Fine Art Images from the American Southwest

Snow, Sunflower Sunset, San Cristobal

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Snow, Sunflower Sunset, San Cristobal, New Mexico. The snow was still falling, the sun bust out through a momentary gap in the clouds. The light in the valley turned into these beautiful peach tones. And like I said a couple of days ago “the San Cristobal Valley melted under a glowing sunset, through the falling snow.” This was it. Thanks for looking. G

Snow, Sunflower Sunset

Rocks, San Luis Valley Lake, Colorado

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Rocks, San Luis Valley Lake, Colorado. This is the view looking over my shoulder, in the other direction, north from yesterdays image. Standing here in the middle of winter’s solitude I cant help but remember that in the mist back there is the Blanca Peak range of 14,000 foot mountains of the southern Rockies. Check out this image from October, 2017. Thanks for looking. G

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San Luis Valley, Winter Lake

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San Luis Valley winter lake, Colorado. When the weather gets bad and blizzards are imminent, it’s time to get into the truck and head out. When we woke this morning and saw the snow and the forecast for the rest of the day, we wasted no time in loading up the gear and heading out … north. We ran into numerous blizzard conditions and loved every minute of the day. That white spot on the top left is the sun almost breaking through the clouds… and then it was gone. When we got home, and with a glass of whiskey in hand, the San Cristobal Valley melted under a glowing sunset, through the falling snow. Thanks for looking. G

San Luis Valley Lake

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Sign, Gun Shot To Bits, Colorado

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Sign, gun shot to bits, Colorado. Just north of the border at the Lobatos bridge, on the Rio Grande, target practice at this location on these particular marker sings seem to be the norm. Perhaps this part of Colorado could be annexed as it’s generally a scene more reminiscent of New Mexico. Here’s an image “Shot full of holes”  from a 2013.  Thanks for looking. G

Sign Shot To Bits, Colorado

Winter Notes On A Fence

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Winter notes on a fence. I’m walking along, looking at nature all around me. It’s the first snow of winter; the forecast says there is more on the way this weekend. It’s not surprising to me that I’m preoccupied with the beauty of it all. As the land rises alongside the trail, the fence line comes into view, the imposition of us humans on the natural environment. It is charming and beautiful in its own way. It reminds me that I am standing between the natural and man made elements; the two are undeniably inseparable, it comes from the same place and thrills me, and as Carl Sagan said, “we are all star stuff!” Thanks for looking. G

Winter Notes On A Fence

Bald Eagles, Sentinels Of The Rio Grande Gorge

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Bald Eagles. Sentinels of the Orilla Verde in the Rio Grande Gorge. Omnipresent at this time of year. I chose this image, and there are many others, mostly because of their unified focused attention. The light levels were low, as the sun was still rising over gorge rim and the canyon was predominantly in shadows. It evoked in me a sense, that nothing goes unnoticed here in the Orilla Verde, along the Rio Grande in Pilar, NM. I had a short lens on the camera this day, so this was the image I got. Sometimes I will place no more importance on the shot (lens, aperture, shutter speed, exposure, sharpness), than the feeling I get from a scene, like this, and how much it propels forward in the realm of life’s discovery. When I come across a scene like this, there is no holding me back and I am propelled far beyond my expectations! I often get asked “what camera do you use?” … “how do I capture what I see?” …  “is the light right?” Sometimes you just have to go with the feeling. If I don’t feel it I don’t hit the shutter button. I like to experience my feelings, that, and authenticity is where I reside as much as possible. The photograph is an appreciation of my experience. Thanks for looking. G

Bald Eagles, Sentinels Of The Rio Grande Gorge

White Trees, Willows, A Riparian Habitat

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White tree and willows, a riparian habitat in the Bosque del Apache, Socorro, NM. Riparian, I like that word. It inspires me and as such I like to look for these places around waters edge that hold a little mystery. I half expect that what ever inhabits these zones will pop out and surprise me. Sometimes they do, a duck, or heron, once a muskrat. Thanks for looking. G

White Tree And Willows, A Riparian Habitat

Church Of “Sagrado Corazón De Jesus” Rio Lucio

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The Church of “Sagrado Corazón De Jesus” Rio Lucio on the High Road to Taos. A chapel, a trailer home, a couple of classic cars, and an extra cross for good measure. When driving the High Road to Taos from Santa Fe, scenes like this abound in the villages and hamlets in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico. Many of these places are slowly becoming gentrified, torn down or replaced. I spend a lot of time on the road, these days, making images of the more authentic architecture and places in northern New Mexico. Looking back in the archives many of the images I’m coming across depict places already gone. This little church still stands, in it’s simplicity, a reminder of trips I’ve made many times during the last thirty five years. Looking forward to many more. Thanks for looking. G

Church of “Sagrado Corazón De Jesus” Rio Lucio