SANTA FE TO TAOS VIA RIO GRANDE PASS
It was a clear sunny day so A. Paul & I decided to make a day trip to Taos, 1-1/2 hours N of Santa Fe. The day's drive was nothing less than breathtaking so much so that the beauty literally brought tears to my eyes. It is this same natural beauty, along with its Native American culture, that has long been a draw for artists, such as artist Joseph Henry Sharp who was instrumental in establishing the first society of artists in Taos. Sharp first visited Taos in 1893, which eventually led to him and five other artist colleagues establishing the Taos Society of Artists in 1915. The society continued to meet, paint, and send traveling exhibits of their works of the Taos landscape & culture up to 1927. Their works comprise one of the major collections of artwork at Taos' Harwood Museum of Art. You can read about these artists as well as view the collections at the museum at
http://www.harwoodmuseum.org/ . In addition to the Harwood Museum, Taos also is home to the infamous Kit Carson, which now is a museum open to the public.
http://kitcarsonhomeandmuseum.com/
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| JoAnna Preston at Taos Artisans |
The plaza and surrounding streets of historic Taos are dotted with local artisan shops, galleries, and specialty stores. It is in one of these shops, the Taos Artisans Cooperative, that we met artist JoAnna Preston working on one of her deerskin bags. The Coop represents 8 different artist of the area.
At Ouray's Fine Art & Spirit Runner Gallery, gallery associate Sakti Rinek, provided A. Paul & I a short history of the owner's family connection to the area, who spent many nights in the company of artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe. Ouray Meyers artwork captures the changing seasons of the landscape surrounding Taos. The gallery is filled with Meyers' art along side some other notable artists of the area.
http://www.ouraymeyers.com/
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| Ouray Meyers work |
Painting onsite in one of the other galleries along the historic square was Barbara (R), who was bringing her floral still life to completion. We thank her for taking the time to speak with us about her work and promise to pass on her contact info.
A visit to Taos Pueblo and the expansion bridge over the gorge were recommended to us by a local resident. Never to pass up a good day for driving, A. Paul & I headed out to the Taos Pueblo only to find the road closed to visitors, so we continued on our journey towards the gorge bridge. The sudden divide of the earth in the midst of the plain was jarringly beautiful. The distant snow capped mountains on the horizon only added to the contrast of the terrain. As we made our way back across the plateau, we came across a 100% sustainable biotechture community called the Greater World Earthship Community. The architecture of these green recycled material dwellings are a result of 40 years of research that promotes earth friendly buildings that can be built anywhere in the world. The buildings may be rented, purchased, and or one may attend programs on design and promotion of the process. Earthship is currently involved in the development of HELP, an 8 unit compound structure for the relief effort in Haiti. You can read more about this unique community at
http://earthship.com/
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| Earthship |
The entire return trip back to Santa Fe was filled with awe inspiring beauty, offering one photographic opportunity after another. We leave you with images of our outing to Taos. Tomorrow, we leave New Mexico as we make our way to the Grand Canyon and Williams, AZ.
Our 7-1/2 hour drive across New Mexico to Arizona, catching the sun setting over the Grand Canyon has left A. Paul & I speechless. We encountered every terrain on our drive--endless pastel hued fields, chiseled rock outcrops, towering pines, snow capped mountains, and the sunset over the remarkable towers of the Grand Canyon. We hope the pictures will provide what I cannot say with simple words. Tomorrow, we hope to visit the artist studio built five stories along the side of the canyon then head off to explore Flagstaff, Sedona, and ending our day in Scottsdale. Until then, we hope you enjoy the views.
