The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has been held every year since 1972.It not only is a HUGE boost to the local economy, but it turns our skyline into a living work of art.2020 is going to be remembered as “the year we didn’t…”. However, I’m the kind of person that likes to find the silver lining.October usually has some of the best weather of the year, perfect for outdoor dining and adventuring.But, unless we have out-of-town guests, we locals usually wait for Balloon Fiesta crowds to dwindle before we take our turn.So, this year we have an extra 2 weekends to get out there and explore.
My to-do list is mostly close to home because I really want to try to support some of the local businesses and organizations:
Check out some of my favorite museums.They suffered more than most of us with the closures.I’m particularly fond of the Albuquerque Museum and the Nuclear Science Museum.
Take a long river walk with a sketch pad.Two of my favorite spots: the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, Bachechi Open Space.I also want to check out the Sanchez Farm Open Space in the south valley.
Explore Old Town and the Sawmill area.I know, I work there.But, I’m always working and it’s embarrassing that I can’t answer basic questions about the neighborhood.
Make a reservation to walk the zoo.I really miss the zoo.
Pick a couple of good restaurants with patios and enjoy some outdoor dining before things get iffy again.
I have no doubt we will still see lots of balloons and a few visitors.Without the crowds, there may be excellent opportunities for the locals to get rides.You go ahead, I like to keep my feet firmly on the ground.
A young woman came into our shop recently and, after looking around, said, “I see you have lots of wild animal art.Do you have any otters?”I responded that my art was based on animals were those you were likely to see in New Mexico.“But, we have them”, she said, “and they are making a comeback!”. What!?!It turns out, this young woman works with the otters at the aquarium. We chatted, I did some research on my own, here is what I learned:
New Mexico was a home for North American river otters, but the native population was wiped out in the 1950’s.In the early 2000’s, non-profits, tribes and government agencies worked together to reintroduce otters to the upper Rio Grande.There was some controversy – mostly due to fear that the otters might do further damage to an already at-risk native fish population.However, it appears that the otters prefer to munch on invasive crawfish and slower non-native fish species.This may actually be beneficial by freeing up habitat for the trout.
The otters that were relocated to New Mexico came were mostly trapped “nuisance” otters (causing problems for fish farmers) from the Seattle area.Rather than be euthanized, they got one-way tickets to the upper Rio Grande.They may have to work a little harder for a meal but what a sweet deal!The same story goes for our two aquarium otters Chaos and Mayhem – they were Louisiana fish farm pests and are now beloved Albuquerque Aquarium superstars.
So, I added some otters to my menagerie along with the turtle and trout.I’m working towards a collection I will call “Riverwalk”.
Other members of the “Riverwalk Collection”
You can find this artwork in our online store in stationary, wall art and pillow covers.
2020 has proceeded like a bulldozer through our lives.But, we tend to be the kind of people that look for a silver lining rather than wallow in unwanted change.One positive outcome of Covid life is that we now spend a lot of time in our kitchen.The benefits are tangible: the food we prepare is healthier and less expensive.Our kitchen is not only our favorite new restaurant, it is our break room and conference room.It is literally the center of our house.
Aprons for pancake Sunday
Layout
Our kitchen is large and bright, but oddly shaped and lacking in a practical space for a farmhouse table.I think a table was supposed to go in the window bay.We tried that when we first bought the house but I found myself constantly squinting at the morning sun. Our solution was to tuck a small table under the center island so we can spread out onto the island if we need extra room.Then, I put a houseplant jungle and cozy reading chair in the window bay – the perfect spot for an afternoon coffee and sketching session.
Coffee is a big part of our day.I prefer dark coffee in the french press – so thick you could almost stand a spoon in it.Neal likes his coffee considerably more tame.Since we don’t have a lot of upper cabinets, Neal built the gorgeous shelves to organize our favorite mugs, teas and sweeteners.The white countertops are great for reflecting light but easily show the coffee station mess so a stack of wiping towels is essential!
I’m not a huge fan of the white cabinets because of their tendency to show dirt.But, I do like the natural brightness of the room.I find the best solution to toning down all that white (and hiding some dirt) is to tuck colorful placemats in here and there. Bonus: on cleaning day, I can change the color scheme with new placemats.As with our business, we mix the warm wood with the textiles throughout our kitchen.
Most of our appliances are close to 30 years old and they all have their issues. The gas stove igniter hasn’t worked in years, so I use a lighter.The oven door leaks and the microwave occasionally loses its mind.I worry about the planned obsolescence of modern appliances so I don’t want to replace them unless I absolutely have to.I have learned to live with their quirks and I surround them with colorful textiles to hide their age.
Our kitchen may not be the perfect embodiment of our “less is more” ideal, but we working on it.Over time, we are replacing clutter with functional beauty.While we are having fun exploring recipes and fine-tuning our cooking chops, we will also continue to do what we can to support our favorite local food-based businesses. For the foreseeable future, we are sticking with to-go orders and curb-side pickup followed by a picnic in our kitchen.And, grocery delivery is my new normal.All that time saved driving around and shopping can now be directed at reading old cookbooks in my cozy chair with a cup of coffee in a mug made by a friend.
The American Craftsman Movement and its Influence on our Work
A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brains is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist. – Louis Nizer.
Fresh out of college in the mid 80’s, fueled by two decent jobs, we set out to furnish our first apartment. Our expectations weren’t high as we both came from middle-class backgrounds. Wood, we thought, sturdy and easy to clean (we already had 1 cat). As we went from store to store, what we found instead was mass produced laminated junk held together with glue. Once in a while, we’d come across something that felt like ‘real furniture’ but the price was way out of our comfort zone. Neal finally suggested we buy tools instead and then we poked around bookstores for inspiration.
Woodworking and furniture building books we have collected over the years.
At first, we were attracted to Shaker styles. The slender tables and chairs had simple lines and were easy to understand, not overdone. As Neal’s skills grew, however, we started to consider furniture that had a bit more of a presence in a room. We found ourselves slowly pouring through books featuring American Craftsman masters such as Gustav Stickley and the Greene brothers. These books featured jaw-dropping furniture but discussed an entire way of life: properly designed homes and fair employment for the builders. And, so, we dug deeper.
Craftsman Roots: The English Arts and Crafts Movement
The American Craftsman movement is rooted in the English Arts and Crafts movement which started in the mid-1800’s. The English Arts and Crafts movement has been described as a rebellion against the excesses of the Victorian Age and industrialization. Thought leaders such as William Morris (1834-1896) and John Ruskin (1819-1900) were champions of the working class. They advocated the honesty and integrity of the craftsman and the sustainability of handmade versus factory production. Eventually, the movement was a victim of its own success. Embracing a strictly handmade policy resulted in furnishings that were priced way outside the range that a working person could afford.
Craftsman style bookshelf of maple and cherry designed for our granddaughter.
Handcrafted and affordable
The American Craftsman movement started at the end of the 1800’s. The American Society of Arts and Crafts developed a credo that emphasized respect for workmen and orderly, restrained design. American masters applied harmonious design to the home, furnishings and landscaping. A cornerstone of the movement was that it should be accessible to the middle-class. Craftsman bungalows were designed to embrace a housewife preparing meals and the family gathering for casual dining. These bungalow designs were available as affordable mail-order catalog kit homes in the early 1900’s. My grandparents, working class survivors of the Great Depression, had one in New Jersey. I still remember the smell of the oak trim in the dining room and the awesome staircase with little stained glass window.
This mission style oak credenza was originally designed to be executive office furniture for Tammy. It has been repurposed to storage of our barware. The lamp and standing frame are also our designs.
Adapting the craftsman Style
We were immediately hooked by the photos of bungalow homes in harmony with their furnishings and gardens. At first, we studied designs in reprints of old craftsman furniture catalogs. We were primarily drawn to the bungalow style of Greene and Greene and the mission style of Roycroft and Stickley. After a time spent trying to reproduce these designs, our own aesthetic started to emerge. We went back to that idea of balance: balancing form and function, building furniture that fits in our home and that suits our lifestyle. The size of our designs are scaled back so they are moveable and fit our narrow rooms. We also balanced the sturdy, boxy shapes tapered legs and interesting angles. We add interest to common building materials such as cherry and maple with accents of exotic hardwoods. While we tend to use neutral textiles in larger areas such as drapes and seat cushions, we love to add pops of color with pillows and throws. This allows flexibility for our modern tendency to redecorate seasonally.
Collected Hands Studio style: handcrafted home accessories. Classic wood styles, vibrant textiles.
Modern Relevancy of the Craftsman style
The American Craftsman movement fizzled by 1930 as middle-class America became interested, once again, in the more cost-efficient modern styles. Since the end of World War II we’ve seen a steady progression of industrialization: housing developments, shopping malls, IKEA stores and plastic everything. Americans are becoming more aware that this endless pursuit of cheap goods has a dark side in the loss of middle class jobs and industrial toxins. However, I see hope as the millennials bloom into adulthood. Online forums for DIY and handmade topics are very popular. Conversations about individuality vs. mass-produced convenience are taking place. The connection to our natural world is also becoming increasingly important. People want to know about the sustainability and environmental impact of the things they buy.
A sample of our current designs: a conversation chair, small table, clock and textiles.
Collected Hands Studio
Collected Hands Studio home furnishings are modern interpretations of the American Craftsman movement. We provide an eclectic blend of bungalow, mission, art deco and modern styles. We design and build our collection in our home studios in Corrales, New Mexico. Smaller items, such as textiles, clocks and keepsake boxes, are available in our Etsy store. Larger furnishings are available at local markets and pop-up shops and through our showroom by appointment. In addition to ready-made items, we love working directly with people to design beautiful furnishings to meet particular needs. Our items will certainly cost more than items from the big box store but we do strive to make them affordable.
Please contact us to discuss commissions or shipping details of larger items if you don’t live in the Albuquerque, NM area. Many of our smaller items are also available in our online store.
To Learn More
Refer to this previous post for a tour of Neal’s workshop. This wikipedia article is a useful starting point if you’d like to learn more about the American Craftsman Movement.
The village of Corrales, New Mexico is nestled in the Rio Grande river valley between the cities of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. The village, as locals call it, is part farmland and part bedroom community. You will also find a handful of local shops and restaurants but no chains. The bosque, a dense ribbon of trees that follows the Rio Grande, blocks our view of nearby Albuquerque. Rio Rancho is hidden by a tall mesa to the west. The iconic Sandia mountains shimmer on the horizon. Like most agricultural areas in central New Mexico, villagers receive irrigation water by acequias – man made canals that divert water from the Rio Grande through the farmland. It is along these acequia trails, in the bosque, that we gathered inspiration for our 2018 Along the Rio Grande textile collection.
Prickly pear and cholla cactus along an adobe wall.
Gardens
The properties along the acequias tend to be well irrigated and familiar cottage garden plants. Lilacs, honeysuckle and roses spill over fence lines and courtyard walls. But the real stars of Corrales gardens are the native high desert plants that thrive in the hot sun. Sages and pentstemon send up flowering spikes all summer long in shades of red, purple, pink and white. Bright orange trumpet vine and delicate silver lace vine provide thick fence line coverage and food for hummingbirds and bees. Chamisa spends most of the year looking like an ordinary, muted desert shrub then erupts into cascading golden branches in the late summer. Prickly pear cactus and cholla cactus gather in the un-irrigated areas.
Prickly pear, chamisa and cholla cactus along a wood fence.
Wildlife
Wildlife provides a constant source of wonder and amusement. Coyote can often be seen trotting casually along the trails but will quickly disappear into a field if a human gets close. Bunnies are everywhere. Comical roadrunners run along fence tops, stopping every few feet to fluff their feathers. And silly quail dart across the trail in groups, changing direction several times before they decide where they really wanted to go. Coopers hawks lurk in the trees and blue-tailed lizards scurry on garden walls.
Geometric motifs can be found in both local architecture and tracks on the sandy acequia trails. Adobe is a common building material in New Mexico. These naturally insulating earthen bricks are used to build houses, churches and fences. Another popular fencing method uses rows of latillas – long, narrow timbers with the bark left on – stacked tightly together and wired to a fence frame. Tracks along the trails are made by animals visiting the acequia for water – racoons, skunk, rabbits, ducks and porcupines. The mesmerizing trails of shoe and paw prints mixed with tractor and bicycle tracks show that these country lanes are well traveled.
An adobe barn in a filed of chamisa and sage.
Sky
Looking up, the New Mexico sky is another constant source of amazement. For most of the year, it is a dazzling azure blue with the occasional fluffy white cloud. Most of the annual rainfall comes from summer monsoons, heavy thunderstorms that build throughout the day and explode in the late afternoon. The thunder and lightening rattles windows and the heavy rains leave huge roadside puddles that become instant toad habitats. In the fall, the bosque skyline turns in to a bright gold as the cottonwood leaves change. The combination of green and gold against the bright blue New Mexico sky dotted with hot air balloons is just magical.
Summer sky in New Mexico
The 2018 Along the Rio Grande Textile Collection
The Collected Hands Along the Rio Grande textile collection draws inspiration from trekking the acequia trails. The designs blend vibrant hues from native flowering plants with the muted tones of the high desert. The collection includes whimsical wildlife and repeating patterns of overflowing gardens and rhythmic fences. Together, the collection evokes that sense of wonder – of “Hey, did you see that!” You can purchase these textiles by the yard via spoonflower.com and in completed products, such as pillows and notebook covers, in our retail store in Albuquerque’s historic Old Town. You can also visit us locally at the Sunday morning Corrales Makers Market. Please contact us to discuss customization of any design to meet your particular needs.
My art studio is located in Corrales, New Mexico, USA. This is where I sketch, paint, dye, cut, glue, print and daydream. I have tons of natural light, built-in shelves for storage of supplies and an easy-to-clean floor. It’s hardly ever this clean and often shared with dogs, cats, a house pig and grandkids. Beyond the art studio, I have a small sewing space. But, these days most of the sewing is done in a workroom at the back of our retail store. That helps me stay efficient when I am minding the shop. The shop is also a cat-free zone which turns out to be super important when I’m sewing.
The Sewing Room
Studio in use with a guest artist.
My Process
My textile designs starts with sketches and doodles as well as colorful mixed media artwork such as mono prints created with a gelatin plate, stamps and stencils. I tend to find my inspiration in the natural environment of the New Mexico high desert and the vibrant New Mexico culture. I digitize my sketches using Inkscape and use the art prints to fill in the simple, whimsical shapes. A lot more work in Inkscape and Gimp to clean things up, then I organize the designs into collections and send my favorite designs off to Spoonflower for printing on fabric.
Corrales Motif original sketchesWorking on a digital design
Some days I make art and some days I make tools such as screens, stamps and stencils. And, sometimes my workbench is a mess of fabric scraps, wood pieces, paper and glue because I’m thinking up new product ideas. I do struggle to find the balance between productivity and creativity, I find lots of coffee helps.
From sketches to stamps
It feels like Christmas when the Spoonflower packages come with my new designs. I like to lay them all out on the workbench and just take a minute to soak it all in. Then, I start planning production activities for my next day at the shop.
