The American Southwest is a magical place and no place more so than the oldest capitol city in the U.S., as well as the oldest European settlement west of the Mississippi – yes, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Founded c.1609 by Don Pedro de Peralta, a conquistador from Spain, today it is the cultural capitol of the Southwest. It celebrates the history of the Native-American peoples of the region, as well as its Spanish colonial past, its Mexican past, and its American present. Art reigns in Santa Fe, whether it is in the galleries, on the streets and parks, as when Indian Market happens (August) or Spanish Market (July), or just the Native American artists who set up shop under the ramada of the Governors’ Palace, just off the Plaza in the downtown area. That artistry also includes fine dining and some very good wines. Let’s explore.
It goes without saying that the grand vistas of blue-violet flattop mountains spotting the terrain are to be expected because almost everyone has seen the wonderful work of Georgia O’Keeffe. If not, then once you arrive in Santa Fe, prepare to go to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, 217 Johnson Street in Santa Fe (timed-tickets required) okeeffemuseum.org However, there are other icons of the Southwest to visit.
These pieces by Bill Worrell are among his Makers of Peace series
Certainly when arriving downtown to begin a gallery hop, one sees these gigantic metal pieces outside of the Worrell Gallery. The story goes that Bill Worrell (1935-2021) was caught in a violent rainstorm when canoeing on the Pecos River in 1979. He and his companions took shelter under a rock cliff and discovered petroglyphs, the ancient rock art of the Southwest. Worrell was inspired to interpret this prehistoric rock art in metal. His work has become iconic, and seeing these large pieces outside the gallery is as good a welcome to the Southwest as one might get.
Of course, Santa Fe is noted for its various landscape artists, whose styles range from the strictly representational (see OfArtandWine.com “West, Southwest: Bierstadt, O’Keeffe, and Baum” ) to that which is more abstracted. Here in Berning’s work, the basics of a landscape are all there: blue sky, a stand of trees, some brush on a shallow riverbank, and a reflection. The artist creates distance with shape and colors, with the green of the trees distinquishing them from those orange ones just behind. They, in turn, from the indistinct forest of orange that itself sits in front of a distant range of blue-violet mountains, which peek through on the right corner. In the foreground, the indication of water has neither the color of the sky or the orange trees but rather fades into an indistinct pinkish-beige, which allows that colorful stand of trees to stand out against the blue of the sky. It is landscape interpreted by the artist’s eye.
However, landscape is not all there is to see. Some of the most exciting new and different work is done by Cara Romero, who uses photography to tap into the cultural mix of the Southwest to draw forth exciting images. Romero lives and works in Santa Fe, but was born into the Chemehuevi tribe in California. In Oil Boom (just below), the central figure seems to be caught up in the grimey brine of oil sludge. His arms seem to be raised in protest, while the lower body resembles a big glob of crude. The model floats because the photo was done underwater. The model is another Santa Fe artist who deals with social protest, Cannupa Luger, a native of the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, which went through the protests in 2016 against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The contrast between the surface images of oil rigs pumping away and the damage done underneath brings the startling reality of the situation into perspective.
Oil Boom (upper image) and a Water Memory (lower image) both are underwater photography by Cara Romero for article by Gussie Fauntleroy, “Tapping the Regenerative Power of Art.” cararomerophotography.com
In her Water Memories series, Romero explores the powers of water. Most humans think of water as something that restores one, hence why we love hot springs, or the ocean, or just a swimming pool. Maybe it is just pre-natal memory, but the way water surrounds us and holds us is a powerful experience. Romero’s floating woman rises to the surface like some primordial creature destined to remind us that life on this planet began in the waters. Romero uses the Water Memories as a way to comment upon climate change and the rising waters of the oceans, as well as the flooding experienced on some tribal lands because of dam building.
When speaking of the primordial, Mark Spencer, goes there. This can be seen in First Flowers #1, in which he envisions what one of earth’s first flowering plants would have looked like. It, too, is depicted near a large body of water with a sky of gathering dark clouds (from some smoldering volcano?) and to help in the reproductive process, a hummingbird, surely a recent (at that time) descendant of a teradactyl.
Spencer also comments on what is happening to the planet in terms of climate change.
In a barren landscape, cracked earth stretches to a horizon from which night is falling upon a line of dusty looking clouds. In the midst of this hopelessness sits a wonderous object of blue frills with a soft greenish interior that looks oddly alive. As mysterious as the bleak obelisque in Kubrik’s 2001 Space Odyssey, rather than being ominus, it seems to offer a strange hope for rebirth, change, and the miraculous. “Hope springs eternal even under overwhelming circumstances…,” says Spencer. His Blue Baroque in this desolate landscape certainly gives one things to ponder.
DRAWING NOT PAINTING
“I came to the conclusion that the world didn’t need another painter,” said James Drake
That fateful comment was made by an artist who decided that drawing was the basis of everything “painting, sculpture, even film.” Drake does wonderful things as you can see in the piece below called Exit Juárez, in which he shows a body being tattooed the old fashioned way – by hand – with a toothbrush with bristles replaced by a needle.
It was James Drake’s work that I chose to use as a social media teaser for this blog article on Santa Fe and art. As someone who likes to draw but never had great success with the human figure, I was in awe of this artist’s skill and chose these pages from Trend Magazine‘s article “Making His Mark,” about James Drake, to show his talent. The work in total is called Can We Know the Sound of Forgiveness. Forgiveness is as naked a truth as we wll ever know, so his choice of these figures is quite appropriate.
For more of a studio visit to see James Drake’s work, go to this article on southwestcontemporary.com.
No, the above is not a painting. It is where you go to rest and contemplate the art that you have seen while cruising the galleries of downtown Santa Fe. There is a lot going on in terms of art in the galleries both downtown and on the famous Canyon Road, as well as in these artists’ studios. So when you go to Santa Fe, grab a gallery guide, and any of the magazines that fill you in on what is happening with art in the area. You will be glad you did.
Special thanks to my friend, designer and pastel artist, Sandra Pérez, a long-time Santa Fe resident who was my hostess with the mostest. Find out more about her work in this article from The Art Blog on vernellestudio.com.
Articles used for this post are from Trend, Art+Design+Culture and to read more fascinating information on the arts go to trendmagazineglobal.com
Images of artwork are used in accordance with Fair Use Policy for purposes of critique and discussion.
Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com or her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com and etsy.com/shop/VernelleArt Studio.
Ah, the Wine!
As Rafferty’s illustration points out, New Mexico is a fanciful collection of many things, including that little drawing of a wine bottle and glass. Wine grapes in New Mexico! Isn’t it too much of a desert for that? Au contraire mes chers amis! New Mexico’s sandy soil allows for excellent drainage, while its desert climate allows for hot days and cool nights, which the vines love as that keeps the acidity in the grapes. That climate also keeps pests and rot away from the vines, while the high altitudes (400 to 6,700 feet) produce thicker skins, giving stronger tannins and more concentrated color. The only downside is the potential for freezes in spring and later in the harvesting season. Of course, that might prompt some to do what the Germans did in the 1700s when faced with a hard freeze – make ice wines. (Read about the creation of ice wines in this post ofartandwine.com.)
Don Pedro de Peralta founded Santa Fe in 1609, and the growing of wine grapes came in 1629. Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe became the primary wine producing regions in what became the state of New Mexico. La Chiripada Winery is the oldest in New Mexico and located in the Rio Embudo Valley about 50 miles north of Santa Fe in the direction of Taos. The name means
“a stroke of luck,” and given that the vineyards are at 6,100 feet, their location in a good micro-climate is indeed lucky. Though the growing season is short, La Chiripada produces good Rhone reds and Kabinett Rieslings, along with their famous Primavera (spring) wine which goes well with those equally famous New Mexican chiles.
La Chiripada does not stop with just producing good wines. It has also taken advantage of the beautiful natural environment of that river valley by joining with Far Flung Adventures to provide a Wine and Waves package that can include river trips (paddleboat, oars, or kayak), biking, or hiking, along with wine tasting and food pairings.
At 6,000 feet, Vivác also has one of the world’s highest vineyards. The name means “high altitude refuge.” This photo shows what makes this New Mexican vineyard such a special site. That magnificent outcropping of rock at the end of the field of vines puts one squarely in Georgia O’Keeffe territory. Started by two brothers, Jesse and Chris Padberg and their wives, the idea of becoming vintners arose from Jesse’s visit to Chile and his wanting to do something with a degree in Spanish Literature. A call to his brother, a maker of fruit wines, prompted more enthusiasm. They wound up creating three Estate Vineyards, which allow them to craft their own wines with everything done by hand. Yes, by hand, and through their studies at UC Davis and with the International Wine Guild, they have built a team that combines “science and art” to create their wines. On top of that HGTV included Vivác Winery among its 22 most beautiful wineries.
Gruet (pronounced Grew-ay) was founded by a Frenchman, Gilbert Gruet in 1984 and specializes in making sparkling wines using the traditional méthode champénoise developed in France. The winery is located in Albuquerque but has a tasting room in Santa Fe at the Hotel St. Frances, 210 Don Gaspar Ave. The wines range in prices from $15 to the $125.00 Magnum trio shown here. Contact the winery when in Santa Fe for tasting appointments. (505) 989-9463
One of the best ways to sample some of New Mexico’s wine offerings is to visit a wine bar or attend the annual Wine and Chile Fiesta (September 21-25, 2022). Several of the best places to get good wines by the glass are 315 Restaurant and Wine Bistro, Hervé’s Wine Bar, and Terracotta Wine Bistro. Often listed at the top of the 10 Best list for tasting wines, 315 Restaurant and Wine Bistro serves French-based cuisine, including French Fried Chicken and Steak and Frites, along with a great list of interesting, high quality wines. Hervé’s Wine Bar has 5 flights of wine, each are four, 2oz pours, and range from flights of reds, to Heritage wines, to Sparkling wines, along with a range of glorious food. Finally the Terracotta Wine Bistro has over 200 bottles of wine with 25 of them available for by-the-glass purchase. This provides good opportunities for tasting a variety of wines.
The Wine and Chile Fiesta is an annual event in Santa Fe and though the combination of chile and wine might make one wonder, in fact, there are a number of sensational food combinations to experience. Though it was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is back in full force. Check the website to see Who’s Pouring and Who’s Cooking santafewineandchile.org and this little video from 2019 youtube.com
Obviously there is more than enough to see and to do in Santa Fe. The art is great, and the food and wine are fabulous. Santa Fe says Bienvenido!
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©marjorie vernelle 2022
Coming Soon: Distrupted Realism, a review and Winemaking Innovations
What happens when an artist wants to write about art? He/she starts a blog! (I can relate.) John Seed did not want his artistic insight dummied down to suit local coverage of house and garden art shows, so he returned the $50 he’d received for his review and started blogging. He wound up doing a successful art blog for Huffington Post. In his adventures with art, he came across a phenomenon that corresponded to the times we are in, where focus is often distracted by the over-stimulation in our lives. He began to interview artists and from that came Disrupted Realism. We will take a look at the idea and the art, as well as talk about winemaking innovations, as art and wine are always reaching new frontiers.