Weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico
November 9th, 2008The sky is its usual vibrant blue — it’s so easy to become spoiled by good weather — the sun is brightly shining and the air is sweet and mild. I know it won’t last. Winter will eventually cool the air temperatures to below freezing at night, but as long as the sun shines, even winter days will beckon us to enjoy the outdoors.
Friday night was Fractal Friday at the Planetarium at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. I’m told it’s the only full screen fractal show in the country. This live show was by turns mesmerizing and educational. Take the full immersive power of a planetarium and meld it with swirling colorful patterns and evocative music. Entrancing.
Fractals are “infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales,” says the Fractal Foundation. “They are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop.” The fascinating result of mathematical formulas, they also appear in nature, although in less colorful but nonetheless fascinating infinity.
In this live show, Jonathan Wolfe, Ph.D. shares his excitement and his lush fractal art animations. Feel the power as you dive deeper and deeper and deeper into the patterns. This popular show sells out regularly. Tickets need to be purchased in advance.
Saturday brought my favorite art show in New Mexico — the Weems Artfest. I love the Weems gallery in Old Town. Southwest art is, in my opinion, some of the finest in the country. And the yearly Artfest bring together these artists and others of incredible creativity. Although you can certainly spend thousands of dollars, there’s also signed prints for $20 to $40. Pottery, art glass, leather, beads, collage, jewelry, outdoor art, the range is staggering.
On this trip I was entranced by the musical boxes of Michael and Joah Thiele of Hardwood Music. If I had $6,800 I would have scooped up a coffee table that played like a xylophone. Forget colored metal strips, these were designs in wood. Smaller boxes were available as well. If jewelry is wearable art, these are musical art.
Infinity Art Glass featured handblown glassworks with a sign — Please Touch. And it was a treat to gently stroke the sinuous sensuous art.
I stopped by one of my favorite potters — Alan Yarmark of Always Azul Pottery. He didn’t have my greatly loved blue bowls there but I have his card and will get another set of 6.
Patricia Wyatt of Santa Fe was selling her colorful paintings, on watercolor paper, embossed paper and stretched canvas in watercolor, colored pencil and oil pastel. The originals were over $1,000 but there were also hand-colored prints for $30. I bought one of those and will frame it over the next few weeks.
Pati Deuter’s embossed paper and ink creations were a great deal at $18, and $25. And I watched Amado Peña, an artisan of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, at work, and then bought 3 signed note cards at $5 each. They’ll be framed as well in the coming weeks.
This once-a-year event should be on everyone’s calendar. Come to Albuquerque in early November, enjoy the weather, and do your art holiday shopping.
I needed my chile fix, so we finished Saturday off with dinner at Papa Felipe’s for delicious Mexican/New Mexican dishes with reasonable prices. I had the Green Tamale Pie and Ed had a plate with two marinated beef Fiesta tacos, finished off with sopaipillas (each dish under $10).
Today we plan to hike a bit into the mountains, then do some shopping and pick up the ingredients for Shepherd’s Pie for dinner. Ed has been hankering for it and we enjoy cooking together. Perhaps we’ll enjoy a glass of wine in front of the fire. If we didn’t feel like cooking, there are certainly lovely restaurants with fireplaces to enjoy a meal and a drink.
Life is good in New Mexico. There’s a reason we call it the Land of Enchantment.
Read more about New Mexico at Offbeat Travel and Offbeat New Mexico

