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

December 7, 2022 by Geraint

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.

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, AZ

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

Taos Mountain: In a different light. 11-30-22

November 30, 2022November 30, 2022 by Geraint

taos mountains sunset willows MAIN 1741 44

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM

Taos Mountain (Pueblo Peak) has many moods. I’ve had the honor and the great pleasure of being a witness to some of the best of the mountain’s moments. Moments that thrill us all in this place we call home.

Take a look at the many moods of Taos Mountain. Click to enlarge.

Taos Valley with the Sangre de Cristo mountains — Taos Valley with sunset on .the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

The Wright Contemporary – Taos

Join me this Friday December 2, 2022 – Opening at The Wright Contemporary Gallery.

“Photography in B&W”

Cerro Shadows, Cerro NM – 6.5″ x 6.5″ framed, one of ten images in the show.

December 2, 2022–January 15, 2022

Opening Friday 5-7pm at Wright Contemporary Taos, I’ll be participating in a group show titled “Photography in B&W”

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

I look forward to seeing you there.

PHOTO TOUR/WORKSHOPS

I’m booking dates from now through the end of next year for private one to one photo tours and workshops. Join me here in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado and beyond. I look for to showing you around this corner of our beautiful planet.

photo_tour_clients_ — Photographers on location in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

GIFT CERTIFICATES

Gift certificates can be applied to photo tour/workshops, prints, and editing tuition.

BOOKS

I just received a new shipment of my book, Rio Grande del Norte: An Intimate Portrait. It makes a great gift for family and friends who love northern New Mexico.

As always, thanks for visiting and looking.

Geraint

Turkeys, Cranes, Raven and Magpie. 11-23-22

November 23, 2022 by Geraint

Wild Turkeys, Bosque del Apache, NWR, NM

Greetings from San Cristobal. Happy Thanksgiving. I’ll start with a repost of these turkeys wandering in the old sunflowers at the Bosque del Apache NWR a couple of years ago. Seems appropriate for this week.

From the Bosque del Apache (Woods of the Apache) to the Monte Vista NWR in Colorado and an image from my book, Rio Grande del Norte: An Intimate Portrait.

Sandhill Cranes, Monte Vista NWR, Colorado.

Back in the Bosque del Apache for the evening ‘fly in’. It is a great opportunity to capture silhouettes against the warm light of the setting sunset.

Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache, evening fly in! — Evening fly in, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico.

At home in San Cristobal is the old cottonwood tree where the ravens and magpies congregate. On this evening there is only one of each. Often times there’s a milieu and fights over branches. I like to think these two get along or perhaps the space between them is the adjudicator.

Raven, Magpie, San Cristobal — Raven and Magpie in the old cottonwood, San Cristobal, NM.

As always thanks for looking. Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your turkeys. G

Monument Valley, Taos, and San Luis Valleys. 11-16-2022

November 16, 2022November 16, 2022 by Geraint

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Utah

Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond to Mounument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

This week I was digging in the archive, searching for stock images and a selection for a local photography exhibition. I got distracted and went down the rabbit hole.
An image of the shadow event in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park last spring drew me deeper down the hole. Revisiting a photo, I tend to reminisce and then often edit it to represent more of what I felt than what I initially saw.

Click on an image to enlarge.

Monument Valley and southeast Utah are one of my all-time favorite areas. I’ve been there many, many times since my first trip in 1985. It did me a world of good to revisit there, although virtually this week.

Secondly, a picture of Taos Mountain from a few years ago, bathed in the last light before the sun set. I wanted to edit it again, bringing out the details in the little creek in the foreground.

A few days ago, Pami and I made a short drive to a favorite spot in the San Luis Valley, you know which one. First, we enjoyed the scene of hay trucks hauling half-ton bales down the narrow roads to one of the many pole barns scattered throughout the valley. A lot of the fields, and some equipment, were put to bed for winter. The pivot irrigator languished on its side wheels up, either for repair or ready to be dismantled and stored. It reminded me of a turtle on its back with legs in the air.

Roadside tree with hay bales, San Luis, Valley CO.

The tree above is home to nesting raptors. I’ve often photographed them in this tree in this area. Of course, no trip to the valley would be complete without a visit to the old homestead.

Old homestead, San Luis Valley, Colorado — Old homestead in snow, San Luis Valley, Colorado

As always, thank you for looking. G

Lunar Eclipse, Taos Mountains, Snow. 11-09-22

November 9, 2022 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. This week I got up to watch the lunar eclipse. I hadn’t intended to photograph it. I’ve shot it so many times before. When I looked out the window I couldn’t resist. The sky was crystal clear, and the stars were genuinely twinkling. The “cold-hearted orb” wasn’t. It warmed up the night sky and I felt it. I got the camera set up in the front doorway, out of the cold and wind, and began shooting. The most significant impact it had on Pami and me was how three-dimensional it appeared suspended amongst the stars. It was another wonderful, lunar eclipse-watching night. I can honestly say that I will continue to get up to watch future eclipses from now on.

Click on images to enlarge and view individually.

The day before the eclipse our moon rose unblemished in clear skies, visible out the dining room window, although I did go outside for this shot.

New snow in our mountains last week.

Significant snowfall on Taos Mountains — Snowfall on Pueblo Peak, Taos Mountain in El Prado, Taos, NM

Snowfall on Pueblo Peak, Taos Mountain in El Prado — Snowfall on Pueblo Peak, Taos Mountain shot on iPhone 13 Pro Max

I had originally considered driving south to the Taos tipis for a shot. I thought of a composite instead. This is what I came up with. Here’s the image with the tipis and lunar eclipse from April 2015

As always, thank you for looking. G

Rio Chama, Abiquiu, Two Tipis, 11-02-22

November 2, 2022 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. The colors last week on the Rio Chama and Abiquiu were stunning. This is a short post this week with an image of the fall colors in Abiquiu and a flashback of two tipis this week in the San Cristobal Valley in 2012.

Thank you to all who came out to see my exhibit, it has been an exciting and successful show. A very big thank you to those who purchased a work of art! Thank you!

Stay tuned for more info on my next group show in Taos.

Have a wonderful rest of your fall.

As always, thank you for looking. G

Ghost Ranch, Rio Chama, Snow. 10-26-22

October 26, 2022October 26, 2022 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM, and beyond. We went to Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch, and the Rio Chama this week. We had the most changeable weather I’ve ever experienced in one eight-hour day.

If you’ve watched the movie “Silverado“ you’ll recognize this location in one of the earlier scenes. The four main characters come galloping across this landscape with a backdrop of spectacular lighting. If you haven’t seen the movie join me on a photo tour/workshop and I’ll take you out this way. On this day we were on an outing with friends Ron and Monica. It snowed, rained, and hailed with intermittent blue skies and sunshine, making for some dramatic images.

Returning home from Ghost Ranch we pulled over for a second time during the day. We watched it snow over the hills and Rio Chama as it winds and decides its way through to Abiquiu. The colors were astounding and the moisture made the air come alive.

Rio Chama Overlook — The Rio Chama overlook with colorful cottonwoods.

My solo exhibition at Bareiss Gallery here in Taos continues through October 31, 2022. The gallery will be open 9 – 2 pm on weekdays. I’ll be there on Saturday, October 29, or by appointment. Come and visit. It will be great to meet you. If you purchased a piece of work in the show, thank you so much and please come by on Sunday, October 30, or Monday, October 31 to pick it up your new acquisition.

Bareiss Gallery is located at:
15 State Rd 150 Taos, NM
575-776-2284

As always thank you for looking. G

Cottonwoods, Arroyo Hondo, Taos Valley 10-19-22

October 19, 2022October 19, 2022 by Geraint

Greetings from the beautiful San Cristobal Valley, Arroyo Hondo and Taos. The valleys are currently adorned with the colors of cottonwoods, and multiple hues of reds and golds.

Last weekend, we had rain that made the colors pop against the dark rain-laden clouds over Pueblo Peak, (Taos Mountain).

Last weekend, we had lots of rain that made the colors pop against the dark, rain-laden clouds over Pueblo Peak (Taos Mountain). This first image is from El Prado (the meadows), one of my favorite views of Pueblo Peak with a dramatic sky overhead. The cottonwoods here are more silver of bare branches interspersed with swatches of yellow and gold.

After a trip to the grocery store, this was the scene that caused me to pull over. The sky and the shadows moving swiftly across the meadows brought the place to life following a day of grey, overcast skies.

The second image is of my favorite cottonwood in Arroyo Hondo. I was on a photo tour with Bob and Anne. We captured this view as the sun broke from behind a cloud. Within a few minutes, it was shrouded in shadow again. It made a fitting end to a great day with my guests.

Arroyo Hondo Cottonwood — Arroyo Hondo cottonwood is spotlighted by evening sunlight.

It’s fall and temperatures are dropping as New Mexico takes a magic carpet ride into the throes of winter. The aspens and cottonwoods shroud the landscape in a cape of gold, glowing against the blue skies in the pristine light. At this time of year, the night skies are crystal clear. The moon, constellations, galaxies, and milky way light up the night sky like few other places on earth. Join me on a photo tour or private workshop of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

Continuing Exhibit.

“Those who came before” at Bareiss Gallery Taos – 40″x38″ Sold

My solo exhibition at Bareiss Gallery here in Taos continues through October 31, 2022. The gallery will be open 9 – 2 pm on weekdays. I’ll be there on Saturday, October 22, and Saturday, October 29, or by appointment. Come and visit. It will be great to meet you. G

Bareiss Gallery is located at:
15 State Rd 150 Taos, NM
575-776-2284

As always thank you for looking. G

Autumn in New Mexico, Eloquence of Silence. 10-12-22

October 12, 2022 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. Autumn colors and clouds reflecting in Hopewell Lake and two images from my solo exhibit at Bareiss Gallery. My show is up until October 31, 2022. So far, visitors, sales, and many new collectors have made the show very successful. Thank you to all who came out, I am honored and grateful.

Click on an image to enlarge it.

The cottonwoods were peaking when we took a short walk along the lake shore.
I’m on a photo tour/workshop this week and we’ve seen some color changes on a grand scale. Hopewell Lake on Highway 64 is a go-to location, and if I go nowhere else in the fall I’ll be happy.

Cottonwood colors northern NM — Cottonwood colors Hopewell Lake, northern NM

Two images from my show titled “The Eloquence of Silence, #1 and #2” I would welcome the opportunity to share my exhibit and new work with you. I’ll be in the gallery Saturday from 11 am -5 pm. I look forward to meeting you.

Photograph Eloquence of Silence #2 — Eloquence of Silence #2

Silence has an eloquence surpassing that of speech; creating a space in which the heart’s thoughts can resound, and deeply-felt emotion can echo with a voice profound in another’s heart, that listens in the silence. (Howard Owen Smith – My Dad).

These two images work very well together as a pair.

My solo exhibition at Bareiss Gallery here in Taos continues through October 31, 2022. The gallery will be open 9 – 2 pm on weekdays. I’ll be there on Saturdays and by appointment. Come and visit. It will be great to meet you. G

Bareiss Gallery is located at:
15 State Rd 150 Taos, NM
575-776-2284

As always thank you for looking. G

“Have a Seat” Bareiss Gallery, Taos.

October 5, 2022 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, New Mexico.

Friday is the day for the opening of my solo exhibit, “Have a Seat”. You’ll see what it’s all about if you are able to attend the opening or visit the exhibition during the month of October in Taos.

Below is one of the prints in the show. My photography is combined with my sculpture to create a show where the chair is the conversation.

Artist Statement

“Have A Seat” – Bareiss Gallery

What you see before you is the confluence of my life experiences where I have explored relationships, the search, and the desire for connection. Photography, carpentry, design, writing, and sculpting have led me to this place. This work is the exuberant expression of a eureka moment, and there have been many such moments with their outward manifestation of inner joy, conflict, passion, and peace.

Life is a conversation. Chairs often facilitate that conversation. A chair is where people sit, gather around a table to discuss and resolve conflicts, share a meal, and debate views and values. We sit in chairs to be entertained. We stand on chairs to reach things when a ladder would be much safer. A chair represents a place to rest and experience a relaxing moment; to read a book, enjoy the view, catch one’s breath, or just do nothing and stare. A chair is where old friends reminisce, discuss life, and hold conversations.

In these new pieces, the chairs become the conversation. The chair is a constant, emotion-evoking icon.

Geraint Smith
San Cristobal, NM

October 7, 2022

Geraint Smith Exhibit at the Bareiss Galley Taos

If you are fortunate enough to be in Taos during October, join me at the Bareiss Gallery. Details above. I look forward to seeing you.

As always thank you for looking. G