CONVERSATION WITH LINDSEY CALLA
Lindsey is an artist and photographer currently living between Hydra, Greece and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her work captures the harmony and essence of place with a refined eye for organic qualities that evoke a sense of connection to the cycles and beauty of nature.
THE FOUNDATION
NAME:
Lindsey Calla
WHERE HAVE YOU SPENT MEANINGFUL TIME?
Well, thanks to my Sagittarius rising I tend to love to explore and move about the world. The most impactful time recently has been in the high desert of northern New Mexico where I found myself rooting a bit before the pandemic. Like a magnet, I became drawn to the open sky, pigmented canyons, and the lore of great intrepid artistic women who forged their way into the unknown—all searching for something different and enchanting.
CURRENT LOCATION:
Hydra, Greece
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I am a multi-disciplinary artist working frequently in an abstract photographic medium and installation with a focus on the harmony and resonance of nature. My Earth Auras work was conceptualized in Santa Fe during a time of quiet change and revelation where I fell in love with the colored rock strata of the eroded mountains that make up the landscape.
OUTSIDE OF WORK, WHAT SPARKS YOUR CURIOSITY?
I like to write letters in Textura Quadrata calligraphy and explore ancient ruins while reading as many old books as I can get my hands on!
SANTA FE
CITY NOTES
A personal take on the place you call home—or know best
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CITY TO SOMEONE WHO’S NEVER BEEN?
Santa Fe is earthy and crystalline, with a mighty amount of art for a small city. It’s like the book Women Who Run With The Wolves—full of feminine energy, filled with women who run wild with reckless artistic abandon under the moonlight in the quietude of the desert but it is also very sophisticated and intelligent, like a great dinner party full of interesting conversation and ideas.
WHAT MAKES IT FEEL MEANINGFUL TO YOU, EITHER NOW OR OVER TIME?
I have a fondness for Santa Fe because it is there that I fully formed. The desert has a way of stripping the unnecessary, and the elevation of the town breeds a feeling of incubation and I felt like a butterfly going inside inside and examining my true purpose. It was here that I found the courage to become an artist.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR TO VISIT, AND WHY?
I personally love June and September. June is full of endless light and my favorite russian olive tree blooms filling the air with sweet floral fragrance. In September, you get crispy air with the smell of chilis roasting, there is an abundance of local produce at the farmers market and sometimes if you’re lucky you can run a fire at night.
WHERE WOULD YOU STAY FOR A DREAM WEEKEND?
I absolutely love the Inn of the Five Graces. I spent a glorious week there in the beginning of my Santa Fe journey and it has really stuck with me. It has a lot of soul, the property is seen and felt through the lens of the owners who have a great eye for design, even working personally on the beautiful mosaics and there’s an artistry that complements the city very well.
RHYTHM AND RITUAL
Your daily path through the city
FAVORITE PLACE FOR A MIDDAY BREAK?
There is always time for Kakawa Chocolate House and the city has a few different locations and I’m not embarrassed to admit I call them all and see the flavors of the day and make my location decision based on the offering. I’m usually looking for the Marie Antoinette, her personal recipe of orange blossom with chocolate. I’m also a big fan of a midday soak at Ten Thousand Waves because creatively I tend to lose momentum in those hours so finding a place where the cell service is cut to enjoy nature with a notebook is always helpful.
A FOOD SPOT YOU ALMOST HESITATE TO SHARE?
The best green chile cheeseburger in my opinion is at Cafe Fina, it’s more a local spot for those who live south of town but worth a stop.
DESIGN & INSPIRATION
Places, people, and details that reflect the spirit of the city
IF YOUR CITY HAD A TEXTURE OR SCENT, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT?
I actually created my own local scent recently that I offer in small batches usually during my shows or installations. The fragrance is heavy on piñon and ponderosa resin—the high desert oozes with aroma and in the winter we burn the fragrant wood of the tree and that adds another layer of delicious scent to the air. It’s like a warm, caramel vanilla pine.
A SPACE THAT INSPIRES YOU WITH ITS DESIGN?
On the property of Bishop’s Lodge (now an Auberge hotel) there is a tiny chapel and former retreat of Bishop Lamy—I have had a few installations of my artwork in that space because the energy and design moved me so much. You can visit the chapel and feel the spiritual essence of the city baked into the earthen adobe walls there.
WHERE DO YOU GO WHEN YOU NEED CREATIVE FUEL?
Santa Fe’s secret is that it has some of the best used and rare bookstores. I endlessly browse my favorites for inspiration: Op Cit is a book hunter’s dream with stacks of books miles high; Books of Interest is a low key, in-the-know spot with a more curated feel that changes regularly and a conversation with the owners and other customers usually extends the visit longer in the best way.
A FAVORITE STORE, BOUTIQUE, OR CONCEPT SPACE?
Spirit of Earth has a masterful edit of treasures—from clothing to scent to objects.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
Places, people, and details that reflect the spirit of the city
MOST ICONIC LOCAL FLAVOR:
Chile relleno with red chile.
BEST VIEW IN THE CITY:
Driving up towards the ski basin to catch the aspen trees change color while overlooking the entire northern new mexico landscape.
A PIECE OF DESIGN, FASHION, OR FURNITURE THAT REFLECTS THE AESTHETIC OF THE CITY:
Alexander Girard’s brass sun.
