New Mexico

The variety of landscape, the changes in the view along a road, these bring me great pleasure. Terrain different to my home area fascinates me. So the drive north from Santa Fe was very welcome. The mountains weren't the tallest, however the colours were splendid. After all, this is the area the Georgia O'Keefe sought out for her home and studio. 

I love the mixture of desert and greenery here at Abique. The river twists through the rock, meandering here, creating a gorge there. The warmth was so pleasant, the plants suited to arid land intriguing. How nice it would be to head off downhill, stopping beneath a shady cottonwood tree by the gently lapping brown flow. 

This would be a journey of many pauses, gazing at views and taking photographs. There was so much to see. The enormity of northern New Mexico proved hard to capture, and my images barely convey the wealth of hue and texture. Nor can I really grasp in photos the joyful juxtaposition of these masses of colour beneath a bright sky. Suffice it to say that this landscape is sublime. It's amazing and entrancing even as it is harsh and inhospitable. Here's the view looking across Ghost Ranch. 

I enjoyed the sheer curiosity enabled by this exploration. The rock and space invigorated my senses. I wished that I had a week here to explore and record. Whilst travelling I realised that my style is to record and interpret, and not to create abstraction. I'm more draughtsman than artist. But still there's plenty to photograph and discover a little meaning within. A couple of hundred miles took all morning and half the afternoon, until the hills cast me out hungry and happy at Chama. 

Then there's the metaphor of the trackway through wilderness.  I had a choice of images, one track winding uphill towards the hills, another heading into the valley. Uncharacteristically I chose the latter: usually I head for high ground, for the view and the solitude. But this time unconsciously I selected the way most likely to lead towards water. The river is down there, and a couple of dwellings. There might be companionship too, after a long dry ride. So there's practicality deep within, and a sociable soul. 

Comments

[Keechy]

Have you read The Woodwife" by Terri Windling? Great book! I've been fascinated with New Mexico since I read it the first time. I suspect you might enjoy it too.

[White Horse Pilgrim]

I hadn't come across this book or author, thank you for the tip. I can see how a creative person could find their muse in northern New Mexico. It's a remarkable area, and I didn't spend nearly enough time there.