Rancho de Talpa: Strong-Dimond Artist Studios & Residence, Talpa, New Mexico, 1991

For Artist Charles Strong and Writer Mag Dimond

The client, Charles Strong, requested a design reminiscent of the old church in Ranchos de Taos, St. Francisco de Asis. The program called for a personal residence, main painting studio, guest quarters, and additional painting/writing studio (for Mag)--a complex program in a small space.

The resulting design is 3000 square feet on two levels, with double adobe walls insulted with an inner layer of loose pumice (locally sourced volcanic lava beads). The reinforced buttresses are hollow and are used for seveal interior and exterior storage spaces, a bed alcove in the guest quarters (end of east wing), a love-making cave (left side of south wing), and a doghouse (right side of south wing). See House Plan.

There are no right angles or parallel lines in the building, which was designed on a Macintosh computer without any pencil or manual tool drawing whatsoever.

The adobe construction of the project was performed by a crew composed equally of local Taos Hispano and Taos Pueblo builders.