"A Zebra in a Cactus Garden"

Eric and I had the pleasure of having lunch with Lara Nickel and her husband Nicholas at the Pantry in Santa Fe this afternoon. Even more of a treat was a visit to their home and studio in the Historic Eastside. Their apartment is part of the compound that houses the Nedra Matteucci Gallery and unbelievably beautiful sculpture garden.

Lara, an native of Santa Fe, describes herself as a "concept artist". Lara paints floor to ceiling canvasses  of cacti and other plants. She has a life size zebra painting that is grazing on a separate smaller painting of straw. Lara's art work, when completed, will be looking for a place in a gallery or home with very large walls.

Nicholas, a native of France, is a young man of many talents. His knowledge of New Mexican plants is extensive. For example, the flowers of the chamisa plant attract bees that produce a very fragrant honey which we tasted. As we were leaving the home, he pointed to his bee hive on top of their pueblo roof! He has plans for many more hives for honey production.

Thank you for a very enjoyable afternoon, Lara and Nicholas!