New Mexico Photography and Textiles Workshop

Back in May Carey and I hosted another First We Eat food styling and photography workshop, this time in Taos, New Mexico. I’d been in New Mexico once before on a road trip down to Carlsbad during college, but I’d never been to the northern part of the state where Taos is located. On our way, we drove through an actual full double rainbow, and then when you’re approaching Taos, you drive over a bridge connecting two sides of this huge canyon, with the Rio Grande bursting forth at the bottom of it. We somehow timed it where we drove over the bridge right at sunset, and these insanely gorgeous sights were a sign of things to come. Taos was beyond beautiful. Everything was made out of adobe, and the colors of the red-orange earth were deep and rich in the desert landscape. Everywhere around you vibrant and inspiring colors jumped forth – oranges, pinks, and tans contrasted with the bright blue of the sky. The food matched the scenery, with delicious southwestern-inspired dishes making the rounds from breakfast to dinner every day. Along with the food photography and styling, Maggie Pate of  Nåde Studio joined us and guided us all through dying Quince and Co. wool yarn with a natural indigo dye vat, and then taught us to weave on lap looms from Woolery with the yarns we’d dyed the day before. It was so fun to have  a hands-on experience like that in a place where the custom of weaving is so deeply rooted in the local native culture. We also had an excursion to the Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO world heritage site and the oldest continually inhabited place in the United States. The earth had an ancient energy there, you just wanted to stay and slow down a little bit. We had a wonderful time walking around, and we couldn’t had a better group of folks to share it with.

We had the most amazing group of people join us; Beryl Striewski and Megan Dunn (both former Croatia workshop attendees) volunteered to help with any and everything and we couldn’t have done it without them. Their graciousness, warmth, and incredible cooking abilities made every day a delicious adventure that I couldn’t wait to explore. Our attendees were some of the most creative, hilarious, and kind women I’ve ever met. Thank you so much Nikole, Trisha, Stephanie, Alex, Tanya, and Jennifer for joining us on this enriching journey in New Mexico!