Museums and Workshops

You know you are tired when....You brush your teeth with Deep Heat (for sore muscles) and wonder why the toothpaste tastes so weird. I can imagine I looked like a crazy woman when I realised what I had done and vigourosly spat it out and washed my mouth out with hot water. Is this what they call “a senior citizen's moment”? My mouth did feel surprisingly warm when I lay down to go to sleep last night.

You know you are a newcomer when.....You get money out of an ATM and while you are quickly checking you have the right amount, the machine gobbles up your card because you took too long to take it out of the slot. Panic. Luckily it was 4.50pm and the bank didn't shut until 5pm. I showed my ID and got the card back. Phew, that was close. Lesson learned: grab your card and only get money out of ATM attached to a bank during business hours.

The first shot on my flickr page is a self-portrait. I was not being self-obsessed when I did this. Liebovitz was saying that she finds self-portraits difficult to make and that hasn't done for ages. It got me thinking about the self as the subject. It is quite confrontational to see oneself in the mirror and to try and do a flattering shot without going into the realms of vanity. Anyway, it's there for all to see now. Enough already.

I was recalling some other Liebovitz comments today. She was asked who she would still like to photograph that she has not had the chance to shoot yet. She had no answer. This was awkward. I thought surely there are still humans worth capturing. I can't help but feel the arrogance in her response. I guess she just waits for the stars to call her. After a delay in her response, she said that she wished she could have photographed people who were no longer alive, like Elvis Presley.

Today I bought a Culture Pass so that I can visit a whole number of galleries and museums around New Mexico. I went to the New Mexico Museum of Art and the New Mexico History Museum at The Palace of the Governors. 

At the Art Museum, I discovered an artist called Gustave Baumann who immigrated from Germany to the USA. His work is well worth a Google image search. He worked in woodblock prints. It was incredible how much detail he managed to achieve through carving into the wood and layering the colours. I particularly liked his image of the Grand Canyon which showed the play of light on the cliffs and the dramatic light in the sky. His body of work holds the nostalgia and romance of the old SouthWest of America. He used metallic paints in some of the prints and they really jumped out of the page.

The city of Santa Fe is the oldest State Capital in the USA. She turns 400 this year so there is lots of City pride around town. One of the historic centres is the Museum at The Palace of the Governors facing the Plaza. There are many war relics, paintings, weapons and artefacts. There is a large collection of Mexican Catholic relics made in wood. There was an entire wall of crucufixes which came from one Man's collection. I am guessing there were 50 on one wall. There was another wall of Madonna and Child. It was quite spooky because the light was low and it felt like they were watching me- like a hundred Mona Lisas, only Catholic. The Security Guard had to get me to sign the Guest Book because he likes to collect signatures of people from overseas.

I ate lunch at Pasquales- Huevos Rancheros- eggs, beans, cheese, chile and tortilla. I met a couple from Italy and we talked in Italian for ages. They even understood me- mostly. Their names were Luigi and Alessandra. I was thrilled of course. They were impressed that my girl's name was spelt with the double “ss” and not the “x”. 

I went to St Francis Cathedral and did some photos. It was very different to the Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic churches in Europe. Naïve style art and glass.

This afternoon I caught the cab out to the Workshop to start the serious business of why I came here. The people are very friendly. When they said my accommodation was basic, they meant it. It is clean, quiet and private so I am not complaining. We had a lovely dinner at a resort 10 minutes drive away. Two lovely ladies from California called Pam and Gail drove me out there. The schedule sounds very hectic but fun so I will report tomorrow night if I am still awake after 12 hours of classes.