My husband opted to travel with me and our trip started with a ferry ride to the mainland and a drive down the coast to Seattle in Washington State. On the way we stopped at both the Canadian and American Customs, filled in lots of forms and had them officially stamped. So far, so good. From Seattle we flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico via Phoenix, Arizona. The painting was waiting for us (what a relief) along with our luggage. However, we had to upgrade our rental car at the airport because we couldn't squeeze the painting into an economy car. Our one hour drive to Santa Fe revealed a semi-desert, mountainous
landscape; dry, dusty and very unlike our own green, tree-filled rainforest.
Having delivered my surprisingly undamaged painting to the College of Santa Fe Fine Art Department, where the show was being held, we were free to enjoy our first trip to New Mexico. What a wonderful experience it was - art, culture, history, scenery - the whole buzz of a very exciting place. There were many art galleries to visit, including the Georgia o'Keefe Museum, with its magnificent collection of her local landscape paintings. The architecture is eclectic, with its combination of Spanish and Native American pueblo influences. Santa Fe colours are an artist's dream - earthy ochres, terracottas and pinks, the clear blue of the sky and the local turquoise mined nearby, with the strong black, white and red of the Indian pottery.
The town of Santa Fe has a very cosmopolitan atmosphere; tourists and art collectors come from all over the world to experience the South West culture. We made sure to allow time to visit one of the many sites of cave dwellings and chose Frijitos Canjon in Bandolier National Park, a hidden valley over 6,000 feet high in a mountain range, full of the remains of a mysterious stone age civilization and their cave paintings - quite an overwhelming and mystical experience.
Back at the College of Santa Fe, at the show's opening Reception, I enjoyed being able to meet and talk with an interesting variety of silk painters in a lively, stimulating environment, surrounded by fine art - so very inspiring. There were wonderful examples of traditional silk painting techniques and some fun experimental work. I was told that the jurying was quite stringent and only a third of the entries were chosen.
My feeling is that the whole trip was absolutely worth it and my work is already showing signs of being influenced by the magical Santa Fe experience. Oh and in case you're wondering - yes, my painting sold and has gone to its new home in Reno, Nevada.
Maureen Walker
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.