From Russia With LoveTo Santa FeBy Madelyn MillerThis summer, Santa Fe, New Mexico had a Russian Festival that involved galleries, museums and the arts. It is the kind of thing that Santa Fe does so well. And in fact, this event was so widely received, that the word is out that they hope to have a similar festival with another country each year. I missed the Russian Ballet, but I did meet two beautiful artists, a mother and daughter team, who make amazing Lacquer Boxes. Their demonstration at the Pushkin Gallery fascinated all who attended, and many left with lovely “souvenirs” of these finely crafted boxes. Making of Russian Lacquer BoxesRussian lacquer boxes are some of the most beautiful and distinctive Russian art. On the boxes are intricately hand-drawn miniature paintings usually based on fairy tales, poems, country life, troikas, landscapes, and old painting masterpieces. Lacquer box artists must not only excel artistically as master artists, but must also have the patience to spend long periods of time working on small intricate sections of their composition. The boxes get their name from the many layers of lacquer, usually black and red, which are applied to the inside and outside. The miniature works are made according to a traditional, specific and quite lengthy process. This process ensures that the box will be beautiful for many years. Russian lacquer boxes are made from papier-mâché, layers of cardboard glued together and compressed. While the box is still wet it is pressed into shapes and allowed to dry. The material is then placed into a hot linseed bath and dried gradually for about a month in an airtight oven. This process gives the piece the hardness and strength of wood. Because of this process the boxes are resistant to weather and atmospheric changes. This material does not warp and crack. Specialized craftsmen put the boxes together to form the basic shape. After the box is joined it is covered with a primer and dried and is then ready for the lacquering process. Traditionally the box is lacquered black on the outside and red inside with several coats of lacquer. All of this preliminary work can take a month or two to complete, and up to six months for a complex box. The box is now ready to be painted. This is the process that gives the box value and character. The artist will rub the surface with pumice-stone to create a surface to which the paint will adhere. The powdered stone is then brushed away with a goose feather, and the artist will make a rough sketch on the surface of the box. Then the actual painting, which can take from less than a day to more than a year, begins. Artists from Palekh, Mstera and Kholui use egg tempera paints (the traditional medium of icon-painting). The eggs are bought from neighbors preferably with free-range chickens, because eggs from poultry farms are considered less suitable. All of the pigments are natural and will not fade even in direct sunlight. The artists from Fedoskino use oil paints to create their art. The artist may use a squirrel, sable and even at times a human hair for painting. The colors are applied in a strict sequence that dates back to the origins of icon painting. Near the end of the painting process artists will often add gold leaf or extremely thin strokes of gold paint to their work. To give the gold a burnished sheen, the artist polishes the gold with a wolf’s tooth (remarkably smooth surface). Finally, the master artist signs the box along with the name of their village. Then the box is covered with many layers (sometimes up to ten) of clear lacquer. Each layer must dry before the next coat can be applied, a process of more than a week. The box is polished with a velvet-covered wheel and then receives hours of hand polishing. The craftsmen will put the pin in the hinges of the hinged boxes at this time. The box is complete….from warm and loving hands, a papier-mâché box enters the world of connoisseurs of beautiful things. OTHER REMARKABLE THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN SANTA FE WHERE TO STAYLA FONDA ON THE PLAZA The Inn on the Alameda, 505- 984-2121, 800-289-2122 Bishop’s Lodge Resort and Spa La Posada de Santa Fe Resort and Spa Inn of the Anasazi Inn and Spa at Loretto 505-988-5531 WHERE TO EATInn of the Anasazi, 505-988-3236 Amaya at Santa Fe Hotel Geronimo’s 505-988-5531 The Restaurant at the Inn and Spa at Loretto 505-988-5531 The Compound Restaurant, 505-982-4353 The Old House, Eldorado Hotel, 505-988-4455 Fuego Restaurant, La Posada Resort, 505-954-9670 be sure to try the foie gras SantaCafe, 231 Washington Ave. 800-252-8570 or 505-984-1788. Café Pasquals, 505-983-9340 (if you are traveling alone or in a hurry, ask to sit at the community table) Bumble Bee’s Baja Grill 505-820-2862. Healthy fast food, made fresh. Truly where the natives eat. BAR WITH THE BEST VIEWBelltower Bar in La Fonda BEST SUNDAY BRUNCHELDORADO HOTEL BEST GUACAMOLELA FONDA BLACK BOOK FOR CHOCOLATE LOVERS (maybe I should say dark semi-sweet brown book) Café Paris Bakery, 31 Burro Alley, (505) 986-1688 Gourmet Fudge and Wedding Favors Bumble Bee’s Baja Grill 505-820-2862 Try anything baked by Katalyna Weil. She does a mean cowboy crunch and Mexican espresso brownies. I love the cowgirl kisses Kakawa Chocolate House, Mark Sciscenti, Chocolate connoisseur, Pasty chef and Certified Herbalist. 505-438-3402. sunsilver@earthlink.net Try his chocolate truffles and authentic historic chocolate drinks. My favorite was the chocolate chilli drink. FAVORITE FLAVORS OF SANTA FEPear Mascapone Soup at Fuego in La Posada. Chocolate Terraine at Hotel Santa Fe Guacamole at La Fonda RANDOM THOUGHTWhy does it seem that everyone is Santa Fe is either a chef or a massage therapist or has a family member who is? Maybe that is why you get such great food and massages in Santa Fe. WHAT TO DOBrowse Canyon Road. This gallery row features an amazing assortment of fine art, crafts, antiques, jewelry, clothing and restaurants. Santa Fe School of Cooking Santa Fe Opera. One of the most famous in the world. www.santafeopera.org. FLEA MARKET. If you are there on a weekend, check out the flea market by the Opera. Tesuque Flea Market is the official name, but no one calls it that. The land it is on is owned by the Indians. Only open in warmer weather. GET A MASSAGEShanah Spa and Wellness Center at the Bishop’s Lodge Resort and Spa. Ask for Lanka. My favorite treatments are Native Purification Polish and Native Stone Massage. 1-800-9shanah. You will want to reserve ahead. The Bishop’s Lodge Resort and Spa Avanyu Spa 10,000 Waves, 505-982-9304. Indulge in an outdoor massage while nimble fingers soothe out any stress. Call ahead because this is a very popular place. If you are adventurous, have an underwater Watsu massage. SHOP FOR ART AND COWBOY BOOTSStop by Back at the Ranch, where Wendy Lane has been making fashion cowboy boots for the past 15 years. I believe she pretty much "owns" this niche. She has lots of celebrity clients, including the Governor of New Mexico. ART BROWSINGSITE Santa Fe is located at 1606 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM Minkay Andean Art The Turquoise Trail leads to Hotel Santa Fe... GREAT TIMES TO VISITDon’t miss the ArtFeast benefit event in late February. Souper Bowl Project Wine and Chile festival Annual Santa Fe Market, a free public celebration of the colorful arts, crafts, jewelry and cultures of Native Americans and the American Southwest. Usually the first weekend in April GREAT GUIDEBOOKSHidden Southwest LET’S GO ADVENTURE GUIDE SOUTHWEST USA 2003 Ski America and Canada has the best and most detailed overview of Santa Fe from a winter tourist/skier/snowboarder's perspective. MORE ABOUT NEW MEXICOTHE OLD WEST MOON HANDBOOKS NEW MEXICO FOR MORE INFORMATIONSANTA FE: 800-777-2489 BEST FREEBIEThe Official 2004 Santa Fe Visitors Guide - A Free Guide to Santa Fe: BEST WAY TO GET THERESOUTHWEST AIRLINES: 800-435-9792 |
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