Amavi Restaurant - The Whirling Dervish of Wine

Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

RUN...yes, run to the phone and book a reservation for one of Sommelier Mark Johnson's absolutely outrageously wonderful Wine/Tasting 101 Classes at Amavi Restaurant.  I've been to about six of them and I haven't had this much fun sniffing, swirling and tasting wine since I don't know when. Mark is scary-smart and articulate about every aspect of wine - but never, never intimidating. And he peppers each class and tasting with charming anecdotes about the vintners or growers, assuming a flawless Italian or French or Australian accent to bring the story to life.

It's wine theatre at its best!

And at $15 bucks a class - tasting six wines -  it's one of the best tickets in town.

AMAVI RESTAURANT

221 Shelby Street

Santa Fe, NM

(505) 988-2355

www.amavirestaurant.com

 20% discount for dinner after the tasting.

August 16th - Sauvignon Blanc

August 23rd - Chardonnay

August 20th - Riesling

September 6th - Pinot Noir

Call for the rest of the schedule.

A Postcard from Santa Fe

Zaplin - Lampert Gallery - The Art of One

Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

The Zaplin - Lampert Gallery sits along Canyon Road, its' inviting portal filled with  understated charm. 

The word venerable comes to mind when I think of how it feels to step inside. Established in 1987, the gallery quickly became known for artists that plied their talent in the early years of Santa Fe, Taos and the American West.

A walk through will turn up gems by Gerald Cassidy, Gene Kloss, Ernest Blumenschein, Gustave Baumann, Thomas Hart Benton and scores and scores of established 19th and 20th century artists.  

The current exhibition - UNIQUE IMPRESSIONS - got my attention and I dropped by to see the rare and lovely monotypes produced by members of the legendary Taos Society of Artists.

What, pray tell, is a monotype?

The diminutive catalog that went with the show explained that a monotype is singular and spontaneous.  It seems that the artist paints or draws an image directly on a metal or glass plate with oils or printer's ink. The surface is then manipulated with brush strokes, a palate knife, fingers or a rag until the final image emerges.  The finished plate is run through a press and the image transferred onto paper. And after all of this, only one handmade print emerges.

Joseph Henry Sharp 

Two Moons - Cheyenne - Monoprint

But, there is so much more to the Zaplin-Lampert Gallery - paintings, furniture, weavings and sculpture. Here's what caught my eye...

And for a fascinating glimpse into the homes and lives of some of Santa Fe's earliest artists, pick up a copy (available at the gallery & Collected Works) of Stacia Lewandowski's new book - Light, Landscape and the Creative Quest - Early Artists of Santa Fe.

ZAPLIN - LAMPERT GALLERY

651 Canyon Road

Santa Fe, NM

www.zaplinlampert.com

505.982.6100

The peerless Santa Fe sky -

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky."

   Jimi Hendrix

 

Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

And what a kiss that would be, Mr. Hendrix. 

For indeed, each day Santa Fe is blessed with

 billowing pillows of clouds in an impossibly blue sky.

I've always lived on or near the water and when I moved to Santa Fe a friend asked me if I'd miss the ocean.  "The sky will be my ocean," I quipped. And it is.

Santa Fe is such a special, special place and if you have never been here, you

should think about the error of your ways. It's a candy box - there's always

 something new to see and to discover.

Wonderful, walkable neighborhoods...

World-class food & restaurants...

Artistic expression and shopping nirvana...

And vistas....

COME CHASE SANTA FE!