| AIP takes yearly artistic retreats to a home near Deer Mesa in Taos, New Mexico, and we are planning to go back this June 2007. The area has inspired so many aspects of our work. Our jewelry, sculpting, and clothes draw their energy from the land and sky. It drove April to her passion for photography. The colors and tones of the homes of Tom Wheeler, Ed Sandoval and his wife Ann Houston influence much of our work. The copper in AIP pieces are from Tom Wheeler's studio. Melissa's bead work is from natural gemstones found in the area. It inspired us to create a line of clothing that is best described as raw leather meets polished steel infused with earth browns and gold. Each time we visit we meet more artists that are so willing to share their visions and life with us. They're like the land; they don't hide behind excessive trappings but are open and vary in their gradient depths. Their influence bleeds over into everything that we do and shows in our work. Among these artists is Umberto, the only living artist to have a piece in the Vatican. April has shot nudes he has worked from for some of his pieces. Driving there in the car you take in the land all around, sparsely populated, the land is as open as the skies. The first thing you may notice is the stark rugged beauty with deep rich colors of gold, brown, white, and muted green. Yet what you don't readily see is that this land yields vibrant turquoise, reds and ebony to the knowing hand and mind that can use it to craft exquisite pieces of beauty. Step out of the car and inhale. The air has a crisp, timeless feel. As you breathe in, time seems to stand still. The skies seem to show emotion with its fantastic display of colors and ever changing clouds. Here is where you will see the most vibrant sunsets splashing their colors over the landscape and across the heavens. At night there are so many stars that you swear to yourself you'll never live in the city again, and just as you think you have seen all this wonderland can offer, the sun rises and takes your breath away. We swear you can get lost in this sky with no end, and in getting lost, find yourself. Being there, it's easy to shed the stress and pressure of our hectic busy lives; in doing so we rediscover our personal wells of creativity and immerse ourselves in the pleasures of forging ideas into reality. |