Category: new mexico landscape

HORSES ON THE MESA

Posted on by Bohlender Art in art, horses, new mexico landscape, oil paiinting, western art

Sometimes we take drives to beautiful places.. We don’t go often, and generally when we do, it’s for peace and beauty, not seeking much company.

However, one day these very friendly horses were on the roadside, not at all frightened by people, they were the nice kind of company to have.

So we stopped to see them. One even came to say hello, putting his face into the truck window. I thought he’s accustomed to getting goodies from his owners, and they most likely deliver the hay from a pick up truck.

I know better than to feed other peoples livestock or to go onto their ranch land, but on the road, I could take photos. I decided to paint from them, and just finished this painting.

“Horses on the Mesa” – 28″x 22″ – Oil – ©2022

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Another helpful tip: if you want to take a ride in the country, if there is a closed gate, make sure you close it again after driving through.

I really appreciate the care ranchers give to the land and animals.

The Little Things

Posted on by Bohlender Art in ants, art, fine art, miracles, new mexico landscape, watercolor painting

Some say that it’s the little things that count. I believe some big things do also, but those little things are quite vital.

At the time, I was walking in the morning, loving the quiet, the solitude, the abstract patterns of nature, when this little fellow crossed my path. One really cannot miss the brightness of the velvet ant or the velvet mites in a place where most things’ colors at the beginning of rainy season are so subtle. And, I pay close attention and look down often because of things like rattle snakes and rocky ground.

It’s fun to catch the smaller miracles.

“Velvet Ant” – 8″ x 7-1/2″ – Watercolor ©2021

Painting in watercolor begins as pastel color, and builds into the stronger color and form. This time I had a little fun flicking a toothbrush to get texture into the rocky ground.

Thinking of miracles, it is a good thing to acknowledge them. We do have an amazing God Who gives Life and Breath to all things, in Love.

The Gila River

Posted on by Bohlender Art in art, fine art, gila river, landscape, new mexico landscape, Oil painting, western art

The Gila is a meandering river in it’s natural course, as beautiful as a river can be. It is one of the last free flowing rivers in the western U.S., originating in the Mogollon Mountains of the Gila Wilderness. It is over 600 miles long, a tributary of the Colorado River, flowing through New Mexico and Arizona.

This view of the Gila River is off the Turkey Creek Road, outside the town of Gila, and is my eighth painting of the river.

“The Gila River in the Fall” – 30″x 15″ – Oil – ©2020 Bohlender

I began painting this last fall, then abandoning it at middle stages. Recently, it appealed to me again and I worked it, enjoying the distance, the direction of the river.