William Lumpkins; Santa Fe Architect, Artist

William Lumpkins, 90, an architect and artist who was one of the early painters in Santa Fe’s art colony days and later was a founder of the Santa Fe Art Institute. Lumpkins championed passive-solar design and created homes that favored flowing room blocks and asymmetrical designs. He designed about 2,000 homes and other buildings in New Mexico, mostly in the Santa Fe area. Examples of his work that have become Santa Fe landmarks include Rancho Encantado and parts of La Fonda and the Inn at Loretto. As an artist, he was best known for bold, abstract acrylics. In 1985, he helped found the art institute. “He was the guiding force behind it,” said Director Carrie Benson. “He had the vision, and he was able to get really big names to come in.” Born on a ranch in eastern New Mexico, Lumpkins was mostly self taught in art and architecture. He took art classes at the University of New Mexico, but once told a reporter for the Albuquerque Journal that he gave them up because he “didn’t want to be a starving artist.” Lumpkins moved to Los Angeles, where he briefly audited architecture classes at USC before returning to New Mexico. A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. March 28 at St. Francis Auditorium at the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe. On Monday in Santa Fe after a long illness.