As a native New Mexican, I am drawn to the magnificent works of home. I love the beauty of the southwest, NM in particular as a unique beauty. The following art pieces remind me of home. I have been to some of the places and seen scenes similar to many of these. New Mexico still carries a strong Mexican influence and displays many of the old traditions. Please enjoy this magnificent gallery of New Mexico Art.
Kathleen Squires
Kathleen Squires is a recognized Southwest artist. Her paintings have been shown in gallery shows and juried exhibits in El Paso and Marfa TX, Tubac AZ, as well as Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Ruidoso and Las Cruces NM. Kathleen paints a wide range of subjects, though primarily focused on the American Southwest.
Kathleen was born in Wisconsin, to native Texans, school in Montana, and has lived in the Southwest since 1963. She turned to art after a career in advertising and public relations. Her success as an artist is demonstrated by the numerous exhibits in which her art is displayed. Kathleen currently has her studio in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The following works were created in the late 2000s.
When I lived in Las Cruces, I would go down to Mesilla to walk around the plaza and old neighborhoods. Many of these images are from that area. The old adobe buildings had a certain comforting nature to them. There were festivals, art shows, music, and dancing going on the majority of the time. Mesilla was a cultural center of the area. New Mexico is beautiful, from the architecture to the folklorico dancers, it is rich in Mexican and Native American influences. What a magnificent area to showcase!
Morning Shadows in Mesilla, oil on canvas
Santuario de Chimayo, oil on linen canvas, 2009
Summer Storm, oil on canvas, 2009
Ah!, a New Mexico rain storm. A rare, but beautiful thing.
(Hedge) Hog Heaven, oil on canvas
Prickly pear cacti were found throughout New Mexico. We had them growing around our property. Many of the locals would use the cactus to make jellies and candies. My great-grandmother used to make prickly pear jelly for us when we were little. What a strangely, comforting plant.
Fiesta!, oil on canvas
Folklorico dancing is something that everyone should see at some point in their lives. The dancers bring stories to life through their precise, enchanting moves. The dances are passed down through the generations to keep history alive.
San Miguel Courtyard, oil on linen canvas
Ventana de San Miguel, oil on linen canvas
Dinner in Lucca, oil on linen canvas, 2009
Robert Highsmith
Robert Highsmith is another magnificent New Mexico artist. Highsmith received his art training from New Mexico State University and Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, FL. Robert has received over a hundred awards for his watercolors and other paintings. He has been featured in American Artist Magazine, Watercolor Magic, Watercolor Artist, and Southwest Art. The desert landscapes and southwest canyons are Highsmith’s favorite subjects. Robert moved back to New Mexico in 2003 with his family, when he started he art career. I was unable to find exact dates for when these paintings were created but I know they were after 2003.
These watercolors show such detail and bring back memories from my childhood and early adulthood. I grew up near the Organ mountains, along the Rio Grande. Highsmith captures every beauty and detail of the landscape. These are wonderful representations of the beautiful, “Land of Enchantment.” I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
The Organ Mountains were the main landmark in Las Cruces. These bald peaks stood strong and proud. They spanned the entire east side of the city of Las Cruces. There were magnificent hiking trails throughout these rocky mountains.
Another wonderful sight after a good rain was the water running down the arroyos. The normal dry arroyos beds would fill with a new life, bringing the much-needed water to the vegetation at lower elevations. Arroyos are found throughout the state.
This Painting is of a bend in the Rio Grande, about two miles from my childhood home. We would go fishing just around the bend at the state park. During my teen years we would ride our quads down the sandy beaches of this beautiful river.
The road going to my grandparents house. There are many wonderful natural beauties on this road. There was always a surprise waiting for the travelers going through this beautiful countryside.
I hope you enjoyed this display of Southern New Mexico. The “Land of Enchantment” is truly an enchanting place.
I liked the two artists and the topic you featured in this blog, I liked them because I am a big fan of landscape pieces. The amount of detail Robert Highsmith was able to put into his pieces with water colors was amazing and there was an interesting quality about the amount of detail in Kathleen Squires pieces. Looking through all of the parts for the evaluating it seems like all of the information needed was there and all of the pieces where created after 1975. There was also a good amount of information about the two individual artists, which gave me a good idea about their different backgrounds, and get a good idea what each artist is famous for.
Did either of these artists do anything other than landscape pieces?
Yes, Michael, I do. Check out my website at KathleenSquiresArt.com and you’ll see figures, florals, architecture and landscapes. Thanks for your comments and interest in my work.
Kathleen
Wow, Kathleen, thank you so much for commenting. I love your work and it was such a pleasure to get to share it with more people. I love wonderful scenes depicting New Mexico. I am especially fond of Fiesta!, I love the way you captured the romance of the folklorico dancers. Again thank you.
I really enjoyed your virtual exhibit. I have been to New Mexico and Arizona a few times and can recall beautiful landscapes and scenery as you have chosen for display. I would have loved to have read your reactions to each piece as was part of the essay, but I got a feel for your overall reaction from the exhibit as a whole. I do miss cactus jelly that my late grandmother in law used to make from there. It’s great to see that Kathleen visited your site as well! Thanks for sharing!