A Magical Time

Thanksgiving in Santa Fe was a wonderful time. The ever changing views from the guy’s house are stunningly beautiful. It’s magical to watch the colors of the desert change as the day progresses into night. They built a modest, but very comfortable house, that’s ideal for entertaining.

It was so good to spend time with Cindi and Joe. It’s rather odd to drive six hours to spend time with friends who only live an hour away from my home. Busy lives and schedules make getting together challenging at times.

I was able to renew friendships and make new friends. Madame (I haven’t written about her) was out of town but I got to meet her girlfriend, Sasha. Sasha is a very talented artist who grew up in Santa Fe. I felt an instant connection with Sasha. I bonded with her over a conversation about art and influences.

One day was spent on Canyon Road gallery hoping. The cornucopia of art offerings was refreshing and invigorating. I saw many pieces I would love to have but most were priced out of my range. Yes, I did pick up a few inexpensive pieces.

Another day was spent on a day trip to Chimayo to visit El Santuariò de Chimayó, a Roman Catholic Church that has become the Lourdes of New Mexico. Pilgrims rub dirt on their bodies from the floor of a small room in the church in the hope of curing their ailments. I’m not a believer but go for it if it floats your boat.

The guys were perfect hosts. They made my visit most enjoyable. The long weekend was a much needed getaway that renewed my spirit.

Read Full Post »

Marjorie’s Last Supper

Check out Marjorie Salvaterra’s last supper:

http://www.marjoriesalvaterra.com/

Now, that looks like a fun time. Explore her website. It’s full of treasures.

Read Full Post »

My Room With A View

Here’s the view from the guest room in the guy’s house:

View from the rear portal this morning:

Read Full Post »

The Land Of Enchantment

Have you ever found out something about a friend that had the potential to change your relationship forever? That happened to me today. It’s not anything bad like an arrest record. It was information shared by a mutual friend. I was taken aback by the information. I’m now perched on the horns of a dilemma. I need to decide what to do with the information.

I’m driving to Santa Fe tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with the guys in their new house. Cindi had been at her family’s house in Santa Fe all month painting, writing, taking dance classes and riding horses. Cindi has organized a great dinner the guys will host.

It should be a fun and relaxing getaway. New Mexico is stunningly beautiful. There’s something magical about it that’s hard to explain. I’m hoping the land of enchantment (New Mexico’s nickname) will provide inspiration for what to do.

Read Full Post »

Three Free Things

Perry, Paddy and I hit the galleries Friday night. A little snow and slick streets were not enough to stop the Friday night art tour. Paddy played chauffer with a new Infinity sedan he bought Friday afternoon.

The first stop was the print show at Open Press. All works on exhibit were priced under $300, with a lot of works already framed. The show includes many of the local prominent print artists. Open Press is mostly responsible for the large community of artists producing prints in this town. Mark Lunning, the owner, gave us autographed copies of his book, which chronicles twenty-five years of printing making at his studio. Open Press is a jewel in the treasure chest of art facilities in the region.

Next up was Santa Fe Street. Most of the galleries were closed due to the winter storm. Stops were make a Niza Knoll, Sync, Spark and Core. Barbara Baer has an installation at Spark. We texted our addresses to a phone number so we would be given a piece of the installation when the show closes. What a score! Core has a mixed media show juried by Mark Friday, who is a master of mixed media works. This is where I found my two favorite pieces of the night.

After the galleries we stopped in Interstate Kitchen and Bar for drinks but found the lack of service appalling. We gave up waiting for a server. We left and headed over to a neighborhood bar on South Broadway. We were immediately met by a thirty-something man who bought a round of draft beers for us. None of us had ever met the man before. It felt a little strange at first but we went with it. Turns out the hipster-looking guy was an area beer rep for a craft brewery. He chatted with us for a while and then told me he wanted to get to know me better. After showing us pictures of his wife and three-year-old daughter, the guy moved on to talk to other patrons. Perry and Paddy thought his comment was odd given he has a family. I agreed with them.

Perry, Paddy and I talked over our beers. Paddy set up an appointment to cut Perry’s hair while Perry offered free art consulting services to Paddy. It was starting to snow harder so we decided to call it a night. I went over to thank the beer rep for the free beers. He asked to give me a hug so I complied. The hug went was a lot firmer, and went on for a lot longer than I expected, given he has a wife and child. I half to admit he did feel good but’s that’s a road I’m not going down.

A free book, a free piece of art and a free beer just for venturing out on a snowy night. I’d say the night was a success.

Favorite pieces of the night: Linda O’Neill (Lafayette, CO) $900.00 at Core

Ada Koch (Kansas City, MO) $1,200 at Core

Read Full Post »

Art & Men

Last night I went to a gay networking event at the Clifford Still Museum. Mack cancelled at the last minute because it took him an hour to get home from work on the bus. Double A also cancelled because he had an emergency root canal yesterday afternoon. Paddy met me there. Paddy brought a guy he dated a few times who had recently moved to Denver from London. There’s no lust connection so the guy has been transitioned into the friend column.

The museum was filled with mostly good looking, well-dressed gay men. There were a few exceptions. One guy was wearing basketball shorts and a flannel shirt while another was wearing a nice suit with hiking boots. Really?

I only met three people. Most of the guys were already in established conversation groups when I arrived. I find it hard to meet people under these circumstances. Paddy, Mr. London and I hung out most of the evening.

The museum recently opened a new exhibit of Still’s works. I was more interested in seeing the new exhibit than I was meeting and greeting. So I toured the museum snapping pictures with my phone while contemplating the masterpieces on display.

Art always enriches my soul so it turned out to be a good night. The two hour event was soon ending. Paddy and Mr. London headed off to dinner while I headed home.

This was my favorite painting. It’s titled PH-247. It’s 117 by 193 inches.

Read Full Post »

Flowers For The Grave

My late mother’s birthday was last week. I called my father on my mother’s birthday. My father had just returned home from taking flowers to my mother’s grave. I found this to be a nice gesture but it left me puzzled. My childhood was filled with my parent’s intense arguments. My mother was mean to my father up until she could no longer speak. I don’t ever remember my father buying flowers for my mother. Why would he take flowers to her grave? I didn’t ask my father this question. It’s a question that will remain unanswered.

Read Full Post »

I’m Perfectly Fine Without You

Mack and I attended Daisy Patton’s sound installation opening at Vertigo Art Space on Saturday night. The installation is titled I’m Perfectly Fine Without You. The stunning exhibit explores the subject of absent fathers from the perspective of their children. The installation consists of interviews with adults who had absent fathers. Quotes from the audio are affixed to the gallery walls. Some of the quotes are expressive of the damage done by absent fathers.

I plan on going back to listen to the audio when gallery is not packed with patrons. The installation was previously exhibited in Boston but is making its Denver premier at Vertigo Art Space.

Daisy is currently a resident artist at Redline and is represented by Michael Warren Contemporary.

Read Full Post »

Are You Ready?

I met Double A for brunch yesterday in Cherry Creek. After brunch we walked over to the mall to check out the recently opened Restoration Hardware store. The mall has been decorated for the holidays. Santa has arrived too. I snapped a few pictures from Restoration Hardware’s rooftop garden. A Christmas tree has been erected in the valet parking court next to Neiman Marcus. A large holiday wreath hangs on the outside of Hermès (Vive la France!). Are you ready for the holidays?

Read Full Post »

Endless Blue Sky

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day. I snapped this picture on Saturday morning when I was leaving an artist’s talk at a gallery on Santa Fe. Not a cloud in the sky. Just an endless blue sky. That may change on Monday when another snow storm is due to arrive. The forecasters are using two models to track the storm. One calls for a few inches of accumulation while the other calls for twenty-something inches. I’m hoping for the former.

Read Full Post »