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| "Road at Eli's" oil on canvas, 20x16 inches |
Outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, midway
to Taos is a sleepy little mountain village called Dixon. Eli Levin,
a well known realist artist around these parts, built a house of
earth there, originally as a place to get away from Santa Fe on
weekends, but now that he is in his late 60's, he lives there with
his girlfriend. Two other buildings are separate, a studio and
guesthouse, both made of mud and stones. Recently a bedroom was added
to the main dwelling—of mud of course. The two made the
sun-hardened bricks, and then built the structure.
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| Bedroom in earthen room |
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| View of bedroom made of adobe |
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| Artist studio, on hill above house |
Heidi Of The Mountains and I have been
staying there while Eli and Abby are away to Chicago. They went the
old-fashioned way; by train. Everything is old and worn at the house.
Old utensils, a record player, weathered tools, appliances from the
past, well-seasoned furniture, wood stoves and a big wood pile by the
garden. The floors are made of earth too . . . and when inside, I feel
perfectly at home and need not worry
about being careful. I relax, lay out on the couch and read a
classic book from Eli's well-stocked trove of literature, or step outside and make a painting.
Heidi too, feels totally comfortable
and exclaims her satisfaction and delight. We are in a private
hide-away, with trees and fields surrounding us, mountains, and a
stream rushing past at our feet. Two cats and Heidi's poodle dog,
Gracie, complete the picture.