Fourth Estate
In hot pursuit
of the truth...

AWARD WINNER 1997-2003

CLICK ON AWARD TO ENLARGE

FREE WEBSITE THROUGHOUT 
Welcome to Desert Journal Online, established in May 2001 in New Mexico. Our website offers our true crime book, Satan's Den Exposed - The David Parker Ray Story, and poetry and photo collections, Bombshell Liberation and Interference, and provides free access to our featured columns, photos and news archives.











Directory Page
Site Map
best of DJO videos
best of 1000You2b0001 videos
PersecutedEditor videos
BossyAlien videos
LeoDaileyPoet videos

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ THESE! 

Satan's Den Exposed
The David Parker Ray Story

True crime book about a criminal sexual sadist and cohorts busted in kidnap, rape and sexual torture cases in New Mexico
By the Desert Journal's award winning investigative reporting team of Bill Johnson, Fred Mramor & David Pierre

SPECIAL OFFERS EXTENDED

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS!

2012 began in 1999
by Peter Appleseed
of the Kyyboa Tribe
Book about true revolution, civilogy and creating positive alternatives.

BOMBSHELL LIBERATION
&
INTERFERENCE

Poetry & Photo Collections
By Leo Dailey
NEW RELEASES OCTOBER 2006!!!
Electronic Books - $2.95 each ($2 off)
For details, click HERE!

SEE OUR WEB PAGE
ANTI-WARSONGS!!!

VISIT LEO DAILEY'S WEBSITE - www.LeoDailey.com

FOR FREE CLASSIFIED ADS, CLICK HERE!

Desert Journal Online
Contact Information

Bill Johnson
Editor, Publisher & Webmaster
Vic Arvizu
Honorary Web Guru

Electronic mail

desertjournal@hotmail.com

desertjournalonline@yahoo.com

 

Location

We are an electronic submissions only website located in Albuquerque, NM, and have no physical business address.

 

Copyright © 2001-2008 Desert Journal Online
 

Last modified: December 1, 2008

Desert Journal’s
2002 High School Holiday Art Contest

&

Publisher's Choice Award

Cirar, Crawford win DJ’s holiday art contest

Heather Cirar and Theresa Crawford, both seniors at Hot Springs High School, are this year’s winners of the Desert Journal’s 2002 High School Holiday Art Contest.

Cirar beat out a field of 28 entries in the hand drawn division while Crawford’s winning entry was among a dozen in the computer drawn division.

Heather and Theresa, both 17, were named the first place winners after great review and preponderance by this year’s contest judge, artist Don G. Newman of Truth or Consequences.

Newman said he found the winning entries to be outstanding.

“This contest is a keen competition between very talented young people. What imagination! – Showing a zeal for life,” Newman said after making his tough decisions.

Behind Cirar in the hand drawn competition, John R. Baquera, 16, a sophomore at HSHS, placed second and Savannah Taggart, 16, HSHS junior, took third. The judge awarded an honorable mention to Ashley Johnson, 14, a freshman at HSHS.

In the computer drawn contest, Crystal Sullivan, 17, a senior at HSHS and who was last year’s winner, placed second and Quinton Riley, 16, a junior at HSHS, took third place. Again, the judge awarded an honorable mention to Jesse Weber, 16, also a junior at HSHS.

Judging was based on originality, content, design and workmanship, but Newman said he additionally invoked his own criteria for imagination.

Cash prizes were presented Tuesday morning including $75 for each first place winner, $50 for the second place winners and $25 for third, for total cash prizes amounting to $300.

The contest taps on students’ talent in designing a greeting card for the holidays and provides them the opportunity to be recognized by having their artwork published in the Desert Journal’s Christmas supplement, besides winning a cash prize for their holiday vacation.

This year’s supplement is different in that the cover features the artwork of the winning entry by Heather Cirar.

“It is a gorgeous piece of art and we wanted to showcase the best of the best in our seventh annual Christmas supplement,” the DJ publishers said. “Cirar’s entry thus earns the Publisher’s Choice Award - the first ever given in seven years - for the 2002 contest.”

“It is our sponsors who make the prize money and the publication of the Christmas supplement possible. Both we at the Desert Journal and our contest participants salute the sponsors,” the publishers said.

<<<   >>>

…Hand Drawn Winners

These three students of Hot Springs High School were winners in the hand drawn division of the Desert Journal’s 2002 Holiday Art Contest: Heather Cirar, senior, first place (center); John R. Baquera, sophomore, second place; and Savannah Taggart, junior, third place.

…Computer Drawn Winners

These two Hot Springs High School students were winners in the computer drawn division of the Desert Journal’s 2002 Holiday Art Contest: Theresa Crawford, senior, first place (left); and Crystal Sullivan, senior, second place. Quinton Riley, junior, (not shown), took third place.

…Folk artist of great expression

Don Newman, this year’s judge for the Desert Journal’s Holiday Art Contest for high school students, said he prefers to paint with acrylics while outside because the paint dries faster than oils and watercolors. Here he is viewed at Ralph Edwards Park last Sunday afternoon during Art in the Park in which he hopes to sell his small flower painting for at least “five bucks.”

DJ photos by Bill Johnson

Profile of this year’s contest judge

Don G. Newman - Folk

Artist of Southwest NM

By Bill Johnson

of the Desert Journal

“What one thing would you want people to know about you as an artist or about your art?”

This question was posed to Don G. Newman, “folk” artist and founder of the Sunday in the Park event at Ralph Edwards Park but better known for his connection to the Dog Soldiers of the Vacant Lots Art Association.

Not even hesitating, this artist of more than four decades knew exactly what he wants people to know about him and answered instantly, “I enjoy sharing my art with others.”

“I got into art because of a strong desire to record my history – my being here,” said Newman, whose origins in art come from what he calls the “Beat Era” of the period from 1959-63.

The Beat Era, he says, found his murals on the walls of beer joints and taverns from Sioux City, Iowa, to San Francisco, CA, and down the West Coast to Ensenada, Mexico. Most of the muralists’ paintings were in Riverside, CA, along Mission Boulevard at Glen Avon.

Newman has continued to produce art in a primitive Southwest American expression.

In 1985 his desire increased to capture the essence of a little known lifestyle, that of the homeless. Newman thus focused his efforts on the many aspects of homelessness with the concept of The Dog Soldiers of the Vacant Lots (later formed as an art association) and a vision of La Nia de la Tierra Vacante (Girl of the Vacant Lots nurturing the lost).

Newman relocated into an artists’ colony on Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, NM. He said he lived in Santa Fe 12 years before moving to T or C a decade ago.

He said he recorded much of his New Mexico experience from within the seamy side of the Santa Fe art community, “having collaborated with and painted the many real folks.”

Don also is known for his sculpting of “Road Side Crosses,” which he distributes annually starting Good Friday and ending Easter day. “I’ve been doing the crosses for 30 years and art for 40 years.”

Many of Don’s crosses may be viewed on New Mexico highways, usually at fatal crash sites.

During his years in Santa Fe, Newman’s art was shown and sold at many northern New Mexico galleries and markets. His art also received special notice at recovery and spiritual awareness events, he said.

In Truth or Consequences, Don says he continues to create “evocative art” and incites creative individuals in Southwest New Mexico with two art shows annually – the Dog Soldiers Reunion in the spring and the Outside Art Show in the fall.

He goes to art in the park at Ralph Edwards Park each Sunday and participates in community art affairs, including this year’s Desert Journal holiday art contest for high school students.

Newman said he appreciated the opportunity to share in this year’s event, which featured 40 art entries from “very talented young people” with a great imagination.

Newman’s art is offered in many area stores and galleries and he also has a small collection hanging on the walls of the Desert Journal’s office, as do the works of a couple more of his peers of the Dog Soldiers of the Vacant Lots Art Association.

<<<   >>>

For a complete copy of the Desert Journal’s Christmas Supplement (containing most of the students' entries) and the December 20, 2002 Issue, (24 pages, all black & white newspaper) send $2.00 (two dollars) for handling and postage to:

Desert Journal

111 N. Date St.

Truth or Consequences, NM 87901

Offer limited to locations handled by USPS first class mail within the USA.  If outside of the United States, send $5.00 (five dollars) for handling and postage.