No vacation to Santa Fe is complete without at least an afternoon spent strolling the dozens of art galleries and businesses on and near Canyon Road.
Whether you’re seeking home-altering décor or simply looking for visual inspiration, the Canyon Road area of Santa Fe is known as an art lovers’ respite. We’d suggest plotting out your day(s) there with the invaluable information available at visitcanyonroad.com. In the meantime, here are a few highlights from our recent visits.
Galleries
Barbara Meikle Fine Art (meiklefineart.com)
In addition to Barbara Meikle’s vibrant oil paintings and limited edition bronzes, the gallery represents potter Randy O’Brien, glass artist David Shanfeld, and painter Simone B. Silva.
Canyon Road Contemporary (canyoncontemporary.com)
The new, updated location of the gallery recently celebrated its grand opening with “an eclectic mix of contemporary art in gemstones, pastel, oil, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, fused glass, ceramic, and bronze sculpture.”
Gallery Wild (gallerywild.com)
This is one of two locations (the other is in Jackson Hole, Wyoming) that spotlight contemporary art inspired by wildlife. That encompasses everything from small painted pieces to larger-scale sculptures.
The Legacy Gallery (legacygallery.com)
Peruse a collection of contemporary paintings, sculpture, prints, glass, and fine jewelry at Legacy’s Canyon Road location.
Restaurants
The Compound Restaurant (compoundrestaurant.com)
This elegant white-tablecloth establishment has won and been nominated for James Beard Awards for its mix of farm-to-table Mediterranean-inspired menu and its revered wine program.
El Farol (elfarolsantafe.com)
Get swept away by Flamenco performances while dining on Spanish tapas, paella, and more. The signature cocktails are the icing.
Geronimo (geronimorestaurant.com)
Executive Chef Sllin Cruz serves his “global eclectic” creations inside the warm and cozy adobe “Borrego House,” built by Geronimo Lopez in 1756.
Kakawa Chocolate House (kakawachocolates.com)
A sweet bite or drinkable chocolate elixir to break up the shopping or put a bow on the meal? This shop “balances traditional with cutting edge” when creating its confections.
Boutiques
Bittersweet Designs (bittersweetdesigns.com)
Semi-precious stones, pendants, and coins are incorporated into the pieces of designer Laurie Lenfestey, whose wearable art is on display at her elegant showroom.
Desert Son of Santa Fe (desertsonofsantafe.com)
A curation of top Southwestern designers’ handbags, belts, buckles, footwear, jewelry, apparel, and more.
Nathalie (nathaliesantafe.com)
“Unique” and “inspired” are two words that come to mind when thinking of shopping the curations and designs of Nathalie. Beautiful things — for wearing and for living — are top priority in her world.
From our August/September 2024 issue.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy vendors
HEADER IMAGE: Bittersweet Designs
