Category: Angel Fire

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Uh oh! Now what?

I should have pulled the covers over my head and stayed in bed. The fog filled skies should have warned me away. Bullheaded as I am, I headed out anyway. I drove to Angel Fire, and headed for the bank. I pulled into their driveway and began to turn into a parking spot when suddenly the engine stopped. Completely stopped. wierd. I turned the key, the radio still playing. Nothing. no click, no cough, nothing. The “check engine” light came on. duh. I went into the bank, called AAA and my car guy, Allen. Then I called a friend and he came and got me and delivered me to the gallery. I’m hoping that by now my truck is in the garage at Allen’s place. Good grief. The fog is gone but the skies are increasingly darkening with heavy water laden clouds. Looks like another rainy afternoon is headed our way.

Quiet here, no cars in the parking lot. No traffic on the road. Blah. Guess I’ll paint. It’ll surely put me in a better frame of mind.

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Painted Violins…it’s almost time!

Oh, Joy! One by one, they are popping up at www.musicfromangelfire.org
Some are utterly beautiful, some are downright silly. You can see mine here. For more on the painting of the violin, simply scroll down this page to “Painting the Violin” and read about it. The online auction will open on August 14. Then the high bid will be the starting bid at the live auction. Cool. Exciting!

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Been a busy bee this morning!

Rising out of the funk I seem to have been in. Not sure what put me there, but I’m done with that now that I see it. Yesterday was cathartic. I did the laundry, mowed the lawn, pulled the weeds, watered, and trimmed the dead branches from the rose bushes and potentias. I think the winter killed the giant chamisa next to the house…sad about that. I’ll find a way to chop out the dead in hopes the roots will thank me. In the mean time, John and I sat outside on the porch, sipping drinks for the first time this year. The dog (Grace) went for swim in the neighbors pond and we all went to bed last night with a smile and slept! Yahoo! You never appreciate a good nights sleep till you have one after a long spell of being awake from 2am -4am every morning.

Real Spring is finally here (now that the calendar says it’s almost Summer!). The aspen are leafing out with that brilliant chartreuse of spring green. The breeze is finally almost warm and the columbine are a few days from blooming. Ahh.

So this morning, I realized it had been more than a month since I updated my squidoo lenses. Spent a few hours doing that. Check them out: http://www.squidoo.com/katherinemcdermott
http://www.squidoo.com/ArtSpace http://www.squidoo.com/AngelFireNM

We’re still in a quandry what to do about the cell service since T-Mobile lied to us about being able to use their service and now they are cancelling our contract. Talk about bad business!
We’re working with our Village Councilor Stuart Hamilton to try to find a good solution. It’s not just important to us…but to the whole community and to our customers, our visitors and those who own second homes here. It’s a common complaint. “My cell works everywhere but here”. AT&T is apparently our best hope. There is room on a cell tower on the ski mountain….Please, please, AT&T…put your cell on it! I’d bet that the vast majority of cell phone users here would switch in a heartbeat. We (John and I) are not the only ones being cut off by T-Mobile. I know dozens of people in the same boat.

In the mean time, now that my head is out of the fog I’m working on catching up all the web 2.0 stuff, and giving the gallery a thorough once over and cleaning. It smells good too! It’s been completely rearranged. If it’s been more than a few days since you were here, you’ll hardly recognize it! The MVAC’s Reflections show is up till June 22. It looks great! Thanks to all the artists who entered, and congrats to the lucky (skilled) winners! Second Place went to a cool photo by Michael Blassone, from Taos. It was the first time he ever entered a show! Way to go! First Place winner is Jeanne Green, a lovley work on canvas “Reflections of a Coot”. And Best of Show went to our own Jacqui Binford-Bell, for “Past Reflections”, mixed media on canvas. Take a look at that one! It’s Stunning!

Wow, this post has turned into a book! At any rate, Kat is Back! Yay!

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Beautiful Angel Fire Day

It’s Saturday afternoon. The sun is shining in a manganese blue sky. I am at ArtSpace TOO! at the base of Angel Fire Resort Ski Mountain and Jacqui is gallery-sitting the main gallery. There is only one missing ingredient……people! I’m sitting with my laptop in my lap and a pina collada slushy on my left. The new Maui Wowi is open next door and they should do well based on the tastiness and coolness of their product. Hopefully some of their customers will wander in here too.

I tried painting outside, but it was too much direct sun and I didn’t want to look like a lobster at the end of the day. At least I have some time to write.

I’d take a picture to show how gorgeous it is, but my camera batteries are dead. oops.

Not much to say I guess..so I’ll sign off for now and make some flyers to print.

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Harumph. Cogs in the Wheel of Economic Development

Good grief. It’s nearly halfway through 2008. One would think that cell service and access to it, reliably, should be a no-brainer…only a complex plate of choice.

Alas, not so. I learned today that my provider for the past year or so will terminate our accounts as of this time next month. Why? Late payments? NO. Apparently, we roam too much. No, that doesn’t mean we travel all the time. We roam where we live. We roam at the Gallery. We roam in Angel Fire, Eagle Nest and in between. We ran in to this problem before, not that long ago. After 20 some odd years as a Verizon customer, they informed us they would no longer provide service in our area. In that case, it’s NOT THE NETWORK. I’m not just annoyed. I’m a few steps beyond that. I dialed the 800 number on the letter. The customer service rep I spoke to said, “Yes, I would be very upset too. But it is just a business decision.” I said, “When is it good business to alienate and terminate hundreds, maybe thousands of customers?” She said, “Well those roaming charges we pay with some company called ‘Plateau Cellular’ are so high it is unprofitable.” Not wanting to unload on her (not her fault), I decided to blog. GRUUURUURUR. Two steps forward, three steps back. It’s bad for locals, and it’s bad for our visitors who come with bluetooth headsets on the ear, but no signal on the phone.

It’s 2008. Give me a break.

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Beautiful Day of Rest

In the chaos that has been my life recently, now I am quietly enjoying my only day off in the next 8. Tomorrow I begin the big move to the new “Angel Fire ArtSpace Too”. What? Gee, did I not mention this? Of course I didn’t. It was all a big Secret…but the word is out. I’m opening a second gallery, though it’s small, at the Resort. Just a few steps from the Village House, below the Chili Lift. Or, just outside the doors of the Garden Court. Tomorrow I take a truck load of art, jewelry and office supplies to the new space. Tuesday I have an all day Chamber Planning meeting, Wednesday I’ll set the new space up and make it look smashing, Thursday, I work at the main Gallery, Friday, is the GRAND OPENING of the new space. Oh, and Friday night? The May Fourth Friday Reception! Egad! Craziness! The Gallery does look fabulous if I say so myself. Last week more than 25 new pieces went up on the wall. Totally new. Just in time since next weekend is Memorial Weekend, and both Galleries will be open Sunday…and Monday. If I can make it that long! Of course, I will, but this may be the last post till the following Tuesday!

At the same time, I’ve been madly working on rebuilding the July Season of Angel Fire Mountain Theatre after the badly timed cancellation by Texas Tech. News on that front will hopefully be coming in the next few days. We are very close to a deal. It won’t look anything like the past 11 Seasons..but it will be First Class.

Coming on the 30th (a week after the 4th Friday) the Gallery will host a reception for the Moreno Valley Arts Council’s “Reflections” show. The juried, themed exhibit features works by artists from around Northern New Mexico, in everything from photographs to works in watercolor. It is all 2-d work. It promises to be fun and way different from the usual fare at the gallery. The Artists Reception will begin at 5:30 and awards will be presented at 7pm. Be sure to check it out. Businesses are invited to get a sneak peak for advance purchases at 5pm.
Proceeds from purchases will be benefit the MVAC and the Artist.

My plate is very full right now…and I’m definitely not hungry!

The weather is lovely right now..crisp, clear and bright blue skies. It’s a great time to come to Angel Fire! See ya soon?

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Is it me? Or is the world spinning faster?

Wow. Can hardly believe it’s been two weeks (or something like that) since my last post. Let’s see if I can recount what’s kept me so busy I couldn’t find time (or energy) to post. Hmm. Last Sunday (one week ago) I was notified by Texas Tech that they would be unable to bring Summer Theatre to Angel Fire. (Gasp) Bigger than that is the fact that Tech will apparently not have a Summer Rep Season at all. I won’t begin to editorialize about the whys. It would likely end up political. No matter, the effect is that Angel Fire Mountain Theatre is left to PUNT. No, SCRAMBLE. er. um.. let’s see. The Good News is that there are options. More than I would have thought. And, Angel Fire, that is to say, the local people, are phoning in, stepping up and lending aid. It makes me smile. I can’t say just yet what is coming, but watch here, or watch http://angelfiretheatre.org/blog.html for more up to the “as we know it” information.

Till then, cross your fingers, say your prayers, send us positive and success. It is an important program to the community as whole..whether or not the individuals have ever bought a ticket. We are committed to the community and its lifeblood, our visitors. We will do all we can to make the Season happen, and I dare say, it will be an astonishing season! Watch! Participate! The Show Must Go On!

In the mean time ( such as it were) there are other BIG THINGS brewing. You’ll have to wait for the announcement about that…heee heee. Think, 1 + 1. = 2? Think Big, and small. Think, no just wait. It’s good. đŸ™‚

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Not Quite Really Spring

Just as I was prepared to take the snow image off of this blog, I woke up this morning and lifted the blinds only to see snow flying yet again…and accumulating, though as the day wears on and the temp slowly rises, it’s muddy slush now. Whew, that was a mouthful! Sorry. Guess I find myself in a reflective mood, writing is almost as soothing painting. I’ll get to that shortly too. In the mean time, for those of you who are my students…or will be, I’m wondering something. My DVD, “How to Paint a Poppy That POPS” is selling, albeit not as quickly as I hoped. I’m hoping that you’ll post some comments here so that I can figure out what you would like me to do next. Is the DVD too specific for you? Would a more general painting or drawing lesson be better? I have all kinds of ideas, and I’ll likely make some new videos that are short lessons in both…and post them here so you can watch them FREE. Before I figure how to do that (make the camera watch me paint) I’d really like to know what you’d like to learn? Some options are: Learning to draw what you see…not what you think you see; How to let the paint lead you on Yupo paper; Painting a floral in two minutes or less on Yupo paper; Painting watercolor on Canvas; Fun painting with stuff from your kitchen. I could keep going… but I’d like to hear from you.

On other matters, I got the schedule for Angel Fire Mountain Theatre from TTU last night. It is now up at www.angelfiretheatre.org/Season_XII.html

It looks like a great line up. We’re also moving full steam ahead with the 27th Annual Angel Fire ArtsFest. The show is full and we have artists coming from literally all over the country! This small but rich show just keeps getting better every year. Check out www.morenovalleyarts.org/ArtsFest.html for more information about that. Artists: mark your calendars for January 15th and head to that page to download the application for next year. We don’t mail them anymore…too expensive. Shoot me an email from the site above to be added to the email list for notification.

In the meantime I’m still up to my ears in homework and assignments for the now infamous Maven Bootcamp I attended in Orlando. I can hardly believe it’s been nearly two months. Maybe that’s because I barely get one assignment done before the next one comes down the pike! Talk about intense! At least it keeps me distracted during the long quiet days at the gallery this time of year.

Oh, yeah….video! Need to get that done too! That’s fun for sure! I think I’ll shoot Jacqui’s work next. It’s nice and bright, with a bit of mystical whimsy. It’ll look good on camera, I think.

In the meantime…..post your comments! I want to hear from you. Like that old movie..don’t even recall the name of it…..”input needed!”

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Having fun

I know it’s been a few days since I was here. Had to be out of town for a couple days and then there is always the catch up from that. Got back on Thursday afternoon just in time for a Chamber Board Meeting and then spent Friday preparing for my Fourth Friday Reception. Whee! Passed myself coming and going!

This is Sunday, my day off, and I’m having fun. I was building a new web site for the Northeast New Mexico Arts Alliance that will become the primary site for disseminating information about the upcoming Art Trail that you may have read about. I don’t remember if I wrote about it here or not, but our press releases were picked up by the Raton Range and the Sangre de Cristo Chronicle.
Anyhoo….I got the website essentially built and then started learning about how to use Google Maps. Way Cool! and so very easy to learn! Wahoo! Check it out at www.nenmarts.org
and be sure to click on the tab that says “3Ts Art Trail with clickable map” It’s too cool!

Now that the trail is moving ahead (almost taking on a life of its own) I’m breathing easier. If you are an artist, artspace or gallery along the trail, be sure to download the application after reading the eligibility requirements. Get those applications completed and in as soon as possible! We’d like to be ready to work on promotional materials for approved sites by May 30! (yes, this year.) I know it’s a tight time frame, but required for our start up funding.

So, did I say I’m breathing easier? That was dumb. I’m still up to my ears in the Maven bootcamp materials and now I’m trying to digest Butterfly Marketing all at the same time. Have I lost it? Not likely. Just madly driven. I’m learning so much it makes me hungry for more! Education is a good thing! (too bad I didn’t figure that out in school!)

So, the next video I’ll do (I hope tomorrow) will feature the work of Jacqui Binford-Bell. A local to this lovely valley and a huge support to me, Jacqui is a fabulously creative lady. I’ve talked before about her masks (from which she retired, but I still have a handfull) and her new bright and somewhat mystical paintings. They are getting better all the time. I think you’ll enjoy seeing it so I’ll try and keep the camera still!

The snow is melting here, and the spring winds have returned. I’ve still got 4 feet or so of snow outside my living room window, along the north side of the house. As it slowly melts I’m optimistic about a plethera of columbine waiting to sprout underneath it. Take a look at this pic taken in January. Now you can see that it will take some time and warm temps to melt this pile of snow!

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Egad how time flies!

I can’t believe it. Here I was trying to post everyday. Life happens I guess, no matter how we determine what we intend to do. It seems to me that it takes incredible determination and energy to actually get done what I intend to. Maybe it’s that “run in with the power of synchronicity while diligently following my path” issue that Rich Schefren mentioned in a recent blog. Just when I think I’m making progress, WHAM! something is thrown in my way to keep me from where I’m headed. Enough of that! If you know me, you know I’m pigheaded stubborn and tenacious as a pit bull!

It’s just been one of those days. A stop at the post office and I walked out with 5 pounds of mail…and that was after I threw away all the blatant junk! That’s what I get for stepping up to the plate all the time! Se la vie!

While I’m digging through that, I’m pondering all the changes taking place in the Gallery– in Angel Fire– hmmmm, in the country. It’s that time. Spring is approaching and the old must make way for the new. It’s life. An ongoing cycle of new, growing, living, aging and dieing. Not that we ever really get used to it. When we’re young, we don’t notice much besides ourselves. We always want to be older than we are. When we’re older, we notice more (assuming we’ve grown along the way), and we long to be young again. Shifting the paradigm, the focus from what we’re not, to what we are, really are, is where confidence, energy and power live. Not that it’s easy, because it’s not. This program I’m in, that I’ve mentioned in nearly every post recently, is shaking up just about everything for me. It’s a good thing..but also work. Rich and Jay. What a team! If I could do it over again I’d do it in a heartbeat!

If you haven’t done so yet, check out the program. (Please know upfront, that I am also an affiliate. If you buy the program from that link, it benefits me.) Then, for laughs, check my squidoo lenses. Click these links: squidoo gallery squidoo katherine and squidoo Angel Fire. Post comments, favorite them, Digg them. It will help the gallery, and Angel Fire. Lets work together..One Angel Fire. For that matter, post here! I’d rather not be talking to myself!

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM