Fine Art Images from the American Southwest

Category: Photo of the Day

Mercury, Spica, Venus, Crescent Moon, Arcturus

Mercury, Spica, Venus, Crescent Moon, Arcturus, Taos Mountain, and the Sangre de Cristo foothills. Mercury, last to rise, Spica at one o’clock, Venus next with her escort, the moon. Arcturus is out there in left field. It was a crisp cold clear morning that started on the deck at 4:30 am with a meteor fireball directly overhead that elicited a loud gasp from me. It came out of the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus, passed directly in front of Orion’s belt and beyond until it fizzled out in a smokey stream. Then, a 30-minute drive to the Rio Grande Gorge for this expansive view of the Taos Valley. I’m pulling out the hand warmers when I’m out there tomorrow morning. The crescent will be further east nearer to Mercury. Thanks for looking. G

Mercury, Spica, Venus, Crescent Moon, Arcturus

Mercury, Spica, Venus, Crescent Moon, Arcturus

San Jose De Gracia De Las Trampas, NM

San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas, on the High Road to Taos, NM. On a little safari today, we stopped at the mission church and set up to photograph the adobe building with the fast-moving clouds. We spent a few hours in the location waiting as the clouds built and disappeared before our eyes, only to billow up again and vanish once more. Eventually, they returned and became thick, heavy storm clouds and the cold drove us back to Dixon on the Rio Embudo for coffee and snacks. Thanks for looking. G

San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas, NM

Early Winter Greets Fall, Taos, New Mexico

Early winter greets fall on the picturesque Upper Ranchitos Road in Taos, New Mexico. This was how it looked a couple of weeks ago. The trees are now bare and settled into their winter nakedness. Our journey through the season continues. Thanks for looking. G

Early Winter Greets Fall, Taos, New Mexico

Magpie, Morning, Cottonwood Tree, San Cristobal

Magpie, morning in the old cottonwood tree, San Cristobal. We pretty much have the same view each morning as the birds who warm up and come to life. They have the sun and I have my tea. They can blast off in a hurry and me…? Just one more cup. Thanks for looking. G

Magpie, morning, cottonwood tree, San Cristobal

Lone Tree, Black Lake, New Mexico

Lone Tree, in Black Lake at the southern end of the Moreno Valley, New Mexico. In 1988 the Lonesome Dove miniseries/movie was filmed near here. The location substituted for Montana and the cabin they built near the lake can still be seen from the road. If you saw the movie you may have spotted this tree in one of the scenes where the cowboys were herding cattle. Thanks for looking. G

Lone Tree, Black Lake, New Mexico

Giant Cottonwood Leaf, Taos, Wetlands

Giant cottonwood leaf we picked up where the cottonwoods grow in the Taos, wetlands. My son pointed it out. It is as big as my head, about the span of a dinner plate. The viens are such an intricate and beautiful design magnified by the leafs size. To me, it resembles an aerial view of the landscape somewhere in the Southwest. Thanks for looking. G

Giant Cottonwood Leaf, Taos, Wetlands

Giant Cottonwood Leaf, Taos, Wetlands

Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache, National Wildlife Refuge

Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache, National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. When the sun sets on the Bosque del Apache marshes, these beautiful birds glow like jewels. It’s that time of year and they are returning to the National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, New Mexico. Thanks for looking. G

Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache, NWR

Mexican Hat Rock, Southeast Utah

Mexican Hat Rock, on the San Juan River in Southeast Utah. I was feeling a little chilled today so I armchair traveled through Utah. When I landed on this picture I remembered and felt the warmth of that day last year. Thanks for looking. G

Mexican Hat Rock, Southeast Utah

Evening Grosbeaks, In The Garden, San Cristobal

Evening Grosbeaks, in the garden, San Cristobal. The variety of birds were in abundance last week. We had Robins, Magpies, Juncos, and Chickadees. Townsend Solitaires, Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Crows, and a few straggler House Finches rounded out the thirsty bird species. When the ever vigilant Evening Grosbeaks showed up in their droves, the thirsty drinkers had to back off, all but the brave Robin back there. Thanks for looking. G

Evening Grosbeaks, In the Garden

Raindrops, San Jose De Gracia De Las Trampas, NM

Raindrops, San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas, NM. Through the looking glass, flashing back to a body of work I did in 2009. Spending more time this last week organizing my hard drives I came across this image I shot of the Las Trampas Mission Church on the High Road to Taos. An image of the St. Francis Mission Church made the exhibit in Taos back in 2010 but as I review my files this image grew on me. Thanks for looking. G

Raindrops, San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas, NM.