You all are very familiar, now, with The Anna Karin Gallery since Anna and I have been putting our gallery together over the last couple of months. But it occurred to me today that many of you may not be aware that Truchas, New Mexico, the wonderful little village in which we live and the location of our gallery, is a well known art village. Located on the High Road to Taos, it is among numerous art villages that nestle here amidst the fingers and valleys of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

So I thought I’d quickly introduce you to some of the other art that’s being done and shown in Truchas and a few of the nearby villages on the High Road. I’ve written posts on many of them but there are still more artists to be interviewed… so much talent to recognize and so little time! I promise you will learn more about my fellow artists in the near future. But for now, I thought I’d at least give you a list of some of us up here. My list doesn’t include everybody so, when you drive the High Road, be sure to stop at any of the studios and galleries that draw your attention.

But first, let me just mention that I’ll be doing a full story on Anna Karin and her art soon. With so much focus on our gallery, I haven’t really done a piece about Anna’s work yet—an oversight I intend to rectify.

I want to start your mini High Road art tour 8 miles down the mountain from Truchas in the village of Chimayo, New Mexico. There you will find Centinela Traditional Arts, owned by my friends Lisa and Irvin Trujillo. Their weavings are in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museum (see previous posts Centinela Traditional Arts Parts 1 and Part 2).

From there continue just a very short distance to Oviedo Carvings and Bronze. Here Marco Oviedo and his wife, Pat, live an inspired western life, and Marco creates wood carvings and bronzes that are collected all over the world (see previous post Marco Oviedo: Keeping Art Alive).

Continue up the mountain, just 3 miles, to the village of Cordova, New Mexico to visit my friends Paula Castillo and Terry Mulert and their beautiful Castillo Gallery. They are both highly collected sculptors. Paula is also a painter and Terry a poet. Although I’m eager to do so, I haven’t written a post about either of them yet. You can see Paula’s work at PaulaCastilloArt.com and read a few of Terry’s poems at http://contemporaryalbuquerque.com/features/TerryMulert.html.

Next you’ll arrive in my village of Truchas, 5 scenic miles up the mountain from Cordova. First you’ll come to Bill Loyd’s and Anna Karin’s studios. You’ll see their sign which points you down their long driveway (see previous posts The Farmer’s Mantra, Bill Loyd’s Sign for Tooley’s Trees and The Old Adobe Church, the Wolf and Survival). I tell everyone that a trip to Truchas is not complete without visiting Anna Karin’s gardens and Bill Loyd’s workshop.

In just a very short distance past Bill and Anna’s (about a block, if the village had blocks), you’ll be to our Anna Karin Gallery. Please come in to say hi! You can see the before and after pictures of us putting the gallery together here: Anna Karin Gallery, Truchas, NM

And just past us is our neighbor’s Ghost Pony Gallery (see previous post Opening at Ghost Pony Gallery). I’ll be doing an interview with Trish sometime very soon and with Leonardo if he’s willing.

Go straight past the turn to Taos and you will drive right into the village of Truchas. Like all of these tiny villages along the High Road, Truchas was settled as a Spanish land grant village—this one in 1754.

The first gallery you will come to in the village proper is Cortina Fine Art Gallery owned by Ramon Cortina and Donna Volatile. Ramon is a multi-faceted artist, working in a variety of mediums, including stone sculpting (which he learned in the marble quarry in Carrera Italy), oil painting, wood carving, mosaic and pottery making. You can see Ramon’s work and read about his fascinating life at http://yessy.com/djvolatile2/gallery.html.

If you look to your right when you’re leaving The Cortina Gallery, just past the store and bar, you’ll see the old plaza of the original village with its adobe church that was built in 1758.

Just past the plaza, on the left, is the Cordova Hand Weaving Workshop. Harry Cordova is a fifth generation weaver, carrying on the traditions of his mother and father, both weavers. He uses the same looms in the same building as his parents and his father’s parents. He is definitely worth a stop. Harry doesn’t have a website so you’ll just have to come see his work in person.

And just beyond the curve in the road you will arrive at Judith Hert’s studio. Watch for an OPEN sign and go in to see her if it’s out (see previous post Judith Hert, Artist).

Right next door to Judith is the Cardona Hine Gallery and the studios of my friends Barbara McCauley and Alvaro Cardona Hine (see previous posts A Journey of the Soul and Renaissance Man). These two have been actively pursuing their art in this village for over two decades.

Just past Barbara and Alvaro’s is the studio of water colorist Sally Delap-John. New to Truchas, you can see her work at SallyDelap-John.com.

Not far beyond Sally is eRic Luplow’s eL Gallery and Studio. You can see his work at EricLuplow.com. He creates whimsical paintings in what he terms a Sur-Folk style.

Next you’ll arrive at Bill and Margaret Franke’s wonderful contemporary art gem, Hand Artes Gallery (see previous posts Disparate Pieces, Art Opening at Hand Artes Gallery, Truchas, NM and Spring at Hand Artes Gallery, Truchas, New Mexico). Hand Artes Gallery is the oldest gallery in Truchas and is an astounding surprise to anyone entering its doors for the first time.

Across the street from Hand Artes Gallery is Rei Montez’s Montez Gallery where he features “masterpieces of Spanish Colonial art.” You can learn about his gallery at MontezSantaFe.com.

Then you will need to turn around and drive back out through the village. You’ll want to take the turn to Taos now, which will be on your right. Just beyond the turn is the High Road Marketplace, a collective of many local artists you won’t want to miss (see previous post Traditional Hispanic Arts and the High Road Marketplace).

Continue up the High Road to the next village of Ojo Sarco to see the studio/gallery of my friends Kathy Riggs and Jake Willson, the owners of Ojo Sarco Pottery. Our schedules keep conflicting, otherwise I would have done a post about each of them by now. But, until we can make that happen, you can learn about them in this great video http://yessy.com/djvolatile2/gallery.html and also see their work at OjoSarco.com”.

And that is the end of my mini art tour of Truchas and a bit of the surrounding High Road. As I said, there are many more artists and more villages to visit. This is just a sampling to give you an idea of the rich heritage of this place. Any wonder why Anna created the Anna Karin Gallery here in Truchas 7 years ago now, and why I was so happy to join her?

We, all of us, look forward to meeting any of you who can make the trip to visit us, here, in our own magical little piece of northern New Mexico, along the High Road to Taos. Hope to see you soon.

Love to you all,

Jeane