Emerita from the University of New Mexico, where she taught in the Department of Art from 1971 until 1993. For a complete résumé and more, please visit the artist's website at www.janeabramsstudio.com

Contains a resource for 4th and 5th grade teachers who desire to learn how to produce original plays and perform them for a video with their students.