Our Artists in Residence

Like so many professionals in the Monte Sereno community, the path of my life, including employment, has had its twists and turns. For thirty years I was a monk, now thirty years married. When neighbors ask What did you do before moving to Santa Fe? I have learned to say, “That depends on the decade.” I not only changed jobs every ten years, I changed professions. First I was a chemist, then psychologist, and finally an executive in national healthcare settings. I doubt that my professional twists and turns were different from many others living in Monte Sereno.

I’ve heard it said that now it is time for retirement. That is surely not how I feel. Was it Picasso who said that we should distrust anyone who calls himself an artist? That is a task for others to determine. I work in two studios (Santa Fe Clay and Santa Fe Community College) beside many artists, both established and aspiring. They refer to me an artist. Though flattered, I prefer to think of myself as an amateur, meaning a lover of something. In my case, it is sculpture. I use the mediums of ceramic and steel. T.S. Eliot said that poetry is a “raid on the inarticulate.” That reflects exactly what I am trying to do everyday in the studio….that is, to say something through sculpture.

If you have time, google my website at martinhelldorfer.com. Let me know what you think. I would relish a critique or a simple comment. My email is mhelldorfe@aol.com. If you prefer, my cell is 505.603.9102.

Living within Monte Sereno has been a blessing for Theresa and me. It is a community of diverse, gifted, and generous individuals. Thank you for being neighbors.