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There is a studio on top of a mesa in Pojoaque Pueblo. The place smells of paint, naturally. Big windows reveal the Chamisa brush dotted hills, sandy arroyos and big sky around the building. It is here, in a neat clean room dominated by the huge silver cylinder of a printing press, that Michael McCabe spends his days and sometimes his nights.
McCabe is in the business of making prints, and of making mats and frames for art, and is a kind of an art mentor for hire. A job he came by in a round about manner that seems to suit him perfectly.
McCabe, 40, with his long straight black hair streaked with gray says everyone always assumes he is from Pojoaque Pueblo, but he is a Navajo man originally from Arizona. He came to Santa Fe when he was 12.
Growing up, McCabe wasn't a great fan of school. He ditched class so often at Santa Fe High that he was kicked out and sent him to the Vocational Technical part of the school, known locally as Vo-Tech. He ditched school there too. He eventually ending up at The Alternative High School, which set him on his path to creating art.
It was at The Alternative High School that he got involved in a community-theater program that channeled his restless energy into creative outlets. He learned to design costumes and sets; he worked the lighting; and he was an usher. All these jobs he did at once, ushering people to their seats,...