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04-08-2007, 11:23 PM
<b><i>Hondo Iris Farm’s Annual Iris Season Begins May 1</i></b>
<b>Popular New Mexico Iris Extravaganza Expected to Attract Thousands</b>
By Steppin' Out Staff Reporter
<b><center><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Iris_farm_100_dpi_2.jpg align=center border=1 vspace=3 hspace=3 alt="Photo of the beautiful gardens at Hondo Iris Farm"><br><font size=2 face="Arial Narrow">Photo of the beautiful gardens at Hondo Iris Farm</font></center></b>
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Hondo_7.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of the beautiful gardens at Hondo Iris Farm"><b>Hondo, New Mexico: April 8, 2007 - </b>Over in the Hondo Valley on the eastern edge of the Lincoln National Forest about two hours from Socorro, or Las Cruces, three hours from Albuquerque or T or C, and less than an hour from Ruidoso or Roswell, artist Alice Seely and the crew at Hondo Iris Farm have been planning and preparing for their colorful annual Iris show, sale and festival since last fall. As soon as the weather began to warm in February, artist, painter, sculptor and jewelry maker, Alice Seeley (www.AliceSeely.com (http://www.aliceseely.com)), and her crew began tilling and fertilizing the soil where their exotic flowers would soon begin to grow. They have been lovingly cultivating gardens filled with dozens of exotic Iris hybrids ever since.
The plants are well into their growing season now and the farm should begin to explode in a veritable rainbow of colorful blooms around the end of April. The photos accompanying this article were taken during previous years' Iris seasons. For more photos of the farm and the gardens, visit the Hondo Iris Farm web pages here (http://www.aliceseely.com/Hondo%20Iris%20Farm/Hondo%20Iris%20Farm.htm).
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde7.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Irises are one of the most beautiful and popular spring flowers and have been cultivated for thousands of years. They are known to have been loved and grown at least as far as the time of the ancient Romans and Egyptians. Their roots/bulbs are actually called “rhizomes” by those “in the know” about such horticultural details and they are available in dozens and dozens of colors and varieties. The breathtaking Irises of the Hondo Valley should be in full bloom by Mothers Day. So taking a drive over to Hondo anytime in May is sure to give you a visual treat that’s equaled in few places on earth – and nowhere else in New Mexico that we know of.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde9.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Those who’ve visited the Hondo Iris Farm once during the spring blooming season are known to return year-after-year to the valley in an annual pilgrimage to one of the most unforgettable gardens New Mexico has to offer.
Beautiful Iris plants and flowers will be available for sale at the Hondo Iris Farm and in their easy-to-find shop along highway 380 in Hondo throughout the month of May. The plants will lose their blooms in the summer; but if properly cared for they may bloom a second time in the fall.
Here are more details about the hosting artist and what to expect at the farm itself…
<b>Wandering around the Hondo Iris Farm</b>
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde1.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">During your visit you can wander through rows of exotic Iris plants, sit on a bench in a small wooded area, cross a bridge over a 150 year old irrigation ditch, walk up a landscaped path, and enter a gallery filled with paintings, sculpture, jewelry and artisans handiwork from places as remote as Bulgaria, Africa, Russia, and Kashmere. In the process you can sip tea or coffee, and visit with the artist in residence, Alice Seely.
Your only assignment is to enjoy yourself and experience the beauty of the Hondo Valley. There is no admission charge and no obligation to purchase anything.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde3.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">The Hondo Iris Farm, open from 10-5 Friday’s, Saturdays, and Sundays, and other times by appointment, is located at mile marker 284, marked by a towering sign, easily visible on the south side of Highway 70.
During May, the Irises are in bloom and they are the main event. Alice has assembled an impressive collection of Irises, noteworthy because of their long flowing beards, and fantastic variations in color. One section of the farm contains prize winning varieties hybridized since 1990; another section is filled with “antique irises” planted at the turn of the last century in the Hondo Valley. Alice, a native Santa Fean who moved to Hondo 10 years ago, also brought with her a number of the “Old Santa Fe Irises” that have grown along the Northern New Mexico “acequias” for centuries.
The Gallery, a recent 1100 square foot addition to a revitalized 100 year old Adobe building, is divided into two sections.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde10.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">The entrance section is filled with pewter jewelry designed by Alice, and fabricated in her “factory” down the road, where she works with 7 employees, filling orders for over 500 museum gift shops, galleries, and national parks around the country: including the Smithsonian, the Grand Canyon National Park, the Denver Art Museum, The Detroit Art Museum, The Museum of New Mexico, and the Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/garden_web.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of the beautiful gardens at Hondo Iris Farm">The hallmarks of her “Urban Fetishes” pewter jewelry line are her pins, packaged in matchbooks, with writing on the back of the packaging. Customers purchase these pins both for their original designs and because they find Alice’s writing, interesting and inspirational. Alice began with fourteen angel pins, including such titles as “friendship angel”, “healing angel”, “garden angel” and tongue in cheek angels like “air force angel.” She soon moved on to develop other lines of pins: friends, petroglyphs, Egyptian, unworldly thoughts, and her now best selling line of “menopause pins.” According to Alice, “the success of menopause pins has been so phenomenal nationally, they enabled us to purchase and build the Iris Farm.” Alice has written and illustrated a small book, entitled, “The Chaos of Menopause is the only thing I haven’t been able to blame on my mother”. She sells this book along with her pins, and to date has sold more than 10,000 copies.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde5.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">In addition to her basic “matchbook pin” line, Alice fabricates bracelets, fancy earrings and necklaces, all of which retail for less than $75.00. Alice has also supplemented her jewelry line with a set of historic New Mexico retablos inspired by art from New Mexico churches and homes. (Her “Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe” easel was recently listed as a best seller in the Marshall Field’s Catalog.)
Her other line, paying homage to New Mexico’s Hispanic heritage, is designed around Frida Kahlo imagery, and includes pins, bracelets, and icons.
Since then she has moved on to develop a Judaica series including Tzedakah or charity boxes, Mezuza cases, and Tree of Life pins with Hebrew.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Hondo_8.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Alice has deliberately kept her jewelry off the market in Southern New Mexico, with an eye to starting her own store where she could sell to locals at discount prices, without fear of unfairly competing with other stores in the area.
Prior to starting her jewelry business, Alice made her living as a painter and clay sculpture artist and showed her work in a number of galleries in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Michigan, New York, and Florida. The main section of the gallery is now furnished with her paintings and sculpture, along with the work of other “selected” artisans from around the world. (Alice finds these artists at the many trade shows she travels to in marketing her jewelry. Many of whom are now her friends.)
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/blueandwhite.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Her international crafts include a line of contemporary bowls, vases, and cups made in a Bulgarian village; museum quality baskets and Kuba cloth made in Africa, wall hangings and pillow coverings, hand embroidered in Kashmere, some with traditional Navajo weaving designs, others with the designs of modern artists such as Klimpt, Miro, and Kandinsky. Alice recently began showing a line of reasonably priced, beaded burnt velvet jackets that are “so stunning she has a hard time keeping them in stock”.
Rounding out the international collection, is a large selection of finely woven baskets from Pakistan and China.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde2.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Since “Made in the USA” is an important part of Alice’s credo, the gallery also represents American artists, including an artist from New Jersey who makes mosaic mirrors, a nationally recognized raku artist from Alpine, Texas (ornaments and rattles), a garden sculpture artist from Tennessee, and other American artists who make such varied items as clay wind chimes and a never-before-seen line of refrigerator magnets.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde9.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Alice is moving into fashion design with a line of hand embroidered jackets. Using her contacts, she is having her designs embroidered in Kashmere, the silk linings made in a small Laotian village, and the sewing done in this country. Alice intends to market these jackets both regionally and at fashion shows around the country, including New York. Her goal is to have them on display at her gallery by mid summer.
Anyone wishing to reach Alice to schedule a visit to the Iris Farm during the week, can call her at 505.653.4062.
If you are in the area, please drop in for a visit between the hours of 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. (Hint: The garden is most beautiful in the morning and late afternoon after 3:00).
<i>[Credit Where Credit is Due... The photos included in this article were provided by Hondo Iris Farm. We sincerely appreciate their permission to use their photos. The copyright on these images remains with Hondo Iris Farm.]</i>
<b>Popular New Mexico Iris Extravaganza Expected to Attract Thousands</b>
By Steppin' Out Staff Reporter
<b><center><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Iris_farm_100_dpi_2.jpg align=center border=1 vspace=3 hspace=3 alt="Photo of the beautiful gardens at Hondo Iris Farm"><br><font size=2 face="Arial Narrow">Photo of the beautiful gardens at Hondo Iris Farm</font></center></b>
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Hondo_7.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of the beautiful gardens at Hondo Iris Farm"><b>Hondo, New Mexico: April 8, 2007 - </b>Over in the Hondo Valley on the eastern edge of the Lincoln National Forest about two hours from Socorro, or Las Cruces, three hours from Albuquerque or T or C, and less than an hour from Ruidoso or Roswell, artist Alice Seely and the crew at Hondo Iris Farm have been planning and preparing for their colorful annual Iris show, sale and festival since last fall. As soon as the weather began to warm in February, artist, painter, sculptor and jewelry maker, Alice Seeley (www.AliceSeely.com (http://www.aliceseely.com)), and her crew began tilling and fertilizing the soil where their exotic flowers would soon begin to grow. They have been lovingly cultivating gardens filled with dozens of exotic Iris hybrids ever since.
The plants are well into their growing season now and the farm should begin to explode in a veritable rainbow of colorful blooms around the end of April. The photos accompanying this article were taken during previous years' Iris seasons. For more photos of the farm and the gardens, visit the Hondo Iris Farm web pages here (http://www.aliceseely.com/Hondo%20Iris%20Farm/Hondo%20Iris%20Farm.htm).
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde7.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Irises are one of the most beautiful and popular spring flowers and have been cultivated for thousands of years. They are known to have been loved and grown at least as far as the time of the ancient Romans and Egyptians. Their roots/bulbs are actually called “rhizomes” by those “in the know” about such horticultural details and they are available in dozens and dozens of colors and varieties. The breathtaking Irises of the Hondo Valley should be in full bloom by Mothers Day. So taking a drive over to Hondo anytime in May is sure to give you a visual treat that’s equaled in few places on earth – and nowhere else in New Mexico that we know of.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde9.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Those who’ve visited the Hondo Iris Farm once during the spring blooming season are known to return year-after-year to the valley in an annual pilgrimage to one of the most unforgettable gardens New Mexico has to offer.
Beautiful Iris plants and flowers will be available for sale at the Hondo Iris Farm and in their easy-to-find shop along highway 380 in Hondo throughout the month of May. The plants will lose their blooms in the summer; but if properly cared for they may bloom a second time in the fall.
Here are more details about the hosting artist and what to expect at the farm itself…
<b>Wandering around the Hondo Iris Farm</b>
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde1.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">During your visit you can wander through rows of exotic Iris plants, sit on a bench in a small wooded area, cross a bridge over a 150 year old irrigation ditch, walk up a landscaped path, and enter a gallery filled with paintings, sculpture, jewelry and artisans handiwork from places as remote as Bulgaria, Africa, Russia, and Kashmere. In the process you can sip tea or coffee, and visit with the artist in residence, Alice Seely.
Your only assignment is to enjoy yourself and experience the beauty of the Hondo Valley. There is no admission charge and no obligation to purchase anything.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde3.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">The Hondo Iris Farm, open from 10-5 Friday’s, Saturdays, and Sundays, and other times by appointment, is located at mile marker 284, marked by a towering sign, easily visible on the south side of Highway 70.
During May, the Irises are in bloom and they are the main event. Alice has assembled an impressive collection of Irises, noteworthy because of their long flowing beards, and fantastic variations in color. One section of the farm contains prize winning varieties hybridized since 1990; another section is filled with “antique irises” planted at the turn of the last century in the Hondo Valley. Alice, a native Santa Fean who moved to Hondo 10 years ago, also brought with her a number of the “Old Santa Fe Irises” that have grown along the Northern New Mexico “acequias” for centuries.
The Gallery, a recent 1100 square foot addition to a revitalized 100 year old Adobe building, is divided into two sections.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde10.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">The entrance section is filled with pewter jewelry designed by Alice, and fabricated in her “factory” down the road, where she works with 7 employees, filling orders for over 500 museum gift shops, galleries, and national parks around the country: including the Smithsonian, the Grand Canyon National Park, the Denver Art Museum, The Detroit Art Museum, The Museum of New Mexico, and the Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/garden_web.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of the beautiful gardens at Hondo Iris Farm">The hallmarks of her “Urban Fetishes” pewter jewelry line are her pins, packaged in matchbooks, with writing on the back of the packaging. Customers purchase these pins both for their original designs and because they find Alice’s writing, interesting and inspirational. Alice began with fourteen angel pins, including such titles as “friendship angel”, “healing angel”, “garden angel” and tongue in cheek angels like “air force angel.” She soon moved on to develop other lines of pins: friends, petroglyphs, Egyptian, unworldly thoughts, and her now best selling line of “menopause pins.” According to Alice, “the success of menopause pins has been so phenomenal nationally, they enabled us to purchase and build the Iris Farm.” Alice has written and illustrated a small book, entitled, “The Chaos of Menopause is the only thing I haven’t been able to blame on my mother”. She sells this book along with her pins, and to date has sold more than 10,000 copies.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde5.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">In addition to her basic “matchbook pin” line, Alice fabricates bracelets, fancy earrings and necklaces, all of which retail for less than $75.00. Alice has also supplemented her jewelry line with a set of historic New Mexico retablos inspired by art from New Mexico churches and homes. (Her “Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe” easel was recently listed as a best seller in the Marshall Field’s Catalog.)
Her other line, paying homage to New Mexico’s Hispanic heritage, is designed around Frida Kahlo imagery, and includes pins, bracelets, and icons.
Since then she has moved on to develop a Judaica series including Tzedakah or charity boxes, Mezuza cases, and Tree of Life pins with Hebrew.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Hondo_8.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Alice has deliberately kept her jewelry off the market in Southern New Mexico, with an eye to starting her own store where she could sell to locals at discount prices, without fear of unfairly competing with other stores in the area.
Prior to starting her jewelry business, Alice made her living as a painter and clay sculpture artist and showed her work in a number of galleries in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Michigan, New York, and Florida. The main section of the gallery is now furnished with her paintings and sculpture, along with the work of other “selected” artisans from around the world. (Alice finds these artists at the many trade shows she travels to in marketing her jewelry. Many of whom are now her friends.)
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/blueandwhite.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Her international crafts include a line of contemporary bowls, vases, and cups made in a Bulgarian village; museum quality baskets and Kuba cloth made in Africa, wall hangings and pillow coverings, hand embroidered in Kashmere, some with traditional Navajo weaving designs, others with the designs of modern artists such as Klimpt, Miro, and Kandinsky. Alice recently began showing a line of reasonably priced, beaded burnt velvet jackets that are “so stunning she has a hard time keeping them in stock”.
Rounding out the international collection, is a large selection of finely woven baskets from Pakistan and China.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde2.jpg align=right border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Since “Made in the USA” is an important part of Alice’s credo, the gallery also represents American artists, including an artist from New Jersey who makes mosaic mirrors, a nationally recognized raku artist from Alpine, Texas (ornaments and rattles), a garden sculpture artist from Tennessee, and other American artists who make such varied items as clay wind chimes and a never-before-seen line of refrigerator magnets.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Bearde9.jpg align=left border=1 hspace=3 alt="Photo of one of the many beautiful Irises at Hondo Iris Farm">Alice is moving into fashion design with a line of hand embroidered jackets. Using her contacts, she is having her designs embroidered in Kashmere, the silk linings made in a small Laotian village, and the sewing done in this country. Alice intends to market these jackets both regionally and at fashion shows around the country, including New York. Her goal is to have them on display at her gallery by mid summer.
Anyone wishing to reach Alice to schedule a visit to the Iris Farm during the week, can call her at 505.653.4062.
If you are in the area, please drop in for a visit between the hours of 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. (Hint: The garden is most beautiful in the morning and late afternoon after 3:00).
<i>[Credit Where Credit is Due... The photos included in this article were provided by Hondo Iris Farm. We sincerely appreciate their permission to use their photos. The copyright on these images remains with Hondo Iris Farm.]</i>