GRONK - SETS THE STAGE FOR GRISELDA AT THE SANTA FE OPERA

Photo courtesy of SFO - solarized by CWW

Painter, muralist, scenic designer GRONK is larger than life and so is the wild and wonderful stage set he’s creating for Vivaldi’s Griselda at the Santa Fe Opera. “It’s a painting that’s so happy to be a set,” quips GRONK, who says that the set design for Griselda is challenging because there will be no props and the characters will inhabit the “painting” for the full length of the opera. He’s been at work now for two weeks and has another two to go, but anyone looking at the behemoth 110’ x 18’ stage set/painting can see that it’s almost there. Here are glimpses of the paintings within the painting.

Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

                                      

Always the perfectionist, GRONK, is constantly looking at his work. “More time in painting is spent looking than in actually painting,” explains GRONK, who will make tweaks during dress rehearsal when the performers are in costume and the lighting is choreographed. And of course, he will take direction from the Opera’s equally larger-than-life director, Peter Sellers, who collaborated with GRONK on Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar, for the Santa Fe Opera’s 2005 season.

GRONK eschews fancy materials for his stage sets. His "canvas" is white muslin, most of the paints come from Home Depot, and his favorite brushes cost 99-cents. "I like when the bristles fall off into the work," laughs GRONK. "It adds a certain roughness."

Performances for Griselda are:

July 16,20, 29 & August 4,9,19

THE SANTA FE OPERA

505.986.5900



RIO BRAVO TRADING COMPANY - THE REAL DEAL

                                              Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

Randy Rodriguez is a storyteller, and every object in his twenty-two year old Rio BravoTrading Company has a story; if not the story of the artist/craftsman who made it, then the story of how Randy acquired it.  And one of his favorite stories is how  he came to know that his life would be shaped by cowboys & indians.

"One day in school our teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up," remembers Randy. "The son of a carpenter said he wanted to be a carpenter. The son of a lawyer said he wanted to be a lawyer.  I said that I really didn't care as long as it had something to do with cowboys & indians."

And anyone who walks into Rio Bravo – filled to the brim with everything cowboy & Indian - is the beneficiary of Randy’s passion. There are vintage Navajo rugs, heaps of cowboy hats (Ralph Lauren owns one and Randy blocks hats for film industry folks), nifty spurs and belt buckles, sensational jewelry, paintings, handmade boots, saddles, and my personal favorite, chaps -  handsome tooled leather chaps that would make you run out and buy a magnificent horse so that you could both strut your stuff.



Legendary Leather Artist - Buddie Foster, Decatur, TX

(ask Randy about him)

Bucking Horse - Dallas Scribner, Oklahoma

The next generation of leather artists.

Everything in the photo above circa 1890's

Circa 1910 Crystal Navajo rug

And amazing painted chaps by Santa Fe Artist, Roseta Santiago



So if you want to walk into a store that is authentic, fabulously interesting and be greeted by a very happy man, Rio Bravo Trading Company awaits.

RIO BRAVO TRADING CO.

411 So. Guadalupe St.

505.982.0230

SPRING IN SANTA FE

                                                            Photo by C. Whitney-Ward

 blossoms peeking

at adobe walls

windows peeking at the sky

GOLER DRESS - DEBUTS AT GOLER SHOES

                                     Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

If you want to buy a  "killer" pair of shoes, you can fly to Dallas or L.A., or you can

sashay down to Sena Plaza and step inside GOLER . This almost thirty-something- year-old shoe emporium has delicious shoes by top designers - Donald J. Pliner, Stuart Weitzman  and Mark Nason, to name just a few.



But, what are wonderful shoes without an equally wonderful frock to do them justice? Exactly. And that's why owner, Guadalupe Goler and her charming daughter Paula,  GOLER's manager and buyer, are launching -  

G O L E R   D R E S S 

A stylish, hip boutique/salon (tucked into the back of GOLER) showcasing casual and chic dresses, pants, tops, skirts and sensational swimwear. And wonderful, wonderful designs from the Barcelona company Desigual. Surpisingly affordable!

And what do the dynamic mother/daughter duo have to say about their new venture and their wonderful store?

"Our shoe store is a cosmopolitan fashion oasis in the desert," say the Golers, "so adding chic clothing just seemed like a natural extension. GOLER is truly a family business; we all share the same goals and our wonderful customers are  an extension of that family." And customer service, say the mother/daughter team, is paramount.  "Our  staff is incredible and we train them well and they flourish. It's our edge over any competition and how we compete with the Internet."  

 And, lest we forget, GOLER has wonderful men's shoes...

And some just scream for a smoking jacket!

GOLER
Fine Imported Shoes &
 GOLER Dress
125 E. Palace Ave.
505.982.0924
www.golershoes.com

SAN ISIDRO CHURCH & CEMETERY

          Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

I rarely drive this far out on Agua Fria, but one day I did and saw this lovely church. It seemed to beckon and I wandered through the tiny cemetery reading names and dates and thinking about the fabric of each life.

The church was built in 1835.  It seems that church going in the early 1800's was an all-day affair. The main Cathedral was miles away and by the time families hitched their horses to the wagon, drove to town, attended mass, and returned home, eight hours or so  would have been consumed. And you'd have to forgo going to church entirely if it was your turn on Sundays  to water from the acequia. And some families could only "afford" going to church once a month. So,  building one closer to home  seemed just the thing to do.

But where to build? Jose Jacinto Gallegos, a Village resident, offered some of his prized farm land. While folks watched,  Gallegos tossed his hat into the air and  the church  was built exactly where it landed.  Everyone took part in the construction. Adobe bricks were fashioned from the ruins of an old pueblo. The walls were plastered by the women of the Village, and each of the corbels for the roof vigas  was crafted by individual families - making them charmingly irregular. The church was named and dedicated to San Isidro, ploughman  and patron saint of farmers and protector of crops.

The ancient markers in the cemetery resonate with the names of those early residents of Agua Fria Village.

                                        

A butterfly & a teddy bear

SAN ISIDRO CHURCH

3552 Agua Fria

505.471.0710