I recently went to Santa Fe, New Mexico in June for a short trip. There is a secret charm to New Mexico and its glorious cloud formations. I wonder why so many artists are attracted to that place…then shortly after I found another serpent inside my bagpack. I wonder why serpents are attracted to me…or maybe I’m a serpent myself.
The highlight of the trip was getting to meet and tour the studios of two talented surrealists, artists Dennis Larkin and Esteban Bojorquez. I felt so honored to see and share in their sacred creation space, each with their distinct characteristic, practice and discipline.
Dennis Larkins is a recognized artist from the 70’s San Francisco, having designed and painted monumental backdrops for legendary rock promoter Bill Graham’s “Day on the Green” concert series. Artists from Led Zeppelin to The Eagles to The Rolling Stones performed in front of Dennis’ monolithic designs, products of an experimental time.
Since then, Dennis has created a large, eclectic body of work, from graphic design and illustration for the Grateful Dead to theme designs for Walt Disney and many others
What an American treasure Estbenan Bojorquez is. From his artist statement:
Color, humor, texture, and my quixotic attempt at understanding the frantic, self important culture I find myself in are the components of my art. Working in a wide variety of media including assemblage, painting, sculpture, film, music and installation, my pieces are explorations of materials, techniques and the inherent ironies of life.
I collect and reconstruct the discarded refuse of our throwaway society, abstracting familiar objects into an often expansive scale. These once “needed” or “desired” objects, now cast away, send me on a journey of memory, nostalgia, or visceral reactions which lead me to a dreamscape that I hope others can connect to. For me each piece speaks to a spontaneous and unique experience.
I’ve never seen such a studio like Bojorquez’s studio before. His studio and home merge as one, a full blown archaic OG Meow Wolf museum in attached buildings on the beautiful plains of Santa Fe. Oh and he is also a top rat trophy hunter, keeping numerical toll of his quarry on the side of his truck.
I felt highly tingled and inspired after meeting these warm, generous and kind people. Grateful to have crossed paths, Thank you!
Sharing some photos from the studio visit:
hilitehead 
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