On Friday morning, I did some shooting at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm in the north valley of Albuquerque. The inn was, at one time, the residence of Congressman Albert Simms and his wife, Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms. Their home and accompanying buildings, including "La Quinta" sports complex and cultural center, were designed by architect John Gaw Meem. He is credited with the revival of pueblo architecture, known now as Santa Fe style. Built in the 1930s, the buildings reflect the care for quality and detail that is sometimes lacking in today's construction. There are murals by WPA artists, and work by other artists, including carved doors and mantels by Gustave Baumann, a fresco by Peter Hurd, and photography by Laura Gilpin. Photographs of the broad architecture and details will appear in future blogs.
But naturally, I gravitated first to the grand menagerie of peacocks, chickens, goats, pigs, and dogs that are so crucial to this working farm. And then there is the lotus pond. A dream world. Lotus plants rise high above the water unlike the water lilly which rests on the water's surface. Although the bloom had already occurred, the pods and leaves are works of art in themselves.
It is also interesting to see how the color of objects change almost immediately when exposed to brighter sunlight. The first two were made under overcast skies. In the image below, the morning sun came blasting through, accentuating the yellow in the leaves.
until next Monday,
DB
a passion for the image
