As I rounded the mountain coming into the Taos Valley the sky above was clear clean and blue with frothy white moving clouds. To the left cutting deeply into the vast plateau was the deep dark Rio Grande Gorge. “oough” As I looked to the right there were the beautiful Sangre de Christo Mountains. “ahhhh” This was my “oough-ahhh” moment. The magic of the sharp colors and the drama of vast spaces had stirred me deeply. I had succumbed to the lure of Taos.
The colorful images moved me to paint and delight in the idealized landscape and architecture of Northern New Mexico. This is my depiction of my “Journey to New Mexico”.
—Mary Ellen Matthews