Debbie McDysan on fri 1 may 98
I'm back from Santa Fe and have been working in the studio a few days.
Thought I'd take a break and offer this report.
We arrived in the afternoon and immediately started walking around town.
This truly is a city of galleries and shops. On one side of the plaza,
the indians lay out their jewelry on blankets along with a few tiny
pots. On the next block we found ourselves at the Georgia O'Keefe museum
and decided to go inside. We purchased a 4 day pass for $10 that gets
you into all branches of The Museums of New Mexico. A bargain
considering each one charges $5 and there are 5 of them. The museum is
small and contains a rotating collection much of which has probably not
been seen before. There are some sketches and watercolors that are
really wonderful and shows where she gathered ideas for her "important"
pieces.
The next day we hit Canyon road and were overwhelmed with it's
narrowness as much as we were with the number and diversity of
galleries. Most of the gallery owners were pleasant with the exception
of one who was obnoxious and rude. I hope he treats his artists better
than he treats his customers.
We saw the work of Bennett Bean (as someone on Clayart had mentioned)
at the Allene Lapides gallery. I, too, was shocked by the prices he was
commanding but Lapides also represents Dale Chihuly and I've never
understood why anyone would pay $30k for one of those glass pieces when
he doesn't even make them himself. I think Lapides has the most cutting
edge work in Santa Fe and I was delighted to see 3 sculptures by Michael
Lucero (my fav) which were also in that 5 figure range. It's great that
these artists a getting those numbers. They are at the top due to their
innovations. Who else but Bean has pit fired a form, painted rich
designs on it and gold leafed the interior to create something that
looks like an organgic object from another world (although photos I've
seen of his work show the colors as being much more intense, perhaps the
gallery pieces were supposed to be more pale). And Lucero's genius at
combining found statuary with heavily painted and glazed ceramic forms
that beg the eye to study and the mind to ponder is truly incredible. We
should be proud that artists such as these and others are bringing
ceramics to the forefront of mainstream fine art. Also, I'd rather have
them get the big bucks now rather than some "investor" make a killing
reselling their work later.
The next day we drove north of the city and it started snowing. It
looked like a styrofoam cooler had exploded, I guess because it's so
dry. We had a chance to go inside a new adobe house someone was selling
and concluded it would be a great place to display ones art collection
especially pottery. By the time we got back to the city it had stopped
snowing so we went for a stroll. Many of the shops feature American
Indian art in vast quantities and their offerings of pottery, rugs,
jewelry and other artifacts makes it almost impossible to decide what to
take home. I had heard that the pottery was pricey and it seemed like
every 5 or 6 inch pot I picked up was $400. I appreciate the work that
goes into these beautiful pieces and as someone said the designs are
really timeless.
We started out early for Taos and once we got past the fast food places
on the road entering the town and the cheesy souvenir shops surrounding
the plaza we fell in love with its quaint little art colony aura. The
galleries there had some great work that was reasonably priced and we
thought this was more our speed in terms of purchasing something. We
wound up at the Lumina gallery off Kit Carson Rd. They have a wonderful
sculpture garden with a pond that is not to be missed. Inside the
collection is mostly bronzes and paintings with a few ceramic pieces in
the "kitchen". That is where I found Lynn Smiser Bowers work. I bought
one of her fish bone plates and now I can enjoy those great glazes for
real instead of looking at pictures.
The Clay and Fiber Gallery has the best selection of ceramics and Debbie
was very friendly and informative about the artists and their work. I
recognized some pieces by people I know so I felt right at home.
They also have wonderful jewelry, paper and a nice selection of wearable
art.
We left Taos and drove through O'Keefe country over the Rio Grand gorge
to Abiquiu. The scenery is breathtaking as I had no idea the earth could
have every color in the rainbow. The whole area is totally inspiring and
I understand why it has lured so many artists for so long. When we got
to the town we decided to pull into the pueblo and as we were leaving we
saw that someone had written "Tourist go Home" on a retaining wall.
Although it was faded the message was loud and clear. Aside from that
there were a few signs declaring art for sale and there's no mistake
that Abiquiu could be the next great artists' retreat. Perhaps the
locals know this and wrote their sentiments on that wall.
The Museum of International Folkart (back in SF) had an interesting
exhibit on the Tibetan refugees living in Santa Fe. They had childrens
paintings and a photo essay describing the political problems of these
gentle and spiritual people. Also on diplay were religious tapestries
and a mandala ( sacred sand painting) made by a lama ( religious
leader). They also have a permanent collection that includes many clay
figures and miniature pottery.
The Collector's Guide was indispensible in assisting in the selection of
galleries to visit in Santa Fe and Taos and they have a comprehensive
website at www.collectorsguide.com thats worth checking out just to see
whats being shown now.
I can't believe I've lived in Texas for 8 years and this is the first
time I've visited New Mexico. We didn't have time to see everything
before coming home exhausted. No doubt I will return to the "Land of
Enchantment" to gather inspiration again and again.
Debbie McDysan
In Texas where the spring perennials are in full bloom (rose, iris and
daisy) and the hot tub soothes on a windy night.
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