O’KEEFFE COUNTRY ART TRAVEL AND WONDER HORSEBACK RIDING ARCHITECTURE HISTORY AND CULTURE TRAVEL WITH ALL SIX SENSES
Spring 2014
Thanks for visiting! Georgia O’Keeffe loved Northern New Mexico. This is an undisputed fact. She adored it so deeply that she couldn’t help but show her appreciation in every aspect of her life… from painting to cooking to architecture. She changed entire sections of her homes in Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch just to have the best views out of her windows. And then, took her own paintings off the walls in those rooms because they simply couldn’t compete. She thought her own work was a distraction from what the land itself could offer as true art. It isn’t enough to read about Northern New Mexico, not even through the gifted writing and adjectives of Miss O’Keeffe herself. You have to see it, breathe it, walk it… with your own eyes, soul, and step. We can learn from her adventures here and we can certainly revel in her memories, put so elegantly on canvas for all to witness. But even she would want us to make our own experience and live our own life. As she told her friend Maria Chabot… “You are much better off starting something of your own.” (from a letter postmarked New York, April 10, 1945) “It seems to me that you are very fortunate – that you should be able to go on with the kind of life you think you like… it all seems pretty fine.” (from a letter postmarked New York, Around October 17, 1944) We believe this is a lesson, and we should all take this advice to heart. When you want to live like Georgia O’Keeffe, what that means is living your own way, as authentically as possible, to who you are at your core - not who she was, not who anyone else was. For many of us, ourselves included, this is extremely difficult to do. We like to pretend to self-analyze, but more often than not, we don’t like what we find. And we usually don’t have the courage to change... to forge the path that only we can forge... to walk the road that we need to walk... not the one society tells us is the one we should or want to travel. Georgia O’Keeffe didn’t walk someone else’s predetermined path. She moved heaven and earth, literally, to make her own road. It wasn’t the fame or money that brought her here to New Mexico. Certainly those afforded her the luxury of two homes and a dozen or so staff members. But we believe she would have come here regardless. And her personal reward was a life that she created and lived to the fullest, for no one else but herself. A life with purpose. A life truly unique. A life of authentic memories. It was made for her, just like it was made for us. So as O’Keeffe said, “Take time to look.” And as she meant, take time to live. “It all seems pretty fine.”
XOXO, O’Keeffe Country O’Keeffe Country magazine is written, designed, and published by KLiK here media, LLC. All rights reserved. Copyright 2014.
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Cerro Pedernal Illustration by Christina Dallorso COVER // www.christinadallorso.com
TRAVEL WITH ALL SIX SENSES
What do you want to do today? The Art of Nicolai Fechin Taos, New Mexico
Follow the Trail Madrid, New Mexico
Looking for O’Keeffe Abiquiu, New Mexico
Say Hello to Style Santa Fe, New Mexico
The Best Value Around Taos, New Mexico
What is O’Keeffe Country? Northern New Mexico
ART // Page 4
ARCHITECTURE // Page 12
TRAVEL AND WONDER // Page 6
HISTORY AND CULTURE // Page 14
HORSEBACK RIDING // Page 12
INSPIRATION // Page 16
Vinaigrette Restaurant Santa Fe, New Mexico
The Last Word in O’Keeffe Country
TRAVEL WITH ALL SIX SENSES // Page 18
Visit New Mexico on Twitter @newmexicotrue. OKEEFFECOUNTRY.COM + Travel with all six senses. // 3
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INTIMATE AND INTERNATIONAL by V. SUSAN FISHER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CURATOR TAOS ART MUSEUM AT FECHIN HOUSE
For an artist who met with international success early in his career and maintained a lifelong reputation as one of the finest portrait artists of his time, Nicolai Ivanovich Fechin (1881 – 1955) was an extremely private, retiring man. His emotive, vivid, and idiosyncratic art is based on a very personal frame of reference, even at its most academic. Through a selection of approximately 25 paintings and 30 drawings, set in the historic house that Fechin himself designed and ornamented, Intimate and International: The Art of Nicolai Fechin highlights the contrast between the world-wide experience of the artist and the personal character of his art—whether the loving, gestural portrayals of his sitters, still lifes, and landscapes, or the exquisite home he hand-crafted for his small family in Taos, New Mexico. “Even connoisseurs of Fechin’s art will gain a greater understanding of the complex nature of his creativity from this exhibition,” remarked V. Susan Fisher, Executive Director and Curator of the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House. “His practice was a blend of the finest Beaux Arts tradition of academic training and the personal intensity of a solitary individual.” Fisher added, “Seeing the artwork in the context of his home and studio will move even the most casual viewer.” The stunning display of Fechin’s drawings featured in Intimate and International: The Art of Nicolai Fechin demonstrates his mastery of academic technique, while also showing his distinctive use of a vaporous line and dramatic patches of shadow, depicting non-traditional models in often strained poses. “Coral Beads,” the portrait of Alexandra Belkovitch painted in 1910, poses the sitter in a black dress on a uniformly dark ground relieved only by the artist’s signature in orange in the upper left corner. Alexandra’s pensive, fully illuminated face hovers on the dark expanse of canvas, related to the lightly sketched hands at the bottom of the composition only by a long rope of coral beads, which are painted with calligraphic brevity. Such a dark representation of the woman that Fechin was to marry three years later (1913) certainly suggests that the experience of homelessness penetrated the formality
of his academic training. This painting, contrasted with the brilliantly lit, impressionistic, and sensuous “Alexandra on the Volga” painted in 1912, further traces the emergence of Fechin’s intense attachment to a world bounded by Alexandra, his home on the river, and eventually, his daughter. Fechin brought his family to the art colony of Taos, New Mexico in 1927. With its high altitude, wild landscapes, and vivid cultures, the remote western town provided the painter with a new artistic home. During the scant six years that he lived in Taos (1927 – 1933), Fechin blended carefully preserved traditions from the heart of Russia with the wild and individualistic life of the American Southwest, most notably in the house that he purchased and entirely re-fashioned for his family. An elegant harmony of Pueblo adobe architecture, hand-carved wood, and modernist interior design, the house Fechin built in Taos is a physical expression of belonging and creative attachment that remains unique in his life. The arrival of electricity in Taos in the fall of 1928 made it possible for Fechin to carve and build at night while he painted during the day. As a testament of love for his family and for creative traditions that reached back to his father’s workshop, Fechin created a masterpiece of Southwest architecture that celebrated a marriage of the arts: painting, sculpture, drawing, and metalwork. The opportunity to see the whole of Fechin’s creative endeavor—his paintings, drawings, and sculpture, his house, and most movingly, its evocation of his family—sets this exhibition apart from any display of his art seen elsewhere. About the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House: Featuring the art of early twentieth-century Taos, the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House is set in the historic home that Russian artist Nicolai Fechin built for his family between 1927 and 1933. The Museum’s collections feature paintings by the masters of the Taos Society of Artists (1915 to 1927) and their followers, who established Taos as a premier destination for American art.
EXHIBITION INFORMATION Opening Reception: The Members Only exhibition opening reception and lecture is Friday, April 11, 2014 from 5-7 PM. Exhibition Dates: The exhibition opens to the public at 10 AM on Saturday, April 12, 2014 and closes at 4 PM on Sunday, September 21, 2014. The Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM. For more information, please visit www.taosartmuseum.org.
OPPOSITE PAGE: All images courtesy of the Taos Art Museum. Photos by Robert Esposito, photoexpressionism.com.
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ALL HAIL THE TURQUOISE TRAIL The Turquoise Trail stretches 58 miles from Santa Fe to Tierjas, New Mexico, along NM-14. My destination was Madrid… 28 miles into the route… and it was the best 28 miles I have ever driven. (FYI – it is pronounced Mad-Drid, not Muh-drid like in Spain. Good to know!) A few buffalo herds, to the right, greet you at the beginning of your journey once you turn south off I-25/85. They are raised by the inmates in the local penitentiary (no hitchhikers please), and it is such an amazing and unusual sight to see hundreds of them moving across the plains.
The most popular watering hole in town is The Mine Shaft Tavern. I ventured in to take a look (cool atmosphere, live music, and lots of interesting people-watching), but I saved my thirst for a real, honest-to-goodness, calorie-rich, strawberry shake at Jezebel’s Soda Fountain. Madrid is popular today with bikers since it was featured recently in the movie “Wild Hogs” with Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, John Travolta, and William H. Macy – and my visit was no exception, choppers everywhere. They are the ones who made for the really interesting people-watching!
A scenic turnout sits a few miles up, so take advantage of the magnificent view and stillness. One of the greatest aspects of New Mexico is the quiet that can be found in almost every inch of this state, when you are willing to take a moment and listen.
Madrid was once a coal mining community and is now a “recovering” ghost town with over 40 shops, three B&Bs and five restaurants. I can’t wait to go back, and head farther down the Trail, to new adventures… to a wonderfully one-of-a-kind place called Tinkertown. Their motto is “As you wander, keep your sense of wonder.” Perfect advice for every road trip! Stay tuned!
Three miles after the sign for the town of Cerrillos, you’ll enter Madrid on Main Street. The two lane road only goes for about half a mile and is lined on both sides by old houses that are now art galleries, jewelry stores, and other unexpected delights, like Cowgirl Red. 6 // OKEEFFECOUNTRY.COM + Travel with all six senses.
DETAILS • •
www.turquoisetrail.org www.visitmadridnm.com PHOTO: Colorful cowboy boots at Cowgirl Red in Madrid, New Mexico. Photo by Kristin Lynn Kautz.
PHOTOS: Mad for Madrid. Photo by Kristin Lynn Kautz.
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Georgia O’Keeffe’s Home Abiquiu, New Mexico
For Tours, Please Visit: www.okeeffemuseum.org 8 // OKEEFFECOUNTRY.COM + Travel with all six senses.
PHOTOS: Riding on the O’Keeffe Trail Ride. Photos courtesy of Ghost Ranch.
O’KEEFFE TRAIL RIDE AND TOUR
GET YOUR BOOTS TO GHOST RANCH This tour is for horseback riders of all skill level. You will ride out to the area where Georgia O’Keeffe found her inspiration, completed several paintings, and owned a home. The ride begins with an introduction and preview of examples of her work, followed by a trail ride into the restricted area of Ghost Ranch where you see through your own eyes the actual locations of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings. The shining red and yellow cliffs of the Piedra Lumbre, the black trails of waterfalls against canyon walls, and her beloved Pedernal Mountain are interwoven with stories of her fifty years at Ghost Ranch.
PHOTO: Guide Karen Butts giving the O’Keeffe Landscape Tour. Photo courtesy of Ghost Ranch.
DETAILS • • • • •
The cost is $85/person. Reservations are required. For reservations and information, call the Ghost Ranch Front Office at (505) 685-1000 extension 0, between 8 AM - 5 PM daily. http://ghostranch.org/okeeffe-trail-ride-and-tour/ This article/information is courtesy of Ghost Ranch, www.ghostranch.org.
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KNOCK KNOCK Doors are important in Northern New Mexico... and each one speaks volumes to how we live and love our life here. We have found, that although they are different and unique, they are ALL inviting. Who doesn’t want to walk through a turquoise door? And find out more about the person living inside? In our own neighborhood, we always take time to stop and admire the entrances. Sometimes gates say go away. In O’Keeffe Country, they say, “Well come on, we’re waiting for you to knock.” If you want to design your own, personalized front door, we highly recommend La Puerta Originals. Based in Santa Fe, they work all over the world. They are recycle friendly, and we
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love spending a day going through their inventory... miles of reclaimed, intricately carved, antique wood... just waiting to be transformed into something wonderful. And for the true O’Keeffe fans, they will even make you a replica of Georgia O’Keeffe’s personal chairs from her home at Ghost Ranch! The originals are not for sale, believe me, we tried! DETAILS • •
www.lapuertaoriginals.com www.lapuertaoriginals.com/portfolio/exteriordoors
PHOTO: Original Georgia O’Keeffe Ghost Ranch Chair. Photo by Kristin Lynn Kautz.
PHOTOS: Santa Fe is home to one of the most unique architectural design studios in the world. Photos by Kristin Lynn Kautz.
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Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument at Rio Grand Gorge Bridge (High Bridge)
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PHOTO: The new monument is a photographer’s paradise. Image by V. Susan Fisher.
WHAT’S NEW IN O’K COUNTRY?
The Río Grande del Norte National Monument, which lies north of Taos, New Mexico, near the Colorado border, was established on March 25, 2013 by Presidential Proclamation. The monument includes approximately 242,500 ACRES OF PUBLIC LAND managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The landscape is comprised of rugged, wide open plains at an average elevation of 7,000 feet, dotted by volcanic cones, and cut by steep canyons with rivers tucked away in their depths. The Río Grande carves an 800 foot deep gorge through layers of volcanic basalt flows and ash. Among the volcanic cones in the Monument, Ute Mountain is the highest, reaching to 10,093 feet. Activities The renowned TROUT FISHING in the Río Grande and its tributaries draws anglers from across the country. Abundant wildlife, including Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, pronghorn, and antelope, attract WILDLIFE WATCHERS. The river also provides habitat for the recently-reintroduced North American river otter. The area provides habitat for Gunnison’s prairie dog, ringtail, black bear, coyote, red fox, cougars, and bobcats. The Río Grande Wild and Scenic River, which flows through the breathtaking Río Grande Gorge, provides WORLD-CLASS WHITEWATER RAFTING AND KAYAKING opportunities. Resources CANYONS, VOLCANIC CONES, WILD RIVERS, AND NATIVE GRASSLANDS harbor vital wildlife habitat, unique geologic resources, and imprints of human passage through the past 10,000 years. The area is part of the CENTRAL MIGRATORY FLYWAY, which serves as a migration corridor for herons, sandhill cranes, hummingbirds, and American avocets. Several other species also make this area their home, including golden and bald eagles, prairie falcons, and other raptors. The Río Grande Gorge lies near the boundaries of the TAOS AND PICURIS PUEBLOS, as well as lands of the Jicarilla Apache and Ute Tribes. The area contains Archaic Period rock art carved into cliffs. In addition to PETROGLYPHS, this area also contains small hunting blinds, pit houses, chipping stations, potsherds, tools and projectile points, as well as large ceramic vessels. Stands of willow and cottonwood thrive in the area’s riparian habitat and the Taos Plateau’s sagebrush scrub and native grasslands stretch for thousands of acres to the west. Piñon surrounds the base of Ute Mountain and spruce, aspen, and Douglas fir cover its northern slopes. This landscape’s SIGNIFICANT ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY has made the area valuable for scientific research. The human history of the landscape is as diverse as its features. Early PREHISTORIC SITES attest to the importance of this area for hunting and as a sacred site. Information For more information on the Río Grande del Norte National Monument, please call (575) 758-8851 or visit: http://ww.blm.gov/nm/riograndedelnorte. This article/information is courtesy of U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management at http://www.blm.gov.
explore the outdoors
CELEBRATE THE WONDERFUL RIO GRAND DEL NORTE NATIONAL MONUMENT
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If you haven’t seen us, you haven’t seen Taos. THE HARWOOD MUSEUM OF ART UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO 10 - 5 Monday - Saturday; Noon - 5 Sunday Closed Monday from November - March 238 Ledoux Street (575) 758-9826 // harwoodmuseum.org
MILLICENT ROGERS MUSEUM 10 - 5 Daily Closed Monday from November - March 1504 Millicent Rogers Road (575) 758-2462 // millicentrogers.org
TAOS ART MUSEUM AT FECHIN HOUSE 10 - 5 Tuesday - Sunday, May - October 10 - 4 Tuesday - Sunday, November - April 227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte (575) 758-2690 // taosartmuseum.org
BLUMENSCHEIN HOME & MUSEUM 10 - 5 Monday - Saturday; Noon - 5 Sunday Closed Wednesday & Sunday and at 4 PM from November - March 222 Ledoux Street (575) 758-0505 // taoshistoricmuseums.org
LA HACIENDA DE LOS MARTINEZ 10 - 5 Monday - Saturday; Noon - 5 Sunday Closed Wednesday & Sunday and at 4 PM from November - March 708 Hacienda Road, off Ranchitos Road (575) 758-1000 // taoshistoricmuseums.org
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PHOTOS: All images courtesy of the individual MAT Museums.
THE BEST VALUE FOR ART, CULTURE, AND HISTORY THE MAT SUPER TICKET FROM THE MUSEUM ASSOCIATION OF TAOS Taos history was made within the walls of five historic homes that now house Taos’ five museums. Deals were struck between mountain traders, pueblo elders, artists, and worldly intellectuals; ideas were shared; and, romances blossomed that changed the cultural landscape of northern New Mexico. The true spirit of today’s Taos can only be realized by experiencing the theatre of the past, retracing the footsteps of the original players within these adobe stages. The Museum Association of Taos (known as MAT) is a nonprofit association of five museums whose unique historic buildings and exceptional collections present the art, history, and culture of Taos and northern New Mexico. Through the MAT Super Ticket, they offer the best value in Taos. For just $25, the discounted combination pass is good for one visit to each of the five Taos museums. The MAT Super Ticket is honored for one full year from the date of purchase and it’s transferable... it can be passed on to another person if the original owner doesn’t have time to visit all of the sites.
MAT Super Tickets can be purchased: • At any of the Museums; • By email at MAT@taosmuseums.org; • Or online at www.taosmuseums.org. Through the power of collaboration, MAT advances the missions of its unique member museums and increases engagement, relevance, and attendance through promotion, advocacy, and programming. The Museums’ collections include prehistoric and contemporary Native American pottery, textiles, jewelry and art; Spanish colonial and contemporary devotional and domestic arts; and paintings by the Taos Society of Artists and the artists who made Taos one of America’s premier art colonies.
Museum Association of Taos
Combination Ticket
Admits One to Each of Five Museums Taos, New Mexico
Taos Art Museum at Fexhin House OKEEFFECOUNTRY.COM + Travel with all six senses. // 15
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“From O’Keeffe’s first prolonged stay in New Mexico, in 1929, she instantly felt an affinity with the unique character of the area, its landscape, and its architecture, all of which inspired her art. The beauty, clarity, and colorful character of [her] paintings capture the area’s richness in such a compelling way that they have been associated with the landscape of Northern New Mexico, and thus have allowed O’Keeffe to claim the area as her own. It has come to be known as O’Keeffe Country.” - Excerpted from the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Experience the Art that Captured the Southwest
in the Historic Home Crafted by Nicolai Fechin
ADMISSION TO GARDEN, STUDIO, AND MUSEUM STORE IS ALWAYS FREE. TAOS COUNTY RESIDENTS FREE EVERY SUNDAY. 227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos, NM 87571 (575) 758-2690 // www.taosartmuseum.org
PHOTO: Ghost Ranch is O’Keeffe Country. Taken and altered by Kristin Lynn Kautz.
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TRAVEL WITH ALL SIX SENSES look
The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is located in Santa Fe, three blocks southwest of the central plaza downtown, at 217 Johnson Street. The Museum is dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe, to defining its ongoing significance, and to the study and interpretation of American Modernism (1890–present). No reservations are required. They are open 7 days a week, 10 AM – 5 PM. www.okeeffecountry.com/georgia-okeeffe-museum.html
listen
The La Fiesta Lounge, inside La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, serves a fabulous New Mexican Buffet seven days a week, including holidays, along with their signature margaritas and martinis. The live entertainment was voted Santa Fe’s best, and there is never a cover charge. www.okeeffecountry.com/lounge.html
taste
Northern New Mexico is made for eating. From green chile cheeseburgers, turkey enchiladas Christmas on the side, please - and Frito pie, to organic heirloom tomato salad and decadent fresh fruit pies... we have something for every taste bud. Vinaigrette in Santa Fe is one of our favorites! www.vinaigretteonline.com/
touch
Georgia O’Keeffe was ahead of her time, especially in the way she obsessed about healthy food. She took long walks every day, and grew a variety of fruits and vegetables in her large garden in Abiquiu. We can only imagine that if she were still alive today, she would be delighted to put on her canvas tennies and happily stroll the grounds of the world-famous Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. Held every Saturday and Tuesday mornings, it is good for you in every way. www.santafefarmersmarket.com/
breathe
Planning for a trip can be stressful. Relax! Create a tailored adventure - hot air ballooning, garden and home tours, intimate dinners, hands-on classes, custom walkabouts - in O’Keeffe Country, with a little help from The Santa Fe Travelers. They will custom build a memorable vacation just for you. Llama trekking anyone? They have a remarkable blog too... get ready to explore! www.thesantafetraveler.com/
feel
“Well, well, well... this is wonderful. No one told me it was like this!” So said Georgia O’Keeffe upon arriving in New Mexico. If we’re lucky, we use all five senses when we travel... see, hear, taste, touch, breathe. But the sixth sense is alive and well in Northern New Mexico. Feel it, and be enchanted. Come see for yourself, like Georgia did, why O’Keeffe Country is so much better in person. What do you want to do today?
“Interest is the most important thing in life; happiness is temporary, but interest is continuous.” ~ Georgia O’Keeffe
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ICONS: Our gorgeous custom icons are courtesy of illustrator Christina Dallorso. www.christinadallorso.com
Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center OKEEFFECOUNTRY.COM + Travel with all six senses. // 19
Madrid, New Mexico
FIND O’KEEFFE COUNTRY “Take time to look. It all seems pretty fine.” ~ Georgia O’Keeffe
www.okeeffecountry.com Twitter: @okeeffecountry Faceboook: okeeffecountry Blog: okeeffecountry.wordpress.com Pinterest: pinterest.com/okeeffecountry All rights reserved. Copyright 2014. PHOTO: We Triple Heart Madrid, New Mexico. Image by Kristin Lynn Kautz.