A Day Strolling Santa Fe’s Artsy Canyon Road

Welcome to Canyon Road, Santa Fe’s art district. This half mile long road boasts over 100 galleries, restaurants, and quirky boutiques. This is a perfect afternoon or day-long stroll capped off with a lunch at one of my favorite Santa Fe spots – The Teahouse.

Tip 1: Start at either end of Canyon Road. Walk to the other end and back.

I’d recommend starting at the end of Canyon Road with the low to the ground sign (shown to the left here) where it crosses Paseo de Peralta. This is more central and closer to the Plaza and most hotels, so you’ll get to the starting point quicker and end up closer to home at the end of your stroll.

Canyon Road is a narrow mostly pedestrian street with (best case) 18 inch wide sidewalks. Parking in this area is a nightmare so leave the car at your hotel and enjoy a brisk walk (or leisurely stroll) to this part of town.

Most of the indoor galleries were closed due to Covid while I was on my 5 week Santa Fe sabbatical, so I made the most of exploring extensive outdoor areas where many of the galleries had art pieces on display.

Several of my favorite finds include:

“Rising Cranes” at Kay Contemporary Art. If you read my recent Santa Fe Plaza blogpost, you’ll remember the origami paper crane Christmas ornament story. If you missed this heartwarming story, click here to catch up.

The Majestic Rising Cranes at Kay Contemporary

With that story as background, you won’t be surprised to learn artist Kevin Box’s metal art version of the origami cranes stole my heart. His contemporary works are made of stainless steel and bronze forms cast are inspired by folded paper. This particular piece called Rising Cranes spoke to me as it evoked a sense of harmony as the cranes took flight, free to fly in their own direction.

At the nearby Sage Creek Gallery I was captivated by this bronze Walt Horton garden piece of a bear called “Sweet Tooth”. The $45,000 price tag was a bit out of my price range, or he would have come home with me.

I love how the artist captures the bear’s intense expression, the fine details of the honeycomb, and the flies on the log enjoying their share of this unexpected find.

Anyone who’s been to Chicago will remember the Bean (aka Cloud Gate) when they see this garden sculpture by James Kelsey in the front courtyard of Globe Fine Art.

The shiny surface of both pieces reflects passersby and slows us down for a moment to engage in the experience of the artwork. It’s changing and always different.

Even though it’s the worst idea ever to share a distorted photo of a person reflected from a spherical object, I’m doing so here to give you a glimpse of this art experience as you walk by.

This piece is huge – almost 100 inches in every direction – and had to be trucked here from the state of Washington.

I found it interesting that all of his art is made with 1/8 inch stainless steel (with a shelf life of 50,000 years!) that’s welded, polished, and rewelded to perfection.

This piece is called “Gravity Defied”. I love the message of universality from the shiny sphere. The curved path-like portion reminds me of my life camino, or life journey. When we walk our path with awareness and self-reflection, we access another dimension, where gravity is defied.

On the far end of Canyon Road, I loved this massive horse head find in front of the Ronnie Layden Fine Art Studio. The detail in the larger-than-life teeth, lips, and its overall expression caught my eye.

Tip 2: Slow it down and notice the stories that pop up all around you.

Even when galleries and shops are closed, there are stories to be discovered along Canyon Road. This sabbatical created the space for me to slow down and notice them.

Lyman Whitaker’s Wind Sculptures at the Wiford

One of the most unique areas to explore along Canyon Road is the Wiford Gallery and artist Lyman Whitaker’s wind sculptures.

I was mesmerized by these wind sculptures and their ever-changing expression as they connect with the environment. Sometimes barely moving, other times spinning rapidly, depending on Mother Nature’s particular mood. Check out the short video on my @travelistaliz Instagram showing one of these massive sculptures in motion.

Tip 3: By the time you’ve immersed yourself in a half mile of Canyon Road galleries, you’ll be ready for a refreshing beverage or lunch. The Teahouse is the ideal place for a quick pick-me-up tea or coffee beverage, as well as a longer stop for a delicious lunch (currently serving both indoors and outdoors).

I visited here so often while on sabbatical, I made a game out of trying all the different teas, matchas, and other infusions available from the pages long hot drinks menu and tried to come up with my favorite. The top four on the tea menu, in my humblest of opinions, are the Manchester Fog (earl grey tea, soy milk and sugar-free vanilla), a flowering tea called the Volcano Flower Burst (a mild green tea with hibiscus, lavender and amaranth flowers that expands while it steeps in your cup), the Montreal Fog, and the Bazaar Latte.

Check out my other blogpost to read more about my favorite Santa Fe restaurants and for more info on this delicious spot.

Tip 4: Find the hidden gem artists and unexpected locations while you wait to be seated for lunch.

The Teahouse is a popular spot. There’s always a wait, so put your name in with the waitress and plan to wander around the area until your table opens up. Its worth the wait, I assure you.

Right behind the Teahouse is a resale shop called La Familia 821 which was sporadically open during the time I was there, adding to its intrigue.

In a little corner of the courtyard, a painter had their paints and brushes set up ready to create inspired new art on that chilly morning. Even simply taking photos of these creative playthings inspired me to have some fun channeling my inner artist back at the casita that afternoon.

You just never know what you’ll find when you start exploring.

Tip 5: Meet the artist and ask about inspiration for various pieces they are currently working on.

Unfinished Butterfly at Brad Smith Gallery

Times are especially tough right now for artists and galleries along Canyon Road. I found all the artists I met were chatty and fun to engage with.

At one of the few indoor galleries open that day, I was “wowed” by the colorful pieces, many of them portraits. Welcome to the Brad Smith Gallery.

Exploring the Rustic Doors Along Canyon Road

I really connect with the butterfly metaphor - how it transforms from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly after struggling for a period in its cocoon. As you can imagine, this unfinished piece (according to Brad) caught my eye.

Tip 6: Off Canyon Road, visit the weekend farmer’s market and cultural museum shops to find local artists displaying smaller and more affordable pieces that you might pick up as a souvenir to take home.

The next blogpost covers this section of the city, however I include this tip now because it led to more Canyon Road explorations that you might enjoy.

At the Museo Cultural Winter Market, artist Aura Dez had an area for her fine art and photography.

At home in Phoenix, I have a wall I see the moment I walk in the door. On it hangs small paintings and photo art highlighting most of the places I’ve visited over the past several years. It’s a fantastic memory wall.

You know from previous blogposts and my Instagram gallery that I love rustic, interesting doors. I’d spent a few weeks exploring and taking my own door photos while out and about in Santa Fe before I ran into Aura.

At her shop, I found a photo of an interesting door along Canyon Road that I hadn’t seen. I bought the photo and then set out on a mission to find that door in “real life” – at the corner of Delgado and Canyon Road. Check out the comparison on my instagram @travelistaliz.

It’ so much fun to find new ways to explore a city and create lasting memories.

Summary: I hope this blogpost inspires you to think outside the box about how to spend a day strolling an interesting area with no specific purpose in mind wherever you might live, and especially if you’re visiting Santa Fe. I’ll share more blogposts in the coming weeks about fun day trips exploring within the city of Santa Fe as well as road trips to stunning locations about an hour’s drive from Santa Fe. Even if you’re not able to sabbatical here for a month, these itineraries are sure to spark the wanderlust in you to go explore more of the magical state of New Mexico.

Check out @travelistaliz on Instagram for more photos and New Mexico stories, visits to other corners of the Southwestern U.S., and even glimpses into other countries of the world I’ve found my way to explore. If you have any questions about this itinerary, reach out in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer.