Farewell Taos Letter - 01.25.24
“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till i drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.”
- Jack Kerouac
I officially pulled out of Taos yesterday. It was a difficult decision to give up my beautiful studio there… but I have other falling stars to chase. The OmniHum gallery will be taking over the space, and with a little shuffling of a contract, they will be representing me and hosting some of my paintings so I will maintain a presence in Taos in spirit… and with modestly priced creations. Visit them… right next to the Harwood Museum.
I have a long ‘Farewell Taos Letter‘ formulating that I’ll post on my website… it’s really about acknowledging my processes and observations of my experiences in Northern New México.
My first pass through Taos was in May of 2021… and I typed out this;
“Dear Taos, I’m not sure I get you. I’m not sure you get you… maybe we can meet on the Astro-plane and you can tell me what you’re all about...”
Welp… I think I get it now… there’s nothing one needs to get. Nothing that needs to be figured out. Just be. Just be part of it. It’s a little dusty wild West in the 21st century but stuck in a 1986 time warp. A valley… a vortex… that calls to humans and draws them in. The lost, the young, the old, hippies, nuevo hippes, drifters, Texas tourists, retirees, the outdoorsy… and the creatives… by the boat load. It’s an official artist colony… and claims more artists per capita than Santa Fe, more than any other town in America… and whatever variable that the creatives share… the vibration of Taos Valley is a magnet for it.
It can be a harsh existence… a rough way to carve out a life. In a conversation with the neighbor I hear this, “you can make a million dollars here - if you bring two million with you.” Yup, bring money, bring a partner (or a dog and an affinity for long lonely winters), have a job waiting for you… and an understanding of what it means to be patient. You won’t need a comb… lots of people don’t comb their hair. It’s a thing. I align.
The Taos Pueblo is the longest continuously inhabited settlement in North America. 1,000 years. If you’ve been there you can sense the appeal it has next to the river fed by the mountain. You can feel the magic of the land.
My experiences with the original peoples of Taos, the Tewa regions… and especially my moments in Pojoaque… they are the most welcoming, sweet, quick to smile, quick to chat, quick to laugh humans I’ve come across on this journey. They have all of the reasons not to be congenial to visitors … but the depth of beautiful people will soften the heart long after the moment has past. And there’s no arguing which peoples reign over these lands.
Despite removing myself from Taos county… and no intention on moving back… I’m not finished with NM and I am passively manifesting a studio in Santa Fe. The last few times I was in Denver it didn’t feel very homey or warm. When I return to New Mexico from afar… it feels like stepping back into open hands. Heart home feels. When I travel in South America… people ask “where are you from?”, “Where is home?”, “Where do you live?” And they are all very different questions. And today… this is how I answer - Colorado is where I am from, New Mexico is home, and planet earth is where I live. And that feels right to me.
The majority of my gear is bundled up within walking distance of Sunport International in Albuquerque. I will remain a resident of the State of New Mexico until the time is right to move my belongings elsewhere. If you want to send me a valentine I’m starting the next chapter in the San Diego area and driving North from there… or Mexico City… or wherever the next falling star sends me running.
🙏💙☯️🐦
#newmexicolife
#zenbirdstudios
