Painting in the Land of Enchantment

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

It occurred to us as we drove across the Great Plains and into northeastern New Mexico, that, had we been in Europe, we would have traveled the width of France and well into Spain! The vastness of this part of the country is marvelous and somewhat overwhelming. The lonely road across the Oklahoma panhandle is a desolate prelude to the lofty green vistas of the foothills of the southwestern mountains. We entered New Mexico from the east, gradually ascending into the Cimarron Canyon as we followed the course of the Cimarron River. The Canyon is part of the 33,116 - acre Colin Neblett Wildlife Area, the largest wildlife area in New Mexico. These were the last days of brilliantly colored grasses and cottonwoods; the solid freezes and high winds of the next few nights would dull the colors and send them down to the ground. Time was of the essence in order to capture the glory of the golden leaves.

Our first stop to paint was in the Canyon itself, at the point where Clear Creek enters the C…