the Monte Vista Mercado -- part 2


....in the continuing story.... I was wandering around the mercado... in awe.. and somewhat stunned by all the wonderful art. Here is some more!

Don't forget to check out these fabulous artists.... and BUY HANDMADE


artwork by the folks at OffCenter Arts (http://www.offcenterarts.org/)

art by the folks at ArtStreet (http://www.abqhch.org/artstreet.htm )


Buck Naked Stuff (BuckNakedStuff@comcast.net)

artwork by MariaTeresa Stoa


artwork by Elizabeth Howard-Forbes (abqforbes@comcast.net)



soft toys by Animal Crackers, and wreathes by Susan (www.animalcrackersOriginals.com)



paper arts, assemblage and mixed media by The Queen Bea (blombard@q.com)



**all photos by Elaine A. Russell

The Monte Vista Mercado -- holiday show


Yesterday I went to the 15th Annual Art and Craft Show at Monte Vista Elementary School. Having never been before; I wanted to look up information about it on the web... but I think it must be one of those "best kept -- local secrets" kind of shows that gets passed on by word of mouth. There were tons of people there... and lots of very happy vendors.

Because there was soooooooooo much wonderfulness at the show; I am going to spread the love over a couple of posts so that I can devote a bit more time to each of the artists I happened to talk with. I apologize in advance for not being able to get ALL the goodness that was there.. this is simply SOME of it. I have added links where I can... please tell the artists you saw their work here :) ... and BUY HANDMADE

(♥ and just an aside to the organizers of the show-- it was fabulous!! and I hope to show with you someday ♥)


artwork by Tamara Totoro Dick (mctvdick@comcast.net)

artwork by Pati Woodard (http://tomegallery.net/patispage.htm)

artwork and art journals by Lisa Gallup (spiritthing@comcast.net)

artwork by Annie Onderdonk (Annie5727@gmail.com)

art jewelry by Cheryl Thorpe (cthorpe@myartisticoutlet.com)

art jewelry by Phoenix Forrester (http://www.phoenixforrester.com/index.html )

artwork by Josie Mohr (graficjam@yahoo.com)



**all photos by Elaine A. Russell .... tune in tomorrow for more ♥

Santa knows...

*photo by Elaine A. Russell


Went to a bunch of fabulous art shows last night ..... and saw some incredible art, and even more incredible people. I will definitely post some photos as soon as possible... but in the meantime; I will be out and about today doing even more wonderful things --all related to art.

On the plus side... I have a couple places interested in selling/ showing some of my work... and I sold my one and only entry in the OffCenter Arts show. Freakin' awesome.

Saw Santa about a week ago.. he was passing out promos for the Pawn Shop nearby. He was jolly and friendly .. . and so much of what I assumed "Mr. Nick" would be like. Plus -- he was ultra cool in his Ray Bans....


neat to eat ...part TWO

.. and in our continuing story ....here are some more places the hubby and I have gotten to eat at in the last few months....


Chili's on Ouray
http://www.chilis.com/EN/Pages/home.aspx

(I had the fajita trio and a margarita...awesome)


Sadie's on 4th Street


(Wow. Had the stuffed sopas. Tons of great food.. and such a cool place!)


Flying Star -- both the one on Central, and the one in Corrales


(Always good food. Favs are: Earl Grey tea, the Southwest Bennie, and the bread pudding)


Chow's ... in the Cottonwood Mall


(love the coffee chicken and the Santa Fe Wonton soup!)


Blue Cactus Grill on Coors


(I had the tequila-lime chicken, fall veggies, and these great sweet potatoes--yum)


Little Anita's in Old Towne
http://www.littleanitas.com/
(It was cold, and all the food was great! I had one of the platters with beans and rice)


**all photos by Elaine A. Russell

neat to eat ... part ONE

Because I will no doubt be busy with Nob Hill Nights, First Friday events.. and making the rounds of some cool places.... I have decided that today's and tomorrow's entries will be on a theme.
We started working in earnest on our house back towards the end of September.
And... the hubby and I LOVE to eat out... so we took this as an opportunity to visit some local places.
This post (and tomorrow's) will feature some of the places we have visited over the course of the past few months, and some of the great food that ABQ has to offer.
When possible, I have tried to include links to the places.

♥♥♥I hope you enjoy this ♥♥♥


Satellite Cafe on Central Ave
(I love the Cafe con Leche and 9 grain toast with hummus)



Kai's Chinese Restaurant
(I had the Jasmine tea and the Thai chicken with fresh veggies on rice)



El Patio
(it's all about the huervos and coffee)



BlackBird Buvette
(my fav is a glass of white wine, and a plate of Bruschetta)



Lindy's Diner
(like it all... you can't go wrong--I love diners)



Johhny Rockets @ CottonWood Mall
http://www.johnnyrockets.com/index2.php
(Cold coke and chili fries with everything... )



**all photos by Elaine A. Russell

a slight change in plans..



*photos by Elaine A. Russell


Re-modeling is always an interesting thing...
My contractor placed the order for the kitchen cabinets back in the the end of September/ beginning of October.. and they just now came in. Today the guys started hanging them....and they are the wrong color.
Not a bad color... but the wrong color.
My husband reminded me of when we had a new roof installed 2yrs ago... and they put on the wrong color of tile. We decided to keep it; rather than change it... and it was a good decision. I actually like the "wrong" color roofing better than what I had orginally chosen.
So... we are sticking with the "wrong" cabinets.
Now, the challenge is whether or not the countertops that we had ordered will match the cabinets...but I think it will all work out.


photos are from a couple of months ago. I was near the college here in ABQ... and right by Winning Coffee Co is a fabulous little bungalow home that is now the place of business for a clothing/eclectic shop; and a psychic. I stopped in and had a chat with her.... I suppose I should have asked her about the remodel....

ABC Wednesday

ABC Wednesday is a blog posting with a twist. The host (Mrs. Nesbitt) hails from Great Britain... and there are participants from all over the world. Each week, people focus their post on a letter of the alphabet. They started with the letter "A" --and each week you post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. It is a fun, imaginative exercise... and it is great to see what everyone comes up with. This week's letter is, "T".


"TightRope" ...photo by Elaine A. Russell

As I was coming back to ABQ from Santa Fe last week, the sun was shining ever so eloquently on the telephone wires alongside the road. As a photographer, it is not an easy thing to photograph; especially from the passenger seat of a vehicle driving at 65mph or so, down the road....

But it touched a nerve in me; and I had to try.

I had a cousin that ran away and joined the circus when he was a teenager. Story has it; that he became "chief pooper scooper" to the elephants... but I preferred a more romantic end....becoming a fire eater or a tightrope walker. I don't recall anyone ever hearing from him ....so I do not know his true fate.

Story also has it that my grandmother's family came from Irish gypsy heritage... and I do know that my grandfather's family name was Appleby... of Appleby Fair... where the Rom gather yearly to race horses, barter and trade in the English countryside.

So-- I tend to dream in the colors of festivals, circus tents, Romany fires and such. And it was with such a dream fresh on my mind that I worked on the photo for today's posting.

I hope you like it.

(photo from Wikipedia)


"Maria Spelterini is walking across a tightrope across the Niagara Gorge, from the United States side to Canada, with her feet in peach baskets. In the background is the Niagara Suspension Bridge, which is full of spectators. In the distant background is the Niagara Falls. (8 July 1876)"

re-model monday




*photos by Elaine A. Russell



Today ... the kitchen re-model has started. Did I mention how chaotic things can be? We weren't sure the guys were coming, so when they showed up this am... we asked them to go get coffee and come back. Then, the hubby and I completely emptied the kitchen, packing all the dishes and food etc in about 45 minutes.
As I sit here at my computer, I am watching the guy use a reciprocating saw to tear out walls, cupboards, shelving and more.... it is amazing. Course, it's also kind of frightening to see what was underneath the cupboards... but I digress.

In light of this... I am posting nice... pretty ... scenic pictures from the other day when I was up in Santa Fe.

~~~ Have a great Monday y'all

Laura's house....


*photo by Elaine A. Russell



So... Laura is a very interesting person. The daughter of 2 avid antique collectors... she said she never anticipated going into the "family business." In fact, she said she went in the opposite direction, becoming a clinical psychologist. She has 4 degrees, and an insatiable curiosity about the world.. and the people in it. She is also a fantastic artist herself.
Her home is also her place of business, with several rooms devoted to the "collections" that people come from far and wide to see and buy portions of. She caters primarily to collectors, enthusiasts, and artists. Drawers, shelves, cupboards, closets... even entire rooms are full of interesting items.

It is easy to lose track of time in a place like this. Believe me. Hours went by like mere minutes.
More tomorrow.. but in the meantime.. enjoy :)

I am also including a link to a video from YouTube that shows an interview with Laura.. and it helps explain things so much better than I could.

YouTube Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alwqmjdH9fM

glorious black friday


"Archie" ... Laura's awesome puppy. Photos by Elaine A. Russell


Sooooooooooooooo much goodness today. Today, a friend and I went up to Santa Fe to go to
Laura E. Stanziola's place. Laura is a collector extraordinaire, who happens to have made a business selling all the cool things she finds. Just about anything you could possibly be looking for; she has... and it's all catalogued. ... and organized.

Bones, beads, bobbles, bits, bullets, board games, baby dolls, books, balls, blankets, bottles... and that's just the B's. ........Fabulous!

As a bonus... the trip up, and the trip back was stunning... the light, the weather, the scenery...just awesome. Then we stopped at a cool little market for home-made tamales and beef jerky.

Tomorrow, I will hopefully have more pics from her place... but for now....."Archie" says hello :)

thankfulness

*photo by Elaine A. Russell


“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

— Albert Einstein



A friend of mine loves Albert Einstein... frankly, I never read much of his work... but now am seeing how insightful he really was. Today I am thankful for my family, my friends, my health... and so much more.

ABC Wednesday

ABC Wednesday is a blog posting with a twist. The host (Mrs. Nesbitt) hails from Great Britain... and there are participants from all over the world. Each week, people focus their post on a letter of the alphabet. They started with the letter "A" --and each week you post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. It is a fun, imaginative exercise... and it is great to see what everyone comes up with. This week's letter is, "S".
"S" is a pretty easy letter to try and come up with a post for... and therein lay my dilemma. Too many fabulous and creative choices. I thought about doing something with "shadows".. or I could do something about my love of stones, or stitching (needlework), or the saxophone.....

And yet, I wanted to do something a bit different, a bit unexpected....and I saw this grouping of words.....

selenic: of, like or pertaining to the moon
selenocentric: relating to the moon as a centre; as seen from the centre of the moon
selenodesy: study of the shape and features of the moon
selenography: description of the moon's surface
selenolatry: worship of the moon
selenology: study of the moon
selenomancy: divination by studying the moon
selenoscope: instrument for viewing the moon


Which would make for a fabulous post... except that I really don't have any good pictures of the moon to go with it....other than this shot I took with the hazy moon peaking through some dark clouds as the sun was setting in the Sandias....

And so............. I will sigh... and leave you with a symphonic rendering of a song... by the stunningly sweet Muppets....or maybe that's just too silly :)


gothic visions


feeling a bit goth today.. .. probably from the onslaught of promos for "New Moon" and anything vampire..... But it's ok... I really do love the look. Years ago... long before it was cool... I was a huge collector of anything Victorian and Gothic. Lots of lace, lots of candles, old dark wood furniture... but alas, married and changed everything to be more comfortable for the tastes of a family lifestyle. Not complaining.... everything comes back around in it's own sweet time. I actually like a variety of styles... so.. my house is a happy mix most of the time.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to see Cynthia Cook at an artist's salon at the Mariposa Gallery. She is charming, intelligent, funny.. and irreverent... just the way I like my artists :)
Her artwork is simply stunning. It is something you would perhaps chance to see at the home of a scientist/ collector/ eccentric in the Victorian times. Tucked away in an old castle-like fortress, hanging on the walls along with those stark portraits of olde....wine goblets by the fireplace, weird violin music in the offing...I don't know.. maybe that is just my take on it.... but I love her work. It evokes a mood.... a reverence... a look into a world that is just a little more fragile, a little more delicate... a little bit more awe-inspiring than most of us tend to see. Or perhaps.. it is the way the world really is... we just don't see it through our bill-laden, foggy from work ...need another espresso just to function --mentality.
Either way.... it was fabulous.

To see more of Cynthia's work:

*photos by Elaine A. Russell


---and on a completely different note... here is a cool video called "Pipe Dreams."
This video is featured on: http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/musicmachine.asp -- as it was mailed around as some kind of "urban legend."
All I know is that it's pretty damn cool.

the lights at the MIDDLE of the tunnel



So .. right at the Railrunner Station, at Central Ave and 1st street... there is an overpass for the trains/ underpass for cars on Route 66....
Recently... there has been a project there in the works... which is now completed. I am not sure who did the installation, or who was responsible for getting this done... but BRAVO.
The installation is a series of lights along the solid sidewalls of the brief tunnel, and they rotate colors every few seconds. On the inner walls next to the traffic, are a series of panels with lights behind them. The panels contain translucent enlargements of photos taken years ago.. and feature some well known "hallmark" places in and around the city; such as Memorial Hospital, the Kimo Theatre, etc.
Really really cool. Well worth a leisurely walk through....





*photos by Elaine A. Russell

Recycle Show: Part 3

The journey home to ABQ from Santa Fe was a joy. The Railrunner is a wonderful experience ...comfy, fun, and with stunning scenery. I have always loved trains. As a kid, the C & PA railroad went thru my hometown... the tracks ran right near my house ... so I got to see it everyday. In fact, my husband's grandfather was a conductor...waving to us kids at lunchtime as the train rolled through...

So-- the photos for today's post hopefully bespeak of the coolness and grandeur that is the Railrunner Station here in ABQ.

"The station reflects the architecture of the Transportation Center’s main building, which itself is reminiscent of the last big heyday of rail travel in Albuquerque. In the early 1900’s, the Alvarado Hotel, a showpiece in its day, stood right where the Transportation Center stands today. The Alvarado served as the hub of the main mode of transportation in the era – the passenger train. Today, the Alvarado Transportation Center is at the crossroads of some dramatic downtown redevelopment, ushering in a new system of passenger rail service." (http://www.nmrailrunner.com/albuquerque.asp)

coming back into ABQ

part of the old Alvarado Station section

the front facade

... and one of the archways.... looking towards a NM sunset....
* all photos by Elaine A. Russell

Recycle Show -- Part 2

a portion of a mixed media work by Leighanna Light


jewelry by Darlene Fortier


Silverware Creations by "The Cat and the Fiddle"


I fell in love with these ... paintings by a co-op group called "Humble Works"


fantastical works by S. D. Meadows


Jewelry art by Kristin Deiner



The show was incredible. I can hardly stand it. So many things to look at.. so many things to be inspired by. And so many artists not represented here :( , as recorded by my trusty little camera.
But there will be other shows, and other chances....
And in the meantime... go make something !
**all photos by Elaine A. Russell

Recycle Show -- Part 1

So-- I am going to try to show you some of the deliciousness that was the Annual Santa Fe Recycle Show, which was last weekend.

When I started making art from recycled materials about 15yrs ago... I thought I was a freak of nature. And frankly, so did a lot of my friends (artsy ones included). I persevered anyway... cuz that's the way I am. I made birdhouses, bird feeders, carved walking sticks with embellishments, collaged objects and pieces on wood, mixed media pieces, jewelry from found objects and re-purposed items, and recycled paper envelopes. But I still figured I was out of the loop in the art world.... until I went to this show.

Walking into this show was like finding OZ....... No need to click my heels... I was home.


This lady made fashion bags, totes and wallets from recycled plastic bags, vinyl pieces and more.


Lane Patterson's lamps... made from recycled parts, tin cans, metal pieces.....


Bates Wilson.... art from recycled car and motorcycle parts, signs.. etc


paper mache and paper art... not sure who made them... but I love them....



These night lights and incandescent lights are made from pieces of slag glass. They were brought by a husband-wife team.. and the wife also made jewelry from wire-wrapping broken glass shards into lovely necklaces and earrings.


just a snippet of the stash from Laura E. Stanziola....a wonderful artist's resource for all kinds of recycled materials....


More tomorrow !!
and see even more at http://www.recyclesantafe.org/
**all photos by Elaine A. Russell

Santa Fe Farmer's Market

*all photos by Elaine A. Russell



ok. So yesterday I posted about the ride on the RailRunner up to Santa Fe.. the goal being.. to go to the annual Recycle Show there.
But ... whoa... wait a minute. There was also a Farmer's Market going on! Apparently, every Sunday, there is what is called the "Sunday Community Fair" in addition to the Farmer's Market.
So... we are talking .... tons of fresh, organic, local produce... as well as handmade items, soaps, bags, books and more. All around the rail station were booths outside, and then inside this huge warehouse... were tons more of booths. Now.. combine that with street artists, and musicians.... and free samples ??!!
Now you get the idea.

Needless to say, we got a little side-tracked from the Recycle Show and explored here first....

fresh organic Dakon radishes


gorgeous chile ristras


organic apple cider slushies


and fresh, home-made bread

To see more about the market in Santa Fe: http://www.santafefarmersmarket.com/