The Society Page

Longtime Telegraph contributor Stew Mosberg recently published his first book, In the Shadows of Canyon Road. Set along Santa Fe’s famous gallery row, the book is a fictional look at the town’s colorful, bustling and oft cutthroat art scene./Photo by Ted Holteen

A Santa Fe soap opera

Stew Mosberg conjures romance and intrigue ‘In the Shadows of Canyon Road’

by Ted Holteen

It is inevitable that at some point, every journalist is confronted with the challenge of writing about a topic on a personal level, casting aside the cruel objectivity of the observer’s pen. (For purposes of simplicity, I’m calling myself a “journalist” but I’m not trying to fool anyone.) In a small town like Durango, it happens a lot more than any of us are comfortable with admitting, as we often pass our subjects on the street just hours after the ink dries. If you think that sounds potentially awkward, and it should, try writing about someone at the same weekly newspaper at which you’re employed.

But that’s what I volunteered for when I offered to review Stew Mosberg’s debut novel, In the Shadows of Canyon Road. Regular readers should immediately recognize Mosberg’s name as the chief chronicler of all things artistic here at the Telegraph, and I consider the man a friend. So what could be more stupid than taking on the task of critiquing his book, in public, when truth be told I was certain that I wouldn’t even like it? That’s a rhetorical question, but the answer is “nothing.”

Then a funny thing happened. I sat down and read the thing (in 3 hours, 6 minutes) and was incredibly relieved to find that I really enjoyed it. My preconceptions of a pretentious look into the elitist world of the Santa Fe art scene were quickly debunked, replaced by a simple yet engaging story of love, greed, backstabbing and overnight success.

“It’s popular fiction about art,” Mosberg said last month over a glass of scotch at the Rochester Hotel. “I would be hard pressed to call it high literature, but I’m satisfied with it, and I think it’s a good story.”

Canyon Road is the iconic downtown Santa Fe art district that Mosberg first visited 20 years ago when he was still a resident of New York City. He’s made several return trips in the ensuing years, but never lived there, and the novel is a product of his imagination. The street is home to more than 100 art galleries, and Mosberg focuses on three fictional galleries and their owners to anchor the narrative.

We first meet young Martin, a painter at heart who supports his siblings and aunt by waiting tables at a Santa Fe café owned by Moira, the next character. Adding to the spice is Charles Hollingsworth, a pompous ass and “top dog” on gallery row whose unappreciated daughter Vanessa runs his gallery; Keith, a more grounded and generous gallery owner; Paolo, a rising star in the Santa Fe art world who is the star of Keith’s gallery as the story begins; Marta, a matriarchal wealthy patron of the arts; and Bill Yarbough, a flamboyant neighboring gallery owner who offers Vanessa a respite from her domineering and self-centered father.

This is where a review can quickly become a summary and spoiler, so I’ll tread carefully and not give too much away. For much of the novel, Martin splits his time between painting in his dilapidated garage studio and waiting tables at Moira’s café. Meanwhile, Moira and Keith progress from neighboring business owners to lovers; Martin’s aunt is the widowed Keith’s housekeeper and despite the proximity to such a talented artist, neither Keith nor Moira recognize Martin’s talent for most of the story until he is “discovered” by the philanthropic Marta.

That’s the feel-good part of the story. Conflict centers around Hollingsworth, who steals Paolo away from Keith’s gallery only to find out that the handsome Italian painter has been “entertaining” Hollingsworth’s drunken ex-wife Barbara, who does her best to embarrass herself at every public opportunity. Vanessa eventually tires of her father’s impersonal and destructive ways and makes her own bold decision to reclaim her independence, and Mosberg wraps everything up neatly with a satisfying sense of justice for all. Truth be told, the novel could have been extended to further debase Hollingsworth and Paolo, but the author probably erred correctly on the side of brevity and left a few questions unanswered.

Canyon Road is Mosberg’s first official foray into noveldom, though writing is an intrinsic part of his life. The New York native retired after a successful design career and moved to Colorado, spending about six years in Breckenridge and the last eight or so here in Durango. As a fellow East Coaster, I welcomed Mosberg’s arrival if for no other reason than his authentic accent, though I should mention here that I once had to fire him in a spat relating to Durango’s newspaper wars. That, however, is ancient history and I kept laughing to myself as I read Stew’s descriptive passages while hearing his voice. Imagine “The cliffs ringing the ranch were striated with red, amber and ocher soil and rock formations; leaves of the aspen trees shimmered like golden sequins glittering in the sunlight” being spoken by Danny DeVito and you’ll understand why I chuckle.

Mosberg brought with him to town a cosmopolitan eye for art, and at first he didn’t like what he saw.

“It was difficult; I moved here because the word was that the Durango art scene was growing, but I was very disappointed when I got here,” Mosberg said. “But in the last couple of years the art community has really shifted and there are some very good artists here. Many of my friends here are talented enough to exhibit anywhere and there are more venues here for them to do it.” He singled out Studio & and the Durango Arts Center in particular for fostering up-and-coming artists. “But we could use a few more galleries,” he added. “It’s not an art destination yet but it can be.”

As for Mosberg the burgeoning novelist, it’s been a learning experience – but a good one. This is actually his second attempt at a novel. His first was, written in New York, was a recounting of his days in Vietnam, but it never saw the light of day.

“I had a taste for it but I was told ‘write your first novel, put it in a drawer and write your second,’” he said. “That first one was heavy and I didn’t want to compete with the soldiers’ stories from Iraq and Afghanistan so I put it away.”

It was likely the right decision, though excerpts from that early book will find their way into Mosberg’s next book, which will be a collection of short stories. For now he’s going to continue to enjoy some modest success with Canyon Road – the book has been doing well locally, landing on Maria’s Bookshop’s Top 10 list for several weeks – and continuing to learn the craft.

“What I love about fiction is making up characters,” Mosberg said. “You want people to care and get emotionally involved, and to me that’s a good character. I have no illusions about this business, and I’m delighted if anyone buys a copy. I know my friends will support me, and it’s fun to see how it’s been received outside of our community.”

Ted Holteen is a local busybody with too much time on his hands. Reach him at egholteen@yahoo.com.