Art classes are returning to the Magdalena Public Library, with drawing classes taught by local resident Leo Gabaldon.
Librarian Yvonne Magener said the first class will be Wednesday, Feb. 1, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
“The classes last fall were so popular we decided to do them again,” Magener said. “We encourage everyone age 12 and over to sign up.”

Gabaldon is a cartographer/graphic artist at New Mexico Tech and also teaches a class at the university titled Perspective/Industrial Drawing.
“I started to volunteer to teach a drawing class at the Magdalena library because I felt that that would be a way to give back to the town that basically started me along the path my life has taken,” Gabaldon said. “I try to show students how to see things from an artists point of view.”
He said he likes to teach classical and modern art techniques in perspective drawing and the development of the imagination.

“I want students to draw or paint from a conceptual point of view,” Gabaldon said. “I want students to learn to create art as much a they want to copy from a photo they have taken or an object the actually see. I want students to learn to make a drawing or painting.”

Gabaldon has been involved with drafting and illustrating for most of his life. Beginning when he worked for the VLA as an electromechanical draftsman during his last year in high school and into college.
He also worked for TERA – now EMRTC – as a draftsman and trained as an illustrator, and put in time as a Civil Draftsman for Dennis Engineering.

After college Gabaldon worked in Albuquerque as an illustrator/draftsman for a company called Tech REPs which also sent him to go work for other such companies as Intel, NASA, JPL, and finally doing classified work at Sandia National Labs under DOD and DOE.

As for his class at Magdalena Public Library, “right now we are starting by learning to draw,” Gabaldon said. “I want to just start with graphite pencils. I would like to explore charcoal, ink in the near future. Later on, when everyone is well schooled with drawing I would like everyone to start with color.”
Magener said the library will also be bringing back craft classes in February.

“Craft days will be every third Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon,” she said. “We’ll have a variety of crafts people teaching the classes.”
Also starting in February is the Rosetta Stone Spanish course.
“The course is a self-paced interactive computer program,” Magener said. “We have one computer that is not connected to the internet for the Rosetta Stone lessons. It’s dedicated for language learning. In addition to Spanish, the Navajo language will be offered later in February.”
She said the Rosetta Stone programs are courtesy of the Friends of the Library volunteer group.