ROAD TRIPPING TO NORTHERN NEW MEXICO

NORTHERN NEW MEXICO SITES AND SCENERY

www.carolhopper.com

with Dee Sanchez, Artist and Great Driver

Heading north toward the Sangre de Christo mountains,  the initial bluffs are dry and scrubby.  Clouds are building.

In Chimayo, we loved this gate and religious wall mural on a typical adobe wall

The old Vigil store, now know as El Potrero Trading Post

Sancturario de Chimayo
I wasn't able to go in as mass was being held

In Chimayo, this small town is most famous for Sanctuario de Chimayo.  This shrine, a National Historic Landmark, is famous for the story of its founding and as a contemporary pilgrimage site.

Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant has wonderful Mexican food, great for indoor and outdoor dining.

New Mexico is out of our long lasting drought in this part of the state. It was lush and green.

Cundiyo

Wildflowers, intersting fence posts create angles worthy of paintings

Sunflowers in full bloom, Ponderosa Pines on hillside

Whose house this is I do not know
It is within the village though

We are high...over 7000 feet

Dee's photo of sign at our lunch restaurant in Penasco.
 We had the best green chili cheeseburger of a lifetime, so good both of forgot to take a photo of it. The Green Chili Cheeseburger had a thick crisp slice on bacon on a homemade focaccia roll with crisp warm edges..

The above several photographs were taken rolling through the countryside and villages including Truchas, 
Las Trampas, Cordova and Penasco.  

The gorgeous dark clouds continued to build as we continued north to within 23 miles of Taos.

Las Trampas San Jose de Gracias Church
A Historical Site
Photo courteous of Wikipedia

TRUCHAS

(Following information and photograph from Wikipedia) 

 "Straddling a high ridge, the community began as the Nuestra Señora del Rosario, San Fernando y Santiago del Rio de las Truchas Grant, a Spanish land grant in 1754 and, due to its geography and location, remained a relatively unchanged outpost over the centuries. The land grant is commonly known as the Truchas Land Grant, gaining its name from the river that provides the water for irrigation of the land. Truchas is the Spanish word for trout."

Dee and I talked about our reading and seeing the movie "Milagro Beanfield War" while we were in Truchas.  The novel was written John Nichols.  Robert Redford directed the movie.

Now it is time to paint.
Stay tuned!

CORRALES WINERY BLUE

CORRALES WINERY BLUE

Gate to No Where

I started painting this gate by 8:15 AM, on a typical intensely bright sunny New Mexican day.
All week I painted in Corrales, NM en plein air for the
Corrales Plein Air Event.

It was intense....
daily hauling equipment
dealing with an umbrella that had a mind of its own
Yet I promise you....
in NM you either use an umbrella or find a shady place in which to paint.


Yet it was a fun week filled with meeting other artists
working with Sue Winstead, a most talented coordinator
attending meetings and events

blocking in the underpainting with transparent colors

Umbrella working fine but later did the Mary Poppins thing

"Corrales Winery Blue"
12x12, framed, oil on gessobord
SOLD

Day Seventeen: Hollyhocks and Blue Gate SOLD

Hollyhocks and Blue Gate
Little Gem
6x8 canvas on board mounted

Prowling in my little neighborhood subdivision...riding my bike instead of walking....snapping photographs of people's plants, gates, walls, and doors.  I have found plenty of painting material on my street alone.  As usual there is inventing....this gate was a different color, the stucco was a very light PINK and the hollyhocks were roses.
Well, at least today I didn't move any trees!

I had a struggle with this painting initially because I originally did paint the stucco light pink.  It took me a while to figure out the painting needed to be warmer!

To purchase or bid on this painting, click here.