Fine Art Images from the American Southwest

Month: December 2022

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. 12-28-2022

Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond in the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. I hope everyone had a good holiday season, and it’s not over yet!

Christmas day we made a drive to the Great Sand Dunes, NP. We had a short hike across the sandy bottoms to where the dune grass grows and the climb up begins. The soft, late afternoon light was golden, highlighting the dune grass, against a backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo, (Rocky Mountains). We had a beautiful afternoon with family and drove home under twilight skies.

Dune Grass, Great sand dunes national park
Dune Grass, Great Sand Dunes National Park

I got into some abstract shots in the dune field, promising myself another trip back there soon to wander and shoot more abstracts.

Sand dunes abstract
Sand Dunes Abstract

As always, thank you for looking, and have a Happy New Year. G

Winter Solstice Moment, San Luis Valley. 12-21-22

Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. Today I did what I’ve done for the past number of years on the winter solstice, I drove to the San Luis Valley to my favorite barn to catch the moment the sun shines through a hole in the roof. There are many holes in the rooftop, as you can see. This one stands out this year on the solstice, (2:48, MDT). Here’s last year’s moment in black and white at the red barn.

San Luis valley red barn, winter solstice 2022
San Luis Valley, red barn on the winter solstice, December 21, 2022

Moving ever so slightly to the south the sun hits the pitch peak of the roof, perfectly.

San Luis valley red barn, winter solstice
San Luis Valley and the red barn on the winter solstice, 2022

And for those who celebrate Christmas…

Ho ho ho, Jingle Bells!!!

Southwest Christmas Greetings
Southwest Christmas Greetings.

It was a long day today so I’ll keep it short.

As always thank you for looking. I hope everyone gets what you asked for. Happy Holidays whichever one you celebrate. G

Photo Shoot, Tres Estrellas Design, Taos. 12-15-22

Greetings from San Cristobal. This week I want to share a few images created for Tres Estrellas Design, Taos. These images are from an ongoing project for their ad campaign. You may recall previous posts over the past few years. In this shoot, we worked with Lyle Wright, a Taos Pueblo artisan, model, and all-around good guy.

I planned to post images from this shoot a couple of months ago. As you know, I’ve been busy with three exhibitions, so this post was on hold. I hope these images give you a glimpse of some of the fun, creative work I get to do. I love my job.

My friends Chris and Carla have one of the most beautiful ranches out at Black Lake, NM. It makes my job fun and dare I say easy in such a great setting.

The serape that Lyle is wearing is a “Navajo Late Classic Serape” raveled and hand-spun yarns circa the 1870s. It is in pristine condition and makes a powerful statement and testament to the skills and craftsmanship 150+ years later.

Tres Estrellas Design, Black Lake photoshoot.
Tres Estrellas Design, Black Lake photoshoot.
Tres Estrellas Design, Black Lake photoshoot
Tres Estrellas Design, Black Lake photoshoot with Lyle Wright.
Tres Estrellas Design, Black Lake photoshoot with Lyle Wright
Black Lake photoshoot with Lyle Wright.

There were also moments of levity and laughter, between takes as you can see in the following shot. Lyle and Chris review a video moment on the iPhone.

Chris Ferguson and Lyle Wright
Chris Ferguson owner Tres Estrellas Design with model Lyle Wright.

As always, I thank you for looking, and for all the comments and compliments. Thank you. G

La Luna, Las Vegas Window, Taos Gallery Show. 12-07-22

Greetings from stormy San Cristobal. I was looking forward to seeing la luna’s occultation of mars tonight. It will happen, although I doubt it will be visible in this neck of the woods with all the clouds and the chance of snow. My fingers are crossed that there will be a thinning out of the clouds at just the right time. Here’s a photo I shot in the early morning hours two years ago. If you would like to read more about this event click here. In the meantime, here’s a picture of la luna on a night when the sky was crystal clear.

La Luna, Full moon Taos New Mexico
La Luna.

Before Covid 19 I made a few trips to Las Vegas, New Mexico. Las Vegas is a fun town to spend time wandering around, loitering on park benches, visiting antique stores, and eating at some of the fun restaurants. One of my favorite things to do is window stalking with a camera.

Damascus sewing machine Las Vegas NM
Damascus Sewing Machine, Las Vegas, NM

The group show “Photography in B&W” at The Wright Contemporary in Taos continues. There was a successful and well-attended opening reception last Friday. If you happen to be in Taos, stop in and take a look.

The Wright Contemporary is located at 627 Paseo del Pueblo Sur Taos, NM 87571 575-224-0530

Below are a few more images featured in this group show.

Walking hay sticks
Walking haystack sticks.
Mohave Gas turbines
Mohave Gas, and wind turbines.
Kachinas, Monument Valley Trading Post
Kachinas, Monument Valley Trading Post, AZ
Wall sculpture Railyard Santa Fe
Wall sculpture Railyard Santa Fe, NM

As always. Thanks so much for looking. Stay well. G