Amarantha

Ampersand is located within a magical sandstone canyon that has views of local mountain ranges and significant land formations. We strive to steward all 37 acres of the property, while modeling and teaching stewardship practices for our whole watershed.

Our built environment is clustered on a west facing slope which we use to our advantage for gravity fed rainwater, and earth-bermed solar designs. We began building our structures in 2004. All are made of natural materials, from adobe and earthbag construction, to pallet-style wattle and daub, strawbale, and straw-clay. Since our high elevation desert climate can be quite extreme, our structures are designed with passive solar winter heating and natural cooling techniques as a design priority.

All of the life on our site is maintained by rainwater collection. Since we only get 8 inches of rainfall a year on average, water budgeting and conservation techniques have been an important part of learning to adapt to our environment. Most people are surprised that we can sustain ourselves with no well or imported water. But through conscious design strategies we live quite comfortably and grow a significant amount of our own produce on site. We have several greenhouse growing spaces as well as water harvesting earthwork perennial beds for food production.

Anthony Allen

TEXTURES OF LIFE

(Sculptured in Tile)

OFFERINGS FROM THE MEDICINE BAG*

A Sculptured Tile Series Based on The Sacred & Ancient Images Chipped into Rock and Painted onto Cave Walls by the First Humans of Turtle Island

Rock Art

Through Rock Art we are challenged to reach beyond time and gaze into the souls and lives of our ancestors. Rock Art was a serious and sacred activity connected with magic, hunting and healing rituals, and boundary markers.

Found only in protected and specifically chosen sites, Rock Art was apparently crafted by select members of the tribe. No domestic activity is shown in the art, nor does it seem that children were involved. Not knowing the true intentions of the rock artists, we can only infer possible meanings.

However, if an image reaches out and touches you in a personal way, listen closely, for the artist themselves may be whispering to you across time.

*Hide pouches designed to carry the Shaman's collection of Sacred Power Objects or Medicine Bundle.

“The most beautiful thing about me are the many cultures that make me who I have become. My creativity is inspired by the emotional expression I see and feel in my communities daily. I express, through storytelling, my people, as we face our daily struggles. I want to celebrate our spiritual journey in the form of poetic narrative, a story telling. Hopefully, when someone sees my art, they can relate to the life I am expressing, or come to it from their own place of knowing. As an artist, I feel the most important thing to share is freedom. We choose who we become, and I want my art to express the same element - as I create and find meaning within each new canvas. “

- Anthony Fuentez

Carole Kozak

Originally from Washington, D.C., Carole arrived in New Mexico in 1999. Carole lives art in all its forms - from food and dance, to painting and motherhood, her love of the beauty of life is present. This trait is also evident in her work. Inspired by her visceral experience of life, her paintings are full of color, texture, and dimension. Carole explores the meanings behind the meaning, layers of interpretation. Self-taught, she was inspired by expressionists like Egon Schiele and Wayne Thiebaud. Now living in the Pacific Northwest, Carole continues to be inspired by the nature that surrounds her.

Chinthu Udayarajan

Cosmo Monkhouse

Cosmo Monkhouse is a spirit being whose offerings sometimes appear as wood objects, some of them similar to Himalayan "shaman sticks," which are channeled by Marc Sills - agent and Madrid-area resident. Sills has a B.A. in Fine Arts and an M.A. and Ph.D. in International Relations, and has held several occupations in life, including trucker, mover, carpenter, builder, activist, and university instructor of Political Science.

Enchanted Goodies for Life

Enchanted Goodies for Life is a project rooted in a love of noticing the colors, textures, flavors, scents, and unrelenting beauty of the universe...and then just having fun with it!  

The herbs in our products are cultivated in Madrid, New Mexico with a deep respect for humanity, nature, and the cosmos. 
Enchanted Goodies for Life is a intentionally ephemeral enterprise by Marissa Aurora, a New Mexico born artist, gardener, and professional dabbler. 

Jada White is the author of “Stirring”; a collection of poetry in tight verse accented by photos, paintings, drawings, and collage. This collection is intended to delight and inspire, mirroring the essence of Love in its forms as a Natural, Divine, Romantic, and Self-directed force.

Julie Gutierrez

Julie Gutierrez is a native of Albuquerque, NM. She grew up with the plant medicine and wisdom of her grandmothers, which led her to the desire to assist others in healing. She is a graduate of the Holistic Life Institute in Oakdale, CA and a Certified Reiki Master. Julie is also a graduate of the New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics, a licensed massage therapist and Natural Therapeutics Specialist. In her treatments, she loves to incorporate massage, energy healing, aromatherapy, and Flower Essences. Currently, she is developing a natural beauty product line. Her desire is for all beings to experience vibrant health and happiness.

Kathryn Nun

Born in England, and having grown up in south Florida, Kathryn Nun has been embracing “the arts” of Santa Fe since her relocation in 2001. Coming from an extremely artistic family, Kathryn has been applying color to everything in her path since she was able to hold a brush. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising & Design, with intense focus on illustration, from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Further education in graphic design and web development was pursued at the Santa Fe Community College.

Kathryn’s strong use of color results in bold and vivacious pieces, always full of passion. Strongly inspired by music, Kathryn expresses intense emotion in all of her paintings which is evoked by the music she listens to while painting—the more inspiring the music, the more passionate her pieces become. Predominantly working in acrylic, she is constantly seeking new art techniques and mediums. Kathryn also experiments with various utensils and unusual materials to produce interesting textures. In addition to The Lotus, Kathryn has gallery representation at Studio 14 Art Gallery in Madrid, New Mexico.  She was a featured artist in the first love AS Revolution Festival & Art Show in 2015 and has shown annually in Metallo Gallery’s “In Microsale" miniature art show since 2013. She has exhibited in numerous juried and outdoor art festivals, and is available (upon request) for commissions and donations in support of various New Mexico charitable causes—annually supporting the New Mexico Cancer Foundation and the Santa Fe Horse Shelter.

As the sun sets over the Cerrillos hills each evening, you will most likely find Kathryn sitting in front of her easel—paintbrush in hand, covered in acrylics—creating new pieces of art. Any free time, she enjoys spending with her three dogs on her 18 acres. She is passionate about travel, wine tasting, cooking with her Puerto Rican chef husband, and partaking in any activity that involves great music!

Lonnie McGuinn

Born in New Mexico, raised in both ‘Bourque & Chicago, while also maintaining family contacts in New York, I have lived and enjoyed disparate, diasporic, and eclectic spaces - from Vancouver to India, from Mexico to Ireland, from Chile to Puerto Rico; bestowed the gifts of books, activists, community leaders, and experiential learning; and the contributions of inner journey; I have informed my interpretation of artful living.

I have spent lives in customer service, finance, administration, Art, non-profit organization, photography, race class feminist studies, physics, writing, community activism, university, photography, government, poetry, Educational Studies, business, Healing Arts, and shamanism.

I celebrate the “infinite divisions” of creation, of ourselves, and our actualization of both and neither. My passions lie in advocacy and outreach to diverse populations; supportive communication; authenticity; development, direction, and success; and increased love and care, for ourselves, each other, and the planet. My parents, my mentors, and my heroes informed a lifelong love of emergent strategy and pedagogy, which led to academic critical analysis of Eurocentric ideologies, epistemologies, and methodologies, which promote exploitation and heirarchicization in the production of knowledge. My ways of being are decolonized practices, and like my yoga, never to be missed. I enjoy creating space; promoting praxis; art and human advocacy; poems; creative opportunities; random writings, and enjoy bringing love to any position.

I have created The Lotus to hold a space for the world to Heal. As a survivor, I honor the journey and the wisdom. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of New Mexico, receiving a BA in Race Class Feminism with Special Mention from the University Liberal Arts & the Women’s Studies Honors Societies, one of which I created. My graduate work was completed at the University of British Columbia where I studied Feminist Approaches to Social Justice in Education. I have participated in Bill Analysis for NM State Legislation, and served as the Outreach Coordinator for an $18 million dollar Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Programs Grant for the State of New Mexico.

I am a Minister, a SJ Warrior, artist, and advocate for survivors of trauma, for folks on the journey, for those looking to Heal. Namaste.

Marcos Lewis

Moss Aether

Hailing from the deep desert of the southwest, Sarah has been studying the healing path for many moons. She stumbled upon it by accident, but soon realized her whole life had been guiding her in that direction. Inspired most by the alchemy of spirit, Sarah offers assistance to those needing help with pain, attachment, and recovery. Her goal in life is to help others form a deep bond with the divine (their truest self) and to assist in the great awakening of humankind. She offers spiritual hypnosis, Theta, massage therapy in her practice, and always takes joy in adding more!

Scott Switzer

I have always been fascinated by line and line drawings, the suggestion of form that our eyes fill in, and the connectivity that occurs when two lines come together.  These paintings begin as drawings from life.  I think of the drawings as a way to record a certain time and place.  The compositions then are formed in the studio.  This body of work has been described as architectural landscapes and is heavily influenced by the line quality of architecture both interior and exterior.  I am interested in how we remember places and spaces and how the memory can become distorted, much like in dreams.

Shelley Yates was born in Texas. She was raised to be in the world but not of it. Painting and video are, for her, a way to capture those times she feels a strong connection to the world around her. The titles of these landscapes reflect her experiences both with others and within.

Her art is about love. Her love for her people, for the land, for the sky, for the wild horses, for light and shadow, for color and darkness. The paintings of Shelley Yates portray her sense of oneness with the world.

Shelly Johnson

Shelly Johnson's pop art enamel paintings feature twentieth century icons, spiritual imagery, political figures, musicians, local characters and images from her many travels. She has been painting since the late 80's and has shown throughout the country in numerous galleries, including on Canyon Road in Santa Fe as well as her own gallery in Madrid, 'A Wander Out Yonder'. Shelly's use of vibrant colors brings her paintings to life and crosses all cultures. The word 'pop' is synonymous with explode, burst and bang... all of which demonstrate the impact of Shelly's work. Pop art continues to be a strong force in today's art world and forms the framework for Shelly's current and future paintings, which reflect how this artistic phenomenon has evolved from the 1960's to the present. Shelly's biggest visual art influence is clearly Andy Warhol but as published by Kathleen Sloan in THE magazine... one of a kind artwork is the result of her work, reversing Warhol's economy of scale message. Warhol's statement, "I want us all to be machines" is replaced with "We're a spiritual hive communicating by wave lengths."

Star Light

Born in Grand Rapids as Steven Owen Sutherlin, he is known to the world now simply as Stephano. His life has been as colorful as his vibrant paintings. He joined a traveling carnival early and later explored the world during a Navy tour. This worldly experience gave him a unique view that has colored his artistic vision. After settling in California, Stephano worked for CNN as a courtroom sketch artist. This work led him to Little Rock, Arkansas, for the White-Water trial. He fell in love with the southern charm and to this day calls the city home. Stephano now returns full circle to Michigan to participate in ArtPrize, painting trains his father conducted for the now defunct C&O railroads, during his childhood. His work invokes a sense of nostalgia and history of early train life in Michigan. His depth of world experience and his unique perspective on life make him a truly inspiring person and artist.

Vince Lupo

Vince Lupo has a passion for photography and has wanted to be a professional commercial photographer since he was 12 years old. He earned his Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Photography from Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto, Ontario and his Master of Fine Arts degree in Still Photography from Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.

Vince Lupo specializes in architecture, people, product, and food photography. He’s earned numerous personal and professional photography awards, including two ADDYs.

‘Spirit of the West’ is a term that I’ve heard mentioned whenever discussions of the western United States arise.  Until I began to venture out there, I didn’t quite know what it meant.

 Through this work, I am discovering what ‘Spirit of the West’ means to me.  At times it’s a beautiful, vast nothingness. Other times I see evidence of a fading past that I do not know, yet appearing more ‘authentic’ to me than the present.  Oftentimes I’m confronted with religious symbols which serve as reminders of an adherence to tradition – but not without visible conflict.

 Currently, my primary sources of creative inspiration are New Mexico and Montana. Both possess that special quality of light that has inspired artists for centuries.  I find personal renewal with each journey there, and am particularly drawn to the people, the landscape and the backroads.

 None of the images are planned or staged. Oftentimes, the juxtaposition of seemingly disconnected elements within a scene can create tension and contrast, reveal a subtle metaphor, a striking irony, or a conversation among them. Although humans may not always be included in my photos, their impact is apparent. My role is to catch these threads that bind these elements together to present a compelling narrative – sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, other times evoking the old West.

 The creative path is neither orderly nor routine, and these images chart my personal mapping of the West – never knowing what’s around the corner or where I’ll end up.