Dear friends and family,
Flew directly from NY to Santa Fe. Jet Blue has a direct flight now. Hadn’t been in several years; it’s grown even larger and aspects of its relaxed pace, some of its spiritual Native American roots which give it a sort of “another world” feel. Saw so many friends; some we’ve met in Santa Fe and others who have moved there over the years.
Peters Projects, a branch of Gerald Peters Gallery, had a Magnolia Editions exhibition, Innovation & Collaboration, a continuation of the Art Museum of Sonoma County exhibition curated by Randy Rosenberg, and featuring all 11 of Kiki Smith’s completed tapestries in a huge, beautiful museum-sized room. The gallery is enormous and quite beautiful while still maintaining its Santa Fe style. Those of you who have seen Kiki Smith (Jacquard) tapestries in person will appreciate how immense this room is.
Sky (L) and Spinners (R) tapestries by Kiki Smith; bookstore in background.
Rainless by Guillermo Galindo, pigment ground from rocks from the border area (Mexico-US) on Magnolia handmade paper, made from immigrants’ castoff clothes. The bookstore loved it and requested it to be hung close to them.
Liberty and Roadmap tapestries by Enrique Chagoya; Untitled by Robert Hudson (over fireplace); Banquet at Gatchina by Inez Storer, Andrew Romanoff and Don and Era Farnsworth (the St. Petersburg Travelers), Security II by Lewis deSoto
Gerald Peters with Robert Hudson’s Untitled from the 20-year Drypoint series
Eileen Braziel, Director of Peters Projects, and Era posing Bollywood style. (See previous India blogs for context.)
Chuck Close’s room: Self-Portrait with Cigarette, ceramic tile; Lou, tapestry, Sienna 3/4, large scale watercolor print (the walls are not actually curved quite like this - it's the camera distortion of a panorama photo.)
Don and Era room with our scrolls and Art Notes.
Alice Rowing and Alice with Monkeys from the Cultural Theme Park Series by Don and Era Farnsworth
Bruce Conner’s prints of Canyon de Chelley.
Mildred Howard’s, The Magnolia Project: That was Then and Here is Now (L)
Deborah Oropallo’s The Lion Tamer (R)
Security II and Security tapestries by Lewis deSoto
Richard Wagener's piece, Durbar Square, Patan, was chosen to hang in the Director's office, but we didn't get a good photo.
Cocktails and appetizers at Ciel Bergman’s, here with Ed (former lasic surgeon and now painter) and poodle (name unrecalled). Darn, I thought I had taken a shot of Ciel in front of a Norman Rockwell poster of her as a cheerleader, turned into a Post Magazine cover, but couldn’t find it. Fortunately, I found the cover on line. You can find almost anything on the web.
Young Ciel Bergman, (as painted by Norman Rockwell) former cheerleader (at Berkeley High School) and now painter and inventor for the last several decades.
Went “home” to the incredible Santa Fe new pueblo-style, large multi-level guest house that the Gerald Peters’ family most generously provided to us. It was built to roll over the hills on and on, at least 2 dining rooms and 3 outside patios. Beautiful and supremely comfortable.
Typically beautiful Santa Fe sunset.
Lunch the next day at Casa Sena, their lovely patio on a beautiful day. Pictured are French Canadian artist/photographer, Geneviève Cadieux, Kiki’s friend; Era and Kiki Smith.
The opening was well-attended; seemed like half of Santa Fe was there. No pics, except this one from Jamie Brunson. taken at the end of the show.
And another great photo (below), again of Don and Richard Tuttle. This time taken by Lewis deSoto.
We did take some photos of the dinner afterward at Rio Chama.
Kiki Smith with husband Zoran Skoko; he’s a big guy, but not that huge. A trick of the camera.
Marisha at the dinner, sitting next to Krista Peters, and don’t know who else. Sorry.
Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Jo Harvey Allen and Terry Allen
Saw the Allens' video poem at Site Santa Fe.
The next day, Saturday, Kiki, Don and I showed up at Peters Projects to give a short talk. Again, a crowd of people, standing room only. Everything was filmed.
Next day, Sunday, brunch at Bruce and Denise Velick’s, literally up at the top of a mountain outside Santa Fe.
Lilacs in full bloom; it later hailed that day and Bruce said the lilac was pretty mangled. He asked me for this photo (above) and sent the below.
That's mountain living, I guess.
Marisha and Bruce Velick (before the storm)
Denise and Bruce whipping up a fabulous meal.
Part of one of their wonderfully quirky collections. Ashes from some of their loved, but deceased cats are inside the Hello Kitties.
Lewis deSoto, Marisha, Bruce, Denise, Walter Robinson (unfortunately, Jamie Brunson could not make it), Era and Raphaelle Goethals (the same who was posing ala Bollywood at Magnolia several days ago). Don Ed Hardy print behind Denise and hornet’s nest above the table. Don behind the camera.
After lunch, into town for a little obligatory Santa Fe boot shopping.
Studio visit with August Muth, an artist who works with James Turrell, and does incredible holographic art himself, reflecting laser light to expose the emulsion on heavy glass. The photos do not do it credit.
My fatigue is starting to show.
In this photo, I am trying to grasp the circle, which appears to float inches above the surface. August says it is really there, it's just not solid enough for us to feel. Fascinating stuff and August was very generous with his explanations.
Also visited the beautiful studio of Ricardo Mazal, a painter and friend of Don Messec's. An art associate in Mexico had told Ricardo to contact Magnolia.
And visited Zane Fischer of Extraordinary Structures; he builds tiny houses; kind of the polar opposite of the expansive spaces we've been experiencing lately. His are extremely compact and beautifully designed.
Then rounded out Sunday having dinner with our friends, Christopher and Vicky Speer. Delicious salmon at their lovely home. As we’ve told many of you, Chris was my boyfriend from when I was 19 and living in London. They’re both musicians; their band is Soulstice. Vicky sings and Chris drums and sings.
Also managed a dinner with our friends Don Messec and Charlene Teeters at a surprisingly good Indian restaurant, Paper Dosa. Don Messec ran the Monothon (a monoprinting fest) in Santa Fe for the College of Santa Fe for more than a decade (Gerald Peters was a great supporter of the Monothon) and now teaches clean, healthy printmaking, Making Art Safely. Char is an artist and activist and dean of The Institute of American Indian Arts. Don't ask me why we didn't take photos of any and all of them; must be because we have known them so long and so well.
Back in Oakland and Magnolia for a little over a week and then we are off again to the next mystery location.
Love to you all,
Era and Don
