Chasing Santa Fe: March 2013

3.28.2013

Marilyn 'Angel' Wynn - Fine Art Photographer

C H A N N E L I N G E D W A R D C U R T I S

Photography by C. Whitney-Ward

Santa Fe is a constant adventure - you never know where or when you'll meet the next amazing talent. I was waiting in line at the post office a few weeks back, and that's how I met Fine Art Photographer Angel Wynn. We started talking and when she handed me her business card, I knew I was hooked.

Gorgeous. That sums up the photograph on the front of her card. And when I entered her studio/gallery on Canyon Road, there were more.

Walls filled with some of the thousands of photographs that she has taken of Native American tribes and cultures throughout the world. And one look at her work tells you that her muse is famed Native American photographer Edward Curtis. "I once wrote a script for an Edward Curtis movie," recalls Angel, who is a talented film maker as well as photographer. "I felt that we had the same passion. When I look at one of his photographs I can study it for a good twenty-minutes, pondering the story behind it. He wasn't Native American, but his heart was."

Wynn moved from Idaho to Santa Fe a year ago, and is in the throes of taking her work in a new direction - adding layers of wax and colored pigment to her photographs, creating a luscious, layered, translucent surface. "This photoencaustic technique," explains Wynn," creates a more contemporary look to my photography and allows me to work exclusively in digital."

A long table in her studio/gallery gives her a large working surface to transform

her photographs with layers of warm wax and pigment.

She even extends the encaustic work onto the frames, creating a warm,

textured effect.

Her Buffalo tribute to Andy Warhol is one of her newest encaustic works.

Photographs hang like prayer flags in a side room of her studio, and just about everywhere you look their is a visual delight.

And, of course her two studio pals are silently observing, occasionally purring or wagging a tail.

MARILYN ANGEL WYNN - FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

www.marilynangelwynn.com

NativeStock Gallery

By Appointment

208.720.0999

Angel is offering encaustic workshops; give her a call to check on dates. And ask her about her beautiful book - Voice of the Spirit.

3.22.2013

Body of Santa Fe

L O R I N P A R R I S H - P U R S U I N G

T H E L O S T A R T O F F E E L I N G G O O D

Former surfer, world traveler and amazing entrepreneur, Lorin Parrish opened BODY - a unique Santa Fe spa in 2004 in order to offer clients a beautiful environment in which to pursue a healthy and happy lifestyle. "Before I opened BODY," recalls Parrish, "I did a walk through with my architect. He asked me how I wanted my clients to feel when they stepped inside. I thought for a moment and told him that 'I wanted them to feel good.' " That has been her personal and professional mantra ever since.

Photography & Text - C. Whitney-Ward

Indeed. It's a delight for the senses when you walk through the door. Soft music, natural light, laughter and visual treats fill the welcoming space. And, before you even get to the serene spa and beautiful exercise rooms, The BODY boutique beckons. It's chic, up-scale and filled with all natural-fibre clothing for men, women and children. There's even a section offering gorgeous bath towels and bedding.

Even the signage is earthy and beautiful.

And of course, there are healthy, natural beauty products.

A cafe & restaurant - the restaurant will be re-designed soon -
offers healthy and delicious foods that are wheat, dairy and
sugar free, as well as vegan selections. Check out the freshly-baked cookies!

The organic smoothies are divine and healthy!

My chai cappuccino w/ a shot of espresso was perfect!

And, this is just the 'front' of the house. On your way back to BODY'S pampering SPA, you pass the charming KID'S ROOM, where parents can drop off their child while they take a class. Although I would be tempted to stay and play!

A happy, diminutive customer!

T H E S P A

A whole menu of spa services are offered - massage & body work - facials & wraps. Your stress disappears the moment you step into the SPA - the lighting is soft, the furnishings low and comfortable, and you are greeted and escorted to your therapy room. I opted for a Natural Facelift facial with Angela, and 90-minutes later emerged glowing and very, very impressed.

T H E S T U D I O S

BODY also offers Yoga, Exercise Dance and Fitness classes, and lots and lots of special events. The studio and event spaces are beautiful and serene.

And, according to Lorin they will soon be expanding their gym facility and offering a BODY culinary school. Let's see, how many enterprises are offered under one roof? "Eight," notes Lorin, who seems to handle her spa empire easily and well. So well, in fact, that she's looking to expand her BODY concept into a larger market - possibly L.A. or NY. "We see 4-600 clients a day," notes Lorin. "The diversity is amazing, but the common ground is everyone wants to feel a sense of happiness and fun."

Clearly, this CEO is HAPPY driven rather than profit driven!

B O D Y O F S A N T A F E

333 Cordova Road - Santa Fe, NM

505.986.0362

www.bodyofsantafe.com

3.13.2013

Roseta Santiago - On the Move

Color Texture Light

Photography by C. Whitney-Ward

Roseta Santiago is a passionate and accomplished painter as well as a beguiling storyteller, creating visual dramas on canvas that are mysterious powerful and spiritual. She recently moved into a new home/studio and when I stepped through the door, I was engulfed in her personal canvas filled with texture, light and color. Everywhere you look there are beautiful objects - a vast collection of Native American

pots; New Mexico folk art; Asian artifacts; paintings and sculpture by other New Mexico artists; and books and more books; and orchids.

Her easel takes center stage at one end of her light-filled great room - her dramatic fireplace on the opposite wall.

Please join me on a visual tour.

Her work ethic is stringent. She paints everyday and when not painting, she is photographing her next model, doing research, meeting with collectors, and working closely with her gallery - BLUE RAIN in Santa Fe.

She has been collecting for years, always looking for the perfect object to wend its way into a painting vignette. The Asian motif below will soon be on canvas.