L-R: Lost Ink, Brazos Fine Art, The Inn and Spa at Loretto, and Tammy Garcia of Blue Rain Gallery

Every year the release of the Essential Guide printed catalog represents the culmination of a hard year's work. Part of the celebration is the revealing of the book design for the front and back covers. This past year saw a risky deviation from the classical Southwestern motifs that have dominated previous Essential Guides. The 2009-2010 front cover went for a more understated Asian design, and was received with great acclaim by both advertisers and New Mexico visitors.

Here is an inside look into the Santa Fe and Taos businesses that are represented on the covers of the latest Essential Guide. Enjoy!

The Front Cover

Lost Ink

Lost Ink

Lost Ink, a subsidiary of Between Heaven and Earth, LLC, is an online gallery of 18th, 19th and 20th century Japanese woodblock prints. The Gallery was created out of a fascination for these remarkable works of art.

The traditional Japanese art of woodblock printing as practiced in the 18th and 19th century was a very complex, elaborate and collaborative project between artist, publisher, woodblock carver and printer… an art form that today is practiced by very few and none that in our opinion rival the detail and intricacies found in the prints from the 1800’s. Hence the name Lost Ink.

The Lost Ink Gallery makes every effort to accurately describe the condition and quality of each print and as part of that process the web site provides high resolution scans of the front and reverse of each print. The web site allows you to view enlarged images of each print as well. A 21 inch monitor or larger is recommended for optimum web site viewing. In addition the Lost Ink Gallery always provides as much information about the subject matter of the print as possible.

This web gallery opened online in December 2009 and currently offers a very small selection of the prints we have in inventory. We intend to add a significant number of prints over the next several months. When new prints are added they will be listed on the “New Acquisitions” page as well as the category page to which they belong. New prints will remain in the New Acquisitions category for approximately one month. Throughout the first quarter of 2010 this web site will very much be a work in progress with many things being added over the course of that time. Besides adding new prints we will be adding more detail about the prints that are already on the site, biographical sketches about the artist, the history and process of woodblock printing and information about the care and preservation of woodblock prints. Some of this will be presented within this gallery and some will be presented in the form of links to other web sites. It is our belief that the more one knows about a particular print, the artist and the process behind its creation the more one can appreciate the work of art.

We hope you enjoy visiting our gallery.

The Inside Front Cover

"Jessica" by Gregg Albracht

Brazos Fine Art

Gregg’s passion started in the summer of 1969 when he had the opportunity to see a portfolio of fine art photographs. In a brief moment he was mesmerized by their richness and beauty...it was in that moment that photography took hold of him and he discovered what was to become his life's work. “To experience a magical moment when everything is just perfect is a rare thing, but when it happens, to be there to capture it, experience it...to hold that moment forever in a photograph is what drives my life.”

Even today, 40 years later, there is nothing Gregg would rather do than grab the cameras, get in the car, and go out and take photographs. His passion for photography is stronger than ever. Although he’d rather be in a field of horses than a room full of people, Gregg believes that one of the greatest parts of being a photographer is sharing his love of the creative moment with others.

The Inside Back Cover

The Inn and Spa at Loretto

The Inn and Spa at Loretto

Located at the end of The Santa Fe Trail, and steps away from the Plaza, the hotel is nestled perfectly into its historical surroundings.

Styled in traditional elegance, the Inn’s 129 guest rooms and five suites are elegantly appointed in symbolic hues of deep terracotta red, Navajo gold, black and white commonly used in Anasazi pottery and blankets.

The Spa at Loretto

Honoring the distinctive cultures and traditions that represent genuine Santa Fe, the Spa at Loretto takes a respectfully holistic approach to the art of massage therapy and well-being.

At the helm is master healer, spa Director Suzanne Chavez. Using indigenous ingredients, Chavez personally blends the Spirit of Loretto; five custom blends of aromatherapy massage oils.

The allure of the Spa at Loretto takes gentle hold as soon as guests cross the threshold into a peaceful enclave where drifting aromatherapy scents linger and candles flicker. A calming palette of earth tones, natural woods and stone elements accentuate antique furnishings, hand-carved cabinetry, beaded sconces, and a candlelit kiva fireplace.

Five spacious suites and a couples’ suite are appointed with hand-carved Mexican cabinets with hot-stone basins, massage tables, soft microfiber table linens, woven textiles and fresh flowers. Select suites feature antique, claw-footed soaking tubs, a pipeless pedicure station and a Wet Room with cascading Vichy showers for the ultimate in water-based body treatments, scrubs and wraps.

In harmony with Santa Fe’s natural healing and therapeutic powers, the Spa at Loretto features a spiritual line of Intuitive Lifestyle treatments that compliment its existing breadth of indulging services.

Luminaria Restaurant and Patio

Serving modern American cuisine with Santa Fe flair, where modern sophistication meets rustic Southwestern charm, stands Luminaria.

The decorators revived ancestorial Anasazi history as the basis of Luminaria. The Anasazi’s use of minerals-based paint influenced the charcoal grey walls and the white washed pine floors, vigas and latillas throughout the restaurant. Tables built from reclaimed Ayacahuite barn wood and gray resin wicker chairs appointed with plush cushions provide comfortable seating. A flickering kiva fireplace, copper top adobe bar and colorful Native American paintings provide further rustic elegance.

Executive Chef Brian Cooper offers an eclectic menu of locally sourced dishes, artful presentations, and an extensive wine list. A familiar face at local farmer’s markets, Executive Chef Brian Cooper uses indigenous seasonal ingredients flavored with Southwestern spices to give quintessential Santa Fe cuisine a flavorful new twist.

A special experience not to be missed during the warmer months is dining outdoors on a rustic wood patio adjacent to the hotel’s lush garden and the world-renowned Loretto Chapel. At twilight, dining al fresco under the stars transforms the high desert into a romantic veranda draped and tented with flowering vines and luxurious flowing fabrics, lit by hanging lanterns.

Luminaria offers breakfast, lunch and dinner; a weekend brunch; and a nightly “early evening” menu from 5-6:30pm at a special price.

The Living Room

The Living Room is a casual and cozy area to relax on a comfortable couch, sit by the fire and read or join friends after gallery hopping. We offer a "Happy Hour and a Half" from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm nightly. Enjoy a wide variety of exceptional wines and signature cocktails at special prices. Not to be missed is The Living Room's "Reverse Food Happy Hour" offered from 9:00 pm until 11:00pm nightly, offering a casual menu of wonderful cuisine at reduced prices.

The Back Cover

Tammy Garcia of Blue Rain Gallery

Tammy Garcia

The trajectory of Tammy Garcia’s remarkable career, from her origins as a traditional Pueblo potter to her current status as an acclaimed innovator working a variety of medium, has showcased her exceptional ability to honor historic antecedents while exploring new modes of expression. Just as her work in clay embraces ancient symbolism to tell the stories of Pueblo life past and present, her subsequent forays into other media-(glass and bronze sculpture) have expanded on these early influences to create new idioms for expressing ancient truths. Her never-ending quest for greater challenges has led her to create contemporary masterpieces that redefine every medium she masters, setting new standards for ingenuity and skill with each new undertaking.

By late 1999, when the demand for her pottery far exceeded her capacity to create it, Garcia turned to bronze so she could produce limited editions. Delighting in her new medium, she began experimenting with different forms and patinas, imbuing her work with a dynamic quality that made the pieces seem almost to be in motion.

Garcia’s constant search for new artistic avenues of expression next led to glass, a medium that presented her with unparalleled opportunities to expand her vision. In 2003, she enlisted the cooperation of renowned Seattle-based glass artist Preston Singletary (Tlingit) to produce a dazzling series of vessels that built on the themes of her previous work in clay and bronze but added new dimensions of light and color.

Blue Rain Gallery

Originally established in 1992 in Taos and now located in Santa Fe, Blue Rain Gallery is devoted to the exhibition of the finest contemporary Native American and regional art. From modern to traditional, abstract to realism, the gallery is known for its significantly diverse inventory of paintings, sculpture, glass and ceramic art. Artists such as Tammy Garcia, Preston Singletary , Tony Abeyta, Jim Vogel , Richard Zane Smith, Les Namingha, Nancy Youngblood, Shelly and Rik Allen, Dante Marioni and Doug West have established Blue Rain Gallery as an important source for new and unique art.