Sunrise Springs, La Cienega

 

 

 

 

Randall Davey House II

Randall Davey house in Summer

I thought I'd post a few more pics of the intriguing Randall Davey house where my sister was married.  I had to research Randall Davey to find out more about him and his artwork.  Davey was a prominent artist in New York City in the early 1900s.  In New York he studied under Robert Henri and eventually became an assistant instructor.   During the summers he travelled, painting and teaching with Henri across the US and Europe.  During that time Henri suggested to Davey that he visit New Mexico, most likely due to Henri's contact with the Taos Society of Artists, and in 1919 Davey drove across the country from New York to Santa Fe.  Once he arrived in Santa Fe he knew he would stay.  He bought an unused mill and converted it to his studio and home which were eventually donated to the Audubon Society and is part of 135 acres of national forest and the Santa Fe watershed land at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Davey loved New Mexico.  And what a dashing character!  He owned horses, played polo, and frequently painted polo scenes.  He had a great bar tucked away in the back of the house and was a purchaser of locally made spirits during prohibition.  There were many gatherings and social events at his home, they sounded quite lively.  He hired locals to pose for his artworks, asking neighbors to wear costumes so he could paint different scenes.  He also loved music and taught himself to play cello, which he had received as a Christmas present.  There are many portraits of local practicing musicians during that time hanging in his home and studio, along with still life, formal nudes and landscape, not to mention the many fantastic murals in and outside the home. 

"Living out here in New Mexico I can see the political manipulation in the art world back east, and I know that if I chose I could have more success with my work if I wanted to play their game...  But I prefer to live here and paint for myself, and get along with teaching.. and raising chickens."

"I wouldn't trade my life here where I can hunt, shoot, ride, for all the committee-going and boot-licking you've got to do in a city for anything. An artist might starve for food here, but he'll starve spiritually in a place like New York."

--Randall Davey

the artist's cello

The Studio

click here for more images

Randall Davey House

 Photo of Randall Davey by Laura Gilpin

It was a wintry day for an April wedding, there were clouds, blustery winds and even snow.  My sister Mary had her heart set on being married on the grounds of the Randall Davey Audubon Center in Santa Fe.  We were so nervous as the big day finally arrived.  We drove to the center wishing the weather would clear, even briefly, just to give us a little hope that we could carry on with our outdoor wedding plans.  No such luck.  Fortunately, in a moment of divine intervention, the gracious manager of the center swept us away to the beautiful and enchanting rooms of Randall Davey's private residence and studio.  The house was given to the Audubon society and sits on acres of trails and nature preserve.  The house itself is nestled among cottonwood trees, lawn, flowers and an orchard.  Randall Davey and his wife Isabel are actually buried on the premises near the orchard in a mini cemetery tucked away amongst the greenery and you can feel their presence and spirit when you explore all the rooms of their amazing home.  The artist's paintings hang on the walls, art and antique furniture fill each space so elegantly, and there are the most fabulous murals in his wife's private dressing area off the bedroom.  His studio is delightful and left very much in the same state as if he were still alive.  Outside the trees and flowers were in bloom and inside the house was so incredibly romantic, especially because of the clouds and dim light which lent an aura of mystery.  We lit candles inside the sitting room and enjoyed the enchanting setting and union of two beautiful people as they began their new life together.

I will share more photos of this very special place in future posts.  The Randall Davey house is only open on Friday afternoons for guided tours.  We were told the last marriage that took place inside the residence was over ten years ago.

 **~The Bride~**

click here for photos of the artist's studio

The Wedding, the Cake, and Moving

One hobby of mine when I can't be creative in the studio is to get creative in the kitchen.  I love to cook, I even wanted to be a professional chef when I was young and was planning on going to cooking school. 

My current kitchen adventure is making my sister's wedding cake.  I have never made a wedding cake.  I have never worked with fondant.  I have taken on the task of learning the ins/outs of wedding cakes, plus fillings, frosting, fondant, and decorations while in the midst of closing on our home.  I had no idea we'd be knee deep in inspections, appraisals, estimates, and appointment after appointment when it came time for the wedding.  and did I mention packing?  (deep breath)  I am slightly frazzled, to say the least.  Spending time on the cake has been rewarding, there's something calming about a creative endeavor, and the achievement creates an inner satisfaction much like the feeling after finishing a painting.  And since I can't paint, I need a creative outlet!  In the midst of moving chaos I have escaped to the kitchen and created one sugary concoction after another.  From cake baking to cooking the lemon curd filling and swiss meringue buttercream frosting, then the decorating, it will have taken three full days to create the cake.  I have never used so many eggs (dozens and dozens of eggs!) and pounds of butter in one cake in my life~    Tomorrow is the wedding--I hope the cake holds up okay and I'm sure transporting the cake will be quite an adventure but I'm really really looking forward to it.  I can't wait to see my little sister get married!  

~*~

 lemon curd

Swiss Merangue Buttercream

 Lemon Buttermilk Cake

delish!

Moving News and Studio Spaces

9"x12" oil/linen panel

Here is a little plein air oil sketch done in the Albuquerque bosque.  The Rio Grande river runs through this lush area and you can see the first Spring greens starting to sprout in the photo.  Painting trees is something I would like to study more in future paintings. 

We have very, very exciting news, we sold our house!  This has been an ongoing struggle since last July and has really taken over our lives.  We went back on the market about a month ago and have a super fantastic realtor.  Within a couple weeks we had not only one offer, but two.  I have been packing and just finished putting away my entire studio for the new space.  We found an amazing home for the family with gorgeous views and plenty of space!   It was difficult to pack away my paints and brushes, but I keep thinking of all the projects I'll be completing after the move. 

La Querencia

Quiet Splendor (New Mexico Sky)  12"x12" oil/board

As a native New Mexican, I find as I get older I have a deeper and deeper appreciation for the land that surrounds me.  In this small western portion of the United States the forever skies and pristine views are captivating.  The mountains and mesas sit serenely in the distance, beckoning me to ponder at the vast distance and space that is present there.  There are no houses, or people or highways to deter from it's greatness.  Clouds billow and skirt across the sky, the sun travels it's course and the quiet stillness will take your breath away.  The air itself is clearer here, and colors are more luminous under the brilliant light.   I'm also becoming more aware of the spirituality here, generations of different cultures cultivated a deep reverence to the land that continues to this to day.

'La Querencia' is the Spanish term for the deep feeling of connection with your homeland.  It is an old Spanish word derived from the word 'querer' or to love or desire.  According to Gussie Fauntleroy, it is "the place to which one is deeply drawn, and drawn back time and again if one wanders away.  It is the soul's comfort, the heart's joy".*  The feeling is not uncommon among New Mexicans and the reason many visitors have dropped everything and set up roots here once they've visited our beautiful state.  That is what happened when Taos artists Bert Geer Phillips and Ernest L. Blumenschein's buggy broke down in New Mexico in the 1890s.  They hiked to a nearby village for help and upon arriving they stopped their journey immediately and set up art studios instead of continuing on their travels.  That village was Taos and they were captivated.  They eventually helped create the Taos Art Colony and began the list of many artists who came to settle here and paint.

La querencia is deeply rooted with the Spanish speaking communities of New Mexico.  It included extended family, community, and the seasonal rhythms of planting and harvesting.  The Roman Catholic Church participated in the cycles of nature with festivals and feast days which continue to be an integral part of this world.  These rituals were woven into daily life in these communities and  hold the voices and memories of ancestors who were part of this history for hundreds of years.

For Native Americans in New Mexico the feeling of querencia is equally strong even though they do not use the same language.   In the Tewa language, shared by several northern New Mexico pueblos, they do not have a word equal in meaning to querencia.  The people of these pueblos do not feel there is a need to describe a relationship with the land because they see no distinction between themselves and the Earth.  Their word for this connection is nung, which means the Earth itself and also the members of the pueblo as a group.  The connection is more symbolic and spiritual than physical, and exists everywhere and also within each individual.

I believe querencia is what has drawn me to try and paint New Mexico recently, and try to capture the feelings I have for my homeland.  I think the feelings of querencia aren't limited to New Mexico, but for any person who feels a deep connection and love for a land.  Caroline, a landscape painter from Scotland, talks about the idea of homeland recurring in her work as well.  She speaks of it beautifully here:

Homeland

To Regions Solitary

To learn more about La Querencia read:

*Gussie Fauntleroy. "La Querencia" New Mexico Magazine September, 1997.