Mining New Mexico: A Turquoise Trilogy in Old Cerrillos, Part One!

Friends, I hope you can forgive my extended absence from the old FinderMaker forum; my existence has been rather untethered of late, and crafting doesn't come easily when one's materials and tools are boxed up and buried in a storage unit. It dawned on me recently that, although I may not be able to work on my own projects as readily as I had become accustomed to doing, it may be gratifying in the meantime to focus some attention on folks who truly embody the FinderMaker spirit of "finding things and making them into other, better things!"


And so I find myself now, for an indeterminate amount of time, in old Santa Fe, New Mexico. The nights are chilly, and smoke from burning piñon logs that warm the cozy adobe casitas drifts from chimneys and perfumes the air. In the picturesque downtown Plaza, visitors from around the globe embrace the attitude of the Old West and amble about in cowboy hats and boots; they'll make a point of strolling along a deep stretch of covered sidewalk in front of the Palace of the Governors, where Native peoples from the surrounding pueblos spread out their handicrafts on colorful blankets. You'll be hard pressed to board the plane back home without a beautiful souvenir of your stay in the "city different": perhaps a delicate pot from Acoma, or a bold Navajo bracelet accented with turquoise nuggets? It is this latter material that has captivated my attention of late; indeed, I fear I have come down with an acute case of turquoise fever!




Now, I've always heeded the old adage "Feed a cold, starve a fever," but this is one fever that may be fed with gusto, whether in the shops of Santa Fe, or a bit further afield, in the hills of nearby Cerrillos. Hoping a vigorous desert ramble might cool my fever, I headed for the hills. Driving south out of Santa Fe, I exited I-25 and merged onto NM 14, the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway, which passes through a number of small, historic mining towns and scenic areas as it winds south towards Albuquerque. Be sure to keep an eye out on your right for a cluster of low but unmistakeable hills; within these hills are numerous abandoned mines, a few active ones, and Mount Chalchihuitl, the site of the most extensively worked prehistoric turquoise mine in North America!




Not far past those hills is an exit for the town of Cerrillos; hold on to your hats when you make that turn because pardner, you are about to enter the true Old West! The town itself consists of but a few dusty roads and a main street with a row of storefronts that look as though they could be the set for a Western movie; in fact, several have been filmed there. Friendly locals and old timers share a drink and swap yarns outside of Mary's Bar, prominent signs will point the way to the Casa Grande Trading Post (more about that later!), and the local dogs will trot along beside your automobile as you make your way towards the Cerrillos Hills State Park. The beginning of the park is marked by an information and pay station, where a mere five dollars secures your access to the area. Here I could go to great lengths to explain the history of mining in the area, how the park was created, and so forth, but there is an excellent website dedicated to addressing these and many other related topics, and so I will direct you to the Cerrillos Hills State Park site, where the embers of your interest in the subjects of mining and turquoise may be stoked to a veritable conflagration!




Rocky but well-defined trails wind through the hills and reveal evidence of the late 1800s mining rush: gouges and vertical shafts in the earth piled all around with the excavated waste rock.




Many of the shafts are deep enough to have warranted safety precautions: attractive observation decks allow visitors to get a bird's eye view, while sturdy steel mesh covers the opening, preventing anyone from accidentally (or otherwise) going overboard!






Historical information is posted at each of the significant mine sites:






See a whole bunch of historic photos of early mining operations in the hills here.

When is a stump more than just a stump?




When it reveals a story about the area's past! When miners flocked to the Cerrillos hills mining district in the late 1800s to find their fortunes, they needed firewood and timber to brace mine shafts; the juniper and piñon trees that dot the hillsides filled that need, and today you can still see many of the stumps of those trees with axe cuts and saw marks where wood was harvested over a hundred years ago! The park has several unobtrusive signs pointing out those interesting things that the casual hiker might otherwise miss.

Rambling my way towards the back of the park, I crested a hill and beheld one mammoth of a hill off in the distance:




That is what the miners called "Grand Central Mountain" on account of its stature and location in the mining district. Although the Cerrillos Hills State Park encompasses a large tract of the original district, Grand Central Mountain itself, which lies just outside of the park's northern boundry, was the site of several mining operations; out beyond Grand Central Mountain are more hills, and even more old mine sites!




By the end of my day exploring the park, I'm afraid my turquoise fever had advanced considerably. I spent the evening poring over the park's website, eager to find out as much as possible about the area's history and the locations of the mines. Many of the mine claims within the park were struck in pursuit of silver, gold, lead, copper, iron, and coal; little gold was actually discovered, but mine operators often exaggerated its existence to investors back East in order to secure funding to expand operations. Many of the historic turquoise sites are actually located in the hills out beyond the park boundaries. Curious to find out the ownership status of the land beyond the park, I pulled up a detailed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) map, and was surprised by what I found:




While a good portion of area around the old turquoise mines is privately owned, the areas overlaid in transparent yellow (above) are actually public (BLM) land, and that includes much of good old Grand Central Mountain! Now I'd be lying if I said that part of my intended cure for Turquoise fever didn't include finding a few bits of that lovely stone out in the field, but significant effort went into preserving the land and remaining sites within the Cerrillos Hills State Park; removing anything from the park undermines those preservation efforts, so "rockhounding" anywhere within the park must be strictly avoided. Likewise with straying off the trails... it damages the ecosystem and can alter the appearance of the area. I stayed up half the night plotting how I might access the BLM land without going through the park or overtly trespassing on private property, and determined that I might do so by following a dry creekbed that runs well outside of the park boundaries and ends up within the BLM land surrounding Grand Central Mountain. I decided that my goal for the following day would be to hike entirely around the mountain, avoiding the few privately owned sectors, while hopefully encountering some interesting scenery (and maybe a few bits of that mythical blue stone!) along the way. My path is highlighted with red dots in the map above.

Did I make it into the backcountry? Did I fall into a mineshaft? Did I even find a mineshaft??? I hope you will stick around for part two of the Turquoise Trilogy!

Inspired by Sigmar Polke: Uranium Glass Collection

Sorting and packing continues here at FinderMaker manor, and I've just unearthed some more items that were inspired by a recently deceased and very influential artist.

Many years ago I was flipping through a coffee table book featuring interior photographs of several famous artist's homes, and something I saw in a photograph of German artist Sigmar Polke's home caught my attention. It was a tray loaded with oddly-colored glass objects that a caption identified as belonging to Polke's collection of "canary glass".

I did some research on canary glass, and found that it is a term sometimes used to describe glassware that has been pigmented with depleted uranium oxide; other commonly used terms include "uranium glass" and "vaseline glass". The uranium pigment, though mostly depleted of it's radioactivity, remains somewhat radioactive, and reacts with ultraviolet light in such a way that it has a barely perceptible luminous quality in normal light, and positively glows a bright yellow-green under a strong u.v. or "black" light.

Sigmar Polke was something of a modern day alchemist, incorporating unusual materials (fruit and vegetable juices, silver oxide and other reactive chemicals, crushed meteorites...), into his paintings, and even did a photographic series in which sensitized plates were exposed to the emissions of radioactive minerals. I became quite fascinated by that collection of strange radioactive glass, and soon began to notice pieces at estate sales and antique stores. If a piece was cheap enough, I bought it, and eventually amassed a decent collection of the stuff. Sadly, my collection suffered a great blow when, in preparation for our move from Oakland to Los Angeles, part of my uranium glass display case came loose and allowed about a third of my collection to spill out onto the floor and shatter.

Here are some pieces from the collection that have been wrapped up and stored away for several years. I will wrap them back up now, and perhaps they will be stored away for several more.



Sigmar Polke passed away on June 10th at the age of 69. Thank you for sparking my interest in that glowing green glass, Mr. Polke.

If anyone happens to know anything about that book, i'd love to know the title and author so I can look it up-- I haven't been able to locate it.

Inspired by Louise Bourgeois

Getting ready to move is really stressful; I've done it alot over the past several years and I can't say it gets any easier over time. Occasionally I'm pleasantly surprised while I'm sorting through stuff and packing; finding this stack of screenprints I did in 2002 was one of those pleasant surprises.

I really like Louise Bourgeois' artwork, and find her large-scale installations (the "Cells") to be especially compelling. Her passing on May 31st at the age of 98 was a great loss to the art world, but my what a wonderful and inspiring body of work she created during her lifetime! 12 years ago or thereabouts I came across an image of this watercolor she had done depicting various clippers she found around her home and studio:



I was immediately inspired to try my own version using images of surgical instruments taken from a turn-of-the-century surgical supply catalog. I did several hand-drawn and colored versions before I had access to screenprinting equipment; I was excited to finally do a run of screenprints based on one of my favorite layouts during a screenprinting course at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. These are 3-color prints: 2 shades of red, and black, printed on a cream colored acid-free paper.





I always just called them my "Tribute to Louise Bourgeois" --not a very original title, and certainly not a worthy tribute to such a grand artist, but these images occupied my mind and time considerably for a period, and I'm glad to have been given the opportunity to revisit and share them. Thank you, Louise Bourgeois!!!

Medicine Bags!

I recently acquired two super soft, buttery buckskin hides and have been having a grand time sewing medicine bags! I do sew them on a machine, but since every piece of each bag is cut by hand from the hide, they end up taking a good bit of time to make from start to finish. I have 15 so far; these are meant to be worn around the neck, and I have been assembling a nice cache of beads, metal cones, horsehair and the like to add to each bag along with a strip of intricate beadwork that will be stitched directly onto the face of each bag!

Eventually these will go into my FinderMaker shop, along with mushroom shelves and all sorts of other curious objects and handmade treasures! I believe I will have to put this project on hold very soon though, as I am preparing for a big move at the end of August. We are trying to decide between New York City (we lived there before, in Manhattan, but would be in Brooklyn this time around) or Santa Fe (a new adventure, though I did spend some of my childhood in Albuquerque). The seemingly unavoidable threat of bedbugs is making the NY area seem like a rather frightening option, but Santa Fe is quite distant, and I am tiring of stressful cross-country moves. Those concerns aside, both places have much to offer, and I am looking forward to the changes that are in store! I would certainly welcome any opinions or insight on either option from my dear beloved readers!

June Projects: Charles W. Morgan, Eleggua, Peyote Rattle and More!!!

Although I have been working at the museums quite regularly of late, I am still finding time to work on some little projects here and there. Lest my patient readers begin to fear I've dropped off the face of the earth, I'll take a moment to share...

1. An old model of the whaler Charles W. Morgan that I had been meaning to assemble for at least the last year. I finally started on it, and am about 3/4 of the way through. I'll confess that I never had the patience for model building growing up, and still find the process supremely tedious. I made one other model of the US Navy hospital ship Haven a few years ago to display in my hospitalmuseum; I think the Charles Morgan may be my final foray into model building! This model won't be painted... I have another idea in mind that I will share as the project nears completion! Before getting started on the model, I drove down to Mystic Seaport, where the actual Charles Morgan is hauled out of the water for a major restoration, to get some inspiration:













The brick "tryworks" on deck, where blubber was boiled and rendered into oil.

The area below deck at the front of the ship called the "forecastle" where the majority of the crew members slept. Most of the props and bedding in the forecastle and throughout the rest of the ship have been stripped out for the duration of the restoration.

2. I have had a handful of bone choker tube beads laying around for a while; I combined them with some India glass trade beads and made a nice, simple Plains Indian-style choker. This may end up in the FinderMaker online shop when I start stocking it up, as I'm not generally one to leave the house done up in Native American-style regalia (if you were to infer that I am apt to parade around inside the house in Native American regalia, though, you might just be on to something!)

3. This is a replica of a wonderful coconut and cowrie shell Eleggua effigy I saw online . It was for sale, but was way out of my price range, and anyway it looked like a fun project to replicate at home! I'm not done with it yet; just need to find some colorful little feathers and a few other magical sundries to adorn it with!

4. I made one of these peyote ceremony rattles about a year ago, and, after running across an extra gourd I had purchased at a farmer's market last year, decided it was time to assemble another. I think this one has turned out beautifully so far; the feather and horsehair tip on this one is extra fancy! The next step will be to add the peyote-stitch beadwork over the white leather portions; I think the beadwork on this one will have several shades of green in it. I can't wait to share photos when it is done!

5. You are probably getting awfully tired of seeing this thing! I took the strip of lazy-stitch beadwork off of the front once again and re-did it in the pattern you see presently. I also replaced the earlier cobalt beads on the red sheepskin portion with old turquoise-colored glass trade beads, and affixed the abalone and tin-cone hair drops around the sides and back (I will do a complete post with photos of all of this when it is completed!) I chose some of the finest wild turkey feathers from the batch I found at Mount Hope Farm, and have wrapped and stitched red sheepskin around the base of each in preparation for affixing them to the top of the cap. I'm finally happy with the way that front beadwork strip looks, and will definitely be keeping it!

6. In fact, I liked the beadwork pattern I came up with for the cap above so much that I just kept going with it on my little bead loom... I guess I have a hatband now!

7. One of my earliest FinderMaker posts showed me crafting a replica of an old whaling harpoon. I had made examples of two of the predominant styles of hand-darted harpoons: the double-flue and toggle irons, and figured I should add the third common style, the single-flue iron, to complete the set. The baked fimo head has been epoxied onto the shaft, and the seam sanded smooth; now the shaft and head will be painted to resemble old metal, then affixed to the cedar pole that is all shaped, sanded and ready to receive it. This is a fun project to work on using readily available materials; if your collection of nautical artifacts could benefit from the addition of a real showpiece, I encourage you to go back and follow my how-to!

Thank you so much for sticking around... I regret that I've allowed so much time to lapse since my last post! I'll be sure to do updates as I complete these (and other!) projects. Thanks for joining me!!!

FinderMaker Trading Post

A warm welcome to you, friend! Please, tie your horse up right out front... there's plenty of good water in the trough there. Its nice and cool inside, so stay awhile and have a look at some finely crafted dry goods I'm quite sure you can't live without. Never mind these old mesquite floor boards... they squeek like a kangaroo rat hurling insults at a rattlesnake, but nobody's fallen through yet! Here are a few items I'm particularly fond of...

1) Travels in the Interiors of North America 1832-1834 Familiarize yourself with the appearance and customs of the folks who occupied this territory long before you or I rolled into town! $44.39

In 1832, looking to gather images and information about Native Americans and their customs, Maximillian Prince of Wied travelled with Swiss painter Karl Bodmer across North America; Wied's travel experiences were published in 1840, his text printed in two volumes, and 81 of Bodmers illustrations were published as a portfolio. Reprinted from a splendid hand - coloured copy of the publication still owned by the Wied family, 'Travels in the Interior of North America' is the first book to reproduce a complete original colour version. Focussing on many details in each plate, in depth text serves as a key to the customs, clothes and tools of the Native Americans.

2) Derringer in a Book. In these parts, a lone stagecoach traveling though some lonely canyon often presents an irresistible temptation to armed bandits; don't be caught off-guard! Tuck this treacherous tome into your gladstone before you set out and be prepared for the devils! $159.99

In the mid-1800's the Derringer was the gun of choice for anyone wanting an easily concealed, yet deadly firearm for personal protection. Our version, from renowned gun maker Davide Pedersoli, is a fully functional and faithful reproduction of a classic Belgian percussion pistol with removable .44-caliber, rifled barrel and folding trigger. Concealed in its own padded book, aptly titled 'Law for Self Defense,' this gun could have easily belonged to any scholarly 19th century person looking for peace-of-mind while at home or travelling.

3) Pendleton Woolen Mills San Miguel Blanket Sure, it's powerful hot under the noonday sun, but the mercury does dip considerably in the twilight hours; cozy up the cabin with this classic Southwest-style Pendleton blanket! Made in the USA. $198.00-$318.00

A pattern inspired by mid- to late-19th century Native American weaving traditions and the influence of Spanish missionaries in the Southwest. The design's roots are in the traditional banded Chief Stripe pattern which evolved into a "nine-element" layout. The reversible jacquard has two dramatically different looks.

4) Glass Crow beads in aqua. Just because they're the only thing in this Trading Post I can afford to own doesn't make them any less pretty! Made in India, with subtle variations in color and shape that make these beads look like they've been around a good long while... string 'em up and wear as a necklace, or work them into your craft projects; you'll be glad you did! $3.96 per 100.

5) Dark red traditional 4 button Navajo-style moccasins. Slip into a pair of these sturdy leather mocs, and you'll be kitted out in true Pueblo fashion! You'll traverse many a high mesa before those thick leather soles show any signs of wear at all! Hand-made in the USA. $170.66

The stock is always changing here at the Trading Post; if you don't like what you see this time around, well I reckon we'll have something new for you next time you're in town! Thank You kindly for stopping by, and don't forget to help yourself to a few pieces of penny candy on your way out!

Brimfield 2010 Follow-Up

After taking in all of the non-stop, slow moving crowd-filled, junk-packed, over-priced excitement that is the Brimfield Antiques Market on Sunday, (read my report on the day here!) I felt like I needed to go someplace free of crowds where I could just take in some fresh air and nature, and perhaps do a little casual beachcombing. One of my favorite places to take just such a ramble is on the grounds of Bristol, Rhode Island's Mount Hope Farm, which their website describes thusly:

Mount Hope Farm, overlooking Mount Hope and Narragansett Bays in Bristol, Rhode Island is the quintessential saltwater farm consisting of over 200 acres of fields, woods, streams, and ponds with expansive water views. The landscape abounds with wildlife, handcrafted stone walls, terraces, flowers, mature shrubs and indigenous trees. Walk the grounds that our forefathers walked before and after our nation declared its independence.

A perfect description, and just the thing I needed to clear my head and sooth my nerves! Except.... It seems Brimfield had worked its way into my brain. WAY into my brain! Was I out among flowers and wildlife, slowly making my way along handcrafted stone walls towards Narragansett Bay or was I back in Brimfield????????

The parking lot looked so invitingly open, and free!



Within moments of walking out of the parking lot, I found something I desperately needed, right out in the middle of a big field...



Turkey feathers! Dozens of them! And the price was quite reasonable!



With my feathers locked safely back in the car, my pulse quickened as I approached the gate. Immense crowds were gathered, waiting anxiously to storm the market and beat each other to the bargains!!!



Once inside, I overheard these old dealers bragging about how much money they had made selling reproduction Art-Deco feathers to "antiques-obsessed sickos" earlier in the week. Shameful!



When I asked if I could photograph one of the few remaining feathers, they barreled towards me and shouted "NO PICTURES!" Point taken. I was reminded of the Design*Sponge flea market tip: "Don't buy from mean people." Indeed!

I continued on, shaken by the bad attitude of those haughty dealers, but felt better as I approached the main selling area:



The day was hot, and the concessions stands were already busy... nectar-lime rickeys and kettle-popped pollen seemed to be the official refreshments of "Beachfield"!



Some of the earlier tables I saw had fairly pedestrian assortments: feathers, Quahog shells, taxidermy trophy mount (isn't anyone getting tired of that trend?)



But there was plenty more to take in! I was glad to see that this dealer of glassware and early American pottery was in attendance this year, and with a beautifully merchandised table, I might add!



The inventory at this booth was geared towards the fellas: sports memorbilia, architectural salvage, and another trophy mount...



And then, speaking of taxidermy and trophy mounts, I came upon this dealer who had clearly cornered the market:



I had to laugh when I saw that taxidermy horseshoe crab rear-end! A little lowbrow, but funny nevertheless! That will probably end up hanging over someone's bar, but the rest of it? Too much! Judging by the quantities still available, not too many people were buying that stuff this year:



Some dealers had the audacity to show up to Beachfield with contemporary items... ugh. Fortunately I didn't see too much of this junk.



Some common trends throughout the show included nautical items (old rope and lobster buoy pieces):



And industrial design/architectural salvage:



And the usual Beachfield humor/kitsch:



The visual merchandising teams from Ralph Lauren and Anthropologie were fighting over who would get this primitive painted sign; turquoise is the "it" color for 2010!



Meanwhile, the J. Crew visual team tagged this primitive wooden piece (look for it in a window display later in the year!):



Gothic Revival furnishings just weren't selling:



But shabby chic is still quite popular; this booth was mostly sold out:



I saw alot of people buying these spongey corals-- the neutral coloring goes well with the shabby chic/Scandinavian farmhouse/French country trends, and adds a nice touch of natural history/cabinet of curiosity flair:



One final taxidermy piece, not very well preserved at all, by the looks of it. Isn't it illegal to sell a stuffed Seal in the U.S.? One can never predict what strange things will turn up at Beachfield!



O.K. that was pretty disturbing. And scary. I thought it was a big dog taking a nap at first glance (yes, dogs scare me). Then I realized it was a big dog taking a permanent nap. Then I noticed that this dog had flippers and remembered that dogs don't have flippers. Yikes! It shook me right out of my sun and sea soaked reverie and sent me hoofing it back to the parking lot, pronto. But I scored some great items! Check out my haul from Beachfield 2010!:



Feathers (they look a little ratty but after a gentle washing they will look great), some of those spongey coral tufts, glass, Quahog shells. Ok, I'm a hypocrite, but that Horseshoe Crab was too good a deal to pass up... a steal, really. Thanks for joining me on this 2010 tour of "Beachfield"!!! I hope to see ya there next time!!!