Old Town History Center Wrap Up

Dave Hughes, the Treasurer of the Old Colorado City Historical Society and the person responsible for the revitalization of the old town, printed last month's expenses and income in September's monthly West Word newsletter.
"We got a windfall from the Art and Print Show Sales in our Center of Jack Ekstrom's work that dates back to 1976, when Old Colorado City first emerged as a visually historic part of town. He sold $1,872 worth on the evening of August 7th, and generously offered us 60% of that, or $1,123. He also drafted up, free, several of our advertising posters for Founders Day and the Cemetery Crawl."
There are five pictures left from the 13 in the show, and those will be put up for sale in the Silent Auction at the OCCHS Membership Dinner, Oct. 1 at the Ghost Town Wild West Museum.
You ought to be pretty familiar with those pictures by now:

1. An Act of God, oil, 20" x 28". Showing the effects of the lightning blast in 1995 that sent Sacred Heart Church's east steeple into the middle of Colorado Ave. We remember that strike, it was like an explosion. This picture, painted in October several months later, shows a Latino family Quinceanera celebration.

2. Mattress Factory, pen and watercolor, 12" x 14". The old firehouse, where Old Town Bed and Breakfast is now, just before the fire that ended it. The gentleman in the picture was a long-term resident of Norton's Home, across the street, who many people saw everyday striding in his distinguished gait.

3. Mrs. Morrison and General Palmer, pen and ink, 18" x 24" matted. In 1917 General Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs, was riding from his home in Glen Eyrie to the Antlers Hotel when Mrs. Morrison came running out of her burning home at 2217 W. Colorado Ave., which is still there. She'd set her laundry on fire through using naptha. The general took her to the Antlers with him and provided her with a room until her home was repaired.

4. Pikes Peak from Bancroft Park, oil, 24" x 36". That's Michael Garman's truck. When I tried selling this to Michael, he exclaimed, "Why in *!!* would I want to buy that? The gentleman in the painting isn't Michael, but a familiar neighborhood figure at that time walking his dog.

5. Sacred Heart Church, oil, 18" x 24". This classic view was made from the end of our alley not long after we moved here, when beehive incinerator ovens were still in use.

I had put two other of my older renderings in the art show too, but those are not going to be auctioned.

Cliff House, pen and ink, 24" x 36"

Barker House, pen and ink, 20" x 28"

These are both buildings in Manitou Springs just to the west of us. When people asked me why I put them in my Old Colorado City show I replied, "Those are what I really like doing. I've always regretted that Old Colorado City doesn't have buildings like those."

El Camino Real

So long to Santa Fe, for another year. There were several scenic drives we could have taken out of Santa Fe to get back home to Colorado Springs including the freeway, which is the least scenic but fastest. But Hiway 285 takes you north from Santa Fe toward Espanola, and there are many scenic drives to get sidetracked on.

One junction to the left takes you past San Ildefonso Pueblo, a fascinating place that we'll get back to sometime.
You can't miss the Catholic mission at San Idelfonso, it's right in the middle of the Pueblo.

Instead we took the next intersection to the right, toward Nambe Pueblo. It's our most favorite drive, that follows the El Camino Real to Taos. It has provided me with much subject matter for paintings and drawings.

Sacred Heart Church at Nambe, oil 16" x 20"

That's John Prescott standing in front of Nambe Mission. The old Catholic missions on the Indian pueblos are all classic Southwestern scenes, and I'm as big a sucker for them as any artist.
The next stop on the El Camino Real is Chimayo, one of the most scenic historic stops, with the famous El Santuario. That place also calls for us to stop for awhile, so we'll certainly go back there too.

Continuing on the El Camino Real, we always stop at Truchas. How could anyone not? The site of Robert Redford's movie "The Milagro Beanfield War," Truchas is a town of galleries, and in the center of it is another venerable mission. You have to admire adobe construction that's lasted over 300 years.

Old Truchas Mission of Holy Rosary, 1764, oil 18" x 24"

Las Trampas, the next stop on the El Camino Real, features a famous Catholic church that I've painted a few times.

San Jose de Gracia Church 1760, oil 18" x 24"

I couldn't keep from painting the church at Las Trampas from two different views.

Las Trampas San Jose de Gracia, oil 18" x 24"

Continuing once more on the El Camino Real north toward Taos is Picuris Pueblo, with the mission having been restored by the people at Picuris.

San Lorenzo de Picuris, oil 16" x 20"

And finally you come to Taos. There is indeed a famous Catholic church painted by Georgia Okeefe south of town, as well as a mission at Taos Pueblo. But I love the pueblo itself, and its location.

Holy Taos Mountain, oil 30" x 48"

Do you see the face of the holy mountain, looking straight upward? I don't know where he came from, but appeared as I was painting it. To me he seems to have a headdress flowing down his left shoulder. When we were at Taos Pueblo in one of the shops we met Carol Suina, who said the name of the holy Taos mountain was "A-che-yats" (my spelling).
Again looking forward to coming back to this magical place, and all the others I've shown you, we continued home, going through San Luis, Ft. Garland and Walsenberg, a beautiful drive with continuously changing epic vistas. San Luis is one of our favorite stops, it's back in Colorado but still very much Hispanic, in fact it's the oldest town in Colorado.
And now that I have such good space in my basement studio, thanks to this blog and to all you gracious people who helped me with your comments, I can begin to paint again -- I must have a dozen paintings that need finishing, most from the El Camino Real!

Santa Fe Indian Market

Our trip to Santa Fe last week was the best one yet. We've gone there several times in August with our family, the best time of the year to leave our gardens and to drive through gorgeous Colorado and New Mexico scenery. We've always loved the Indian Market itself, and all the associated art openings at the many excellent Santa Fe galleries, as well as the many great scenic drives in every direction from Santa Fe.
The highlight of our trip was on Saturday before noon on the first day of the market, when we met Vernida Polacca Nampeyo, a Tewa/Hopi potter, at her booth on Palace Ave. beside the Plaza.


Judy spotted the Hopi pot from a ways off. You could say it pulled us to it, and as with all wonderful works of art it just kept pulling on us, becoming more and more attractive, even now. It was small, 3 1/2" by 5 1/2", with a beautiful, simple polychrome design and was very reasonably priced. She graciously accepted a check from us, carefully perusing my Colorado driver's license. It was very busy and we didn't stay to talk with her, but I got her address and promised to send her a picture of her pot.


It was a thrill to meet the actual creator of a Hopi pot. Vernida is a Tewa and lives in Polacca, a village near in Arizona on the Hopi reservation, and is a great granddaughter of Nampeyo herself, the most honored of Tewa/Hopi potters.
In the excellent book "Hopi-Tewa Pottery, 500 Artist Biographies" by Gregory Schaaf (yes, they had super book booths in the market, and we got a few--mostly cookbooks) is a photograph of a 1906 seed jar by Nampeyo that is very similar to ours, with an "Eagle Tail Feather Skirt" design and "fine line migration patterns featuring curling wave-like designs with parrot tail tips." These, plus "negative stars," are Vernida's favorite designs.
The book tells about the great migrations of the Tewa clans from southern Colorado into New Mexico following the Rio Grande, establishing pueblos at Nambe, Picuris, Taos and many more locations. The route of the Tewa led to the Hopi where the Tewa warriors protected the Hopi from attacks by the Spanish, Utes, Navajos and many others. The earliest pottery in this area dates to 300 B.C.
Our family in Farmington, Arizona, Emli and Paul Jaeger, who located between Mesa Verde and the Hopi reservation will love this story about the Tewa and Hopi. We've spent much time together in Mesa Verde and other locations in the Southwest, wondering where the people who lived there went to, and why they left. Maybe if they migrated, it may not be such a great mystery. Frank Waters in "The Book of the Hopi" emphasized the moral imperative for Indian people to complete their migrations as the Hopi did.
Next: The El Camino Real, featuring all the rest (almost) of my extant paintings!