Open to interpretation: Artist Kalina Schulz fell into painting thanks to the pandemic

May 16—Some observers tell the artist Kalina Schulz her figures remind them of the Surrealist Salvador Dalí.

Others say they resemble fairies, dancers, even aliens.

The Albuquerque-based artist insists they are all open to interpretation.

Now showing her series of work at Santa Fe's San Francisco Street Gallery, Schulz says she fell into painting thanks to the pandemic.

After growing up in Madrid, New Mexico, and the remote jungles of Belize, Schulz moved to the concrete canyons of New York to become an actress. She was successful, too, appearing in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" as a cocktail waitress and in a DWI commercial that aired during the Super Bowl.

"I'm chasing my keys," she said with a laugh. "That was my first time doing stunts, which was fun."

Then came the pandemic.

Schulz moved back to Albuquerque to return to her family. She traveled to Chaco Canyon with a friend. It changed her life.

"We were just meditating and we ended up seeing a couple of these figures," she said.

A month later, she began sketching those figures obsessively, then turned them into watercolors. Her father said, "If you don't try to get into an art gallery, I'll be disappointed in you, because these very much have potential."

Soon she was selling her work in Austin, Texas, at Old Town's Romero Street Gallery and at Santa Fe's Houshang Gallery. She's been at San Francisco Street Gallery for about a year.

A self-taught artist, she was coy about the meaning behind her current acrylic on canvas and board paintings.

"They're definitely anthropomorphic," Schulz said. "I tentatively call them 'The Others,' but they're open to interpretation.

"I give them a name and let them speak for themselves."

She names them with ancient languages derived from Aboriginal, Sanskrit and Mayan cultures.

"Tianlong" was named for the Chinese dragon, she said.

"It's one of the most important dragons. Clients say it reminds them of a mother figure because of the three kids."

"Thuja Plicata" came from the stories of the Northwest Coast people. Schulz said it was a tree of life, like the redwoods the Indigenous people use in ceremonies. The 13 figures represent the number for female in Sanskrit, she said.

"They make redwood boxes and use them for both birth and death ceremonies," Schulz said. "It does seem like a tree of life with this egg in the center."

"Pan Ch'eel" is the Mayan name for the toucan, Schulz said.

"Everything else is open to interpretation."

At the gallery opening, Schulz gave a percentage of the profits to Albuquerque's Pink Warrior House, a nonprofit devoted to providing support for breast cancer survivors.

"They create a community around it," Schulz said. "They offer reiki and yoga, as well as painting classes and therapy."

Schulz's mother died of a brain tumor when she was 2 years old.

"It has stayed with me throughout my life," she said.

She has already amassed about 2,000 collectors. She plans to continue in this series "because of how much it has touched people."

"It's 50% me and 50% the figure," she added. "It feels very much like a relationship between me and the figures. My goal is to get a show in New York."