Drawing: Santa Fe Window

Santa Fe

I attended the 2013 Tony Hillerman Writers Conference by WORDHARVEST in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

With beautiful sunny weather I was able to take some photo illustrations on break of the shop windows on the main plaza.

View the collection at Pinterest.

ABQ: Solstice

ALBUQUERQUE

Winter Solstice


“I stood transfixed, the silence ringing in my ears. From the field of wild grasses; cocksfoot, tufted hair, wild oat, tall fescue, reed canary and perennial rye, their subtle shades of green, ochre and pink softly patching and blending in rustling movement, suddenly rose a small flock of starlings that had been feeding quietly unseen among the tall waving stems, the swish of their glossy wings startlingly loud in the stillness of midday. Heat held me captive.”
― Nell Grey

ABQ: Winter at BioPark

 

 

ALBUQUERQUE

 

Winter at the BioPark

 

 

“Is it snowing where you are? All the world that I see from my tower is draped in white and the flakes are coming down as big as pop-corns. It's late afternoon - the sun is just setting (a cold yellow colour) behind some colder violet hills, and I am up in my window seat using the last light to write to you.”
― Jean Webster, Daddy-Long-Legs

 

 



ABQ: SnapSpace

ALBUQUERQUE

SnapSpace

Photo journal of the SnapSpace landscape.

On the edge of the Raynolds Addition and Barelas neighborhoods near the zoo in Downtown, local developers Sean Gilligan and Marilyn Keller are trying a new concept in Albuquerque home building--"stick-built" modular homes that can be moved to other locations throughout the state.

The concept embraces both green building and simplified compact living. They have a model home on Iron that is less than 900 SF. Which means that more time and attention is spent on outdoor living. The photo journal at the top of the page shows their attention to the details of creating an urban sanctuary landscape, which includes 3 separate outdoor decks, fire pits and BBQ, a pond and a garden.

The enclosed yard is reminiscent of the Medieval concept of a Hortus Conclusus, literally a walled garden that served as a contemplative outdoor room within the larger garden.


Explains Landscape Design + More--Hortus Conclusus is the archetype of an enclosed garden.  A walled garden, one with a fenced enclosure, became synonymous with the term “garden” in medieval times.  Its nomenclature, “hortus conclusus,” is believed to originate from King Solomon’s “Song of Songs” 4:12 "Hortus conclusus soror mea, sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus" ("A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up.")

The enclosed garden was a common setting for images of the Virgin Mary in medieval artwork.

In secular terms the garden became a symbol of earthly love, typified by Guillaume de Llorris 13^th century poem the Roman de la Rose, an allegory of man and an enclosed garden. In this walled garden, the interior represents romance, while the exterior is emblematic of everyday life.

Artificial nature is the basis for the hortus conclusus - shutting the space off from the outside world, creating an image of an inner paradise. One could begin to suggest that this archetype has been translated into present day public pocket parks in urban centers. A more private example would be the jewel box size gardens behind brownstone buildings - is an oasis, a refuge of peace and tranquility among the chaos within the urban infrastructure.




Information about SnapSpace:


SG Properties is the sales representatives for SnapSpace NM, LLC.  We build movable, modular, green homes for delivery throughout the state.  These homes are "stick built" at our factory yard in Albuquerque and moved to your lot.  

Models:  We currently have one model for sale.  We have schematic designs for a number of other models and are in the process of completing the working drawings and pricing them.  The current model can be seen at 1104 Iron SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102.

 

Process:  Our homes are built in our factory yard and then shipped to your lot.   Customers either pay for their unit with cash or with financing.  Once the home is finished it is shipped to your lot for installation on your foundation.

 

Find Out More About SnapSpace:  Please call or email us if you have questions, want additional information, or would like to schedule a tour of our model.  Be prepared to be impressed.  
 

Sean Gilligan

SG Properties. Qualifying Broker

Phone  505.440.5814

Fax  866.630.6946

Email  sean@sgproperties.biz

 

ABQ: Autumn

ALBUQUERQUE

Autumn


“But then fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.” 
― Stephen King, 'Salem's Lot

ABQ: Gertrude's Garden

ALBUQUERQUE

Gertrude's Garden

Visit the photo journal to view the garden.


Walk through the back of Gertrude Zachary's antique store in Downtown Albuquerque and you will find yourself in the garden, full of wonderful statues and fountains.

ABQ: Summer at BioPark

ALBUQUERQUE

Summer at the BioPark

Photo of a statue in the gardens.

SECRET ABQ: Shrine to St. Francis

SECRET ALBUQUERQUE

Shrine to St. Francis

LOCATION: Old Town

Tucked away among Old Town's pedestrian pathways to the main plaza is a shrine to St. Francis built into the side of an adobe building.

 

 

GARDEN: artwork/St. Francis II

GARDEN

St. Francis Statue

This is the second St. Francis statue I've done. Looks a little odd because I didn't remember to photograph it until after I had wrapped the matted board in a plastic bag to go to the gallery.

GARDEN: artwork/Worship

GARDEN

Worship

This photo was taken at the Japanese Garden in Albuquerque's Biopark. I have enhanced part of the picture with oil pastels, and left the rest black and white.

ABQ: Old Town Chapel

 





















ALBUQUERQUE

Old Town Chapel

Capilla de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe has an "Our Lady of Guadalupe" church on Griegos road in Albuquerque. Not to be confused with the Guadalupe chapel in Old Town.

I lived in Old Town for quite awhile, starting the late 1990s, before I ever learned about the chapel. It's tucked away quietly behind the Albuquerque Museum to the east, and the Patio Escondido on San Felipe NW to the west. It's not located on a road, per se. Rather, it sits in the back of a patio area to the north of the main plaza and San Felipe church.

The small adobe chapel was built by a nun. It's been rumored to be haunted. However, many buildings in the Old Town Plaza have similar claims.

Until a recent fire, the chapel was cared for and visited by people day and night. It remained open through all seasons. At the entrance was a mural of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Visitors left burning candles and prayers with photos of loved ones.

In the back of the chapel was a more formal shrine to Christ with candles. Along the sides of the chapel were adobe benches and carved wood panels with words.

Read one of the panels:

MY SOUL

HATH DESIRED

THEE IN THE

NIGHT AND WITH

MY SPIRIT WITHIN

ME IN THE MORN

EARLY I WILL

WATCH TO

THEE

GARDEN: artwork/Gargoyle

GARDEN

Gargoyle

The garden statute looks almost like a dog. He is rather contemplative and not at all scary.

GARDEN: St. Francis/artwork

GARDEN

St. Francis Statue

This artwork I made from a photo of a statue taken at Gertrude Zachary's Downtown antique store. She has a marvelous selection of outdoor garden statues, fountains and various types of ornaments. I find her store inspiring to visit.