The Abuquiu Artist’s Landscape
After picking you up at the Inn of the Five Graces, you will enjoy a scenic drive through Northern New Mexico by Luxury SUV, past the historic Camel Rock and through Espanola (the Lowrider Capital of the World). We will continue on the upper road by the Puye Cliff Dwellings to Georgia O’Keeffe country enjoying the expansive skies and views of the majestic plateaus that create the landscape of Northern New Mexico.
Plaza Blanca + Abiquiu
Then, our journey takes you off the beaten path to Plaza Blanca in the Rio Chama hills, near the village of Abiquiu. Plaza Blanca is a majestic landscape made up of beautiful white sandstone cliffs with breathtaking views of the Chama river valley. It was made famous by Georgia O’Keeffe through her series of paintings called The White Palace which will inspire the inner artist in you when you visit this hidden gem.
Here we discover this sanctuary mindfully experiencing a new perspective of how this place has inspired depiction of self-expression through art. Take the time to notice how it speaks to you in the stillness of the earth. Does anything specific creatively resonate with you exploring this moonscape? Savor the simplicity of wandering through this arid and artistic landscape, taking the time to truly enjoy your surroundings. Notice how the earth can viscerally inspire art through your interpretation of experiencing its wild form.
Following our meditative hike, we journey down the quaint back roads to Abiquiu, a small town with an impressive history. Abiquiú means “wild chokecherry place” in the Tewa language. It was first settled in 1742 by 24 Tewa Pueblo families. The first settlers here were Indians, and the name Abiquiu is a Spanish variation of the Indian Tewa words pay sha boo-oo, meaning “timber-end town,” and abechin, meaning “hoot of an owl.” The Indians who came to the Chama Valley were migrating from Mesa Verde in Colorado in the 15th century. The starting point of the pioneering route of the Old Spanish Trail- a historical trade route that connected the northern New Mexico settlements of Santa Fe with those of Los Angeles, California and southern California around 1830-1850. While the town is most well-known for the artist Georgia O’Keeffe, the outer lying landscape tells the story of millions of years of erosive scars that continue to shift and change with time. While exploring Abiquiu, it’s not difficult to uncover why so many artists have made their home among her mesas, buttes, valleys, canyons and plateaus with vivid hues painted and etched across her landscape like poetry. We stop for a delicious lunch on the patio at the historic Abiquiú Inn at Café Abiquiú & The Terrace in Abiquiú. The menu is comprised of fresh local ingredients featuring New Mexican specialties.
We will visit the home and studio of local artists Debra Fritts and Frank Shelton. This hospitable artistic couple moved here from Atlanta after years of life in the city both working and teaching in their field of art. They created a cozy and sophisticated home along the river which provides new inspiration from the natural world for their work.
The studio space was an old chicken coop built with WPA money to provide work for those living in the Chama River Valley and now transformed into one of these creative living spaces.
Debra is a clay artist who works intuitively with pounds of wet clay until forms appear and stories develop. Her talent, vision and articulation of clay are profound, and her spirit is playful, nurturing and creative. She weaves in the natural world and spirituality around her of the ravens, the coyotes and owls.
Frank is a multi-media painter and curator at the Georgia O’Keeffe museum. His paintings are inspired by creative investigations of the internal and external realities of our humanity and the natural word. He describes the style of his work with one word, passion. He believes that without passion work is dead.
They will take you on an in-depth tour of their studios and give you insights into their working style and inspiration for their art. You can see the range of their creative expression in their showroom. As husband and wife, you can see their deep connection simply by seeing their artwork shown next to one another.
Finally, with lots of fresh air and artistic memories, we’ll journey back to Santa Fe with a stop at Romero’s Roadside stand. You’ll get a taste of traditional New Mexican cuisine at this quintessential Northern New Mexico stand selling the best of New Mexican chiles.
This Experience is very limited. Please sign up early to secure this opportunity.
Heritage Inspirations & The Inn of The Five Graces
Heritage Inspirations is the preeminent luxury adventure company in New Mexico, and as Forbes Magazine points out, “one of the few truly high-end, meaningful, genuine, and sustainability-minded travel companies operating in the United States.”
Bringing a lifetime of invaluable insights and connections, Heritage Inspirations draws on their closest relationships to thoughtfully illuminate the incredible people, cultural sites, traditions, magnificent landscapes, and natural wonders for our guests.
Together with the Five Graces Private Experiences team, we have crafted highly curated, all-inclusive guided tours specifically designed to inspire ‘core memories’ that will endure long after the journey ends.
*Five Graces Private Experiences, offered in partnership with Heritage Inspirations, are exclusively available to guests of The Inn.
More Private Experiences
The High Road To Taos Pueblo
Journey to Taos along the Historic High Road, a mountainous route through artistic enclaves and rich cultural sites where you experience the Spanish heritage of Chimayo, a traditional native weaving studio and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Taos Pueblo. Lunch finds us in a Puebloan home dating back over 500 years for specialties like stuffed fry bread and pinon coffee.
A Culinary River Adventure
Rafting down Rio Grande on a class 2-4 rapid section of the river is an unparalleled way to immerse oneself into the New Mexico landscape. With the thrill of the rapids and the tranquility of the calm stretches in your bones, you will journey further down river to Vivác Winery for an epicurean lunch and wine tasting at one of New Mexico’s most exciting, and awarded wine makers!
Ciudad Santa Fe, by E-Bike
Santa Fe is the original cultural crossroads of the American Southwest, the oldest Capital City and the highest in elevation. But what is little known of Santa Fe are its hidden gems, the pygmy forests, the charming hillside river pathways, the secret artist enclaves, that make this truly The City Different. In helping our guests discover this magic and majesty, we have created a private E-Bike tour through Santa Fe’s vibrant cultural history and scenic beauty.