Visiting and Painting Bandelier Monument in NM

Landscape View from the Long House at Bandelier

Frijoles Canyon at Bandelier, Landscape Painting by Cindy Morawski

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now I know how religious pilgrims must have felt when they arrived at their holy shrine. The awe. The reverence. The goosebumps. I too experienced many emotions and thoughts when I arrived at the Bandelier Monument in New Mexico. I tried to imagine the Ancient Pueblo People who once inhabited those cliffs. Looking out at the valley from above, gave me a sense of some of that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The late spring day in 2009 when I arrived at Bandelier Monument Park in New Mexico, any given weather report could have covered what was in store for me. It started out gray and overcast, then it turned to sleet and hail. Before it was all over, there was a little rain, a little sunshine, and a bit of snow too. Waiting beside the fireplace at the Visitor's Center wasn't unpleasant, but I was chomping at the bit to get out there and hike the Nature Trail and to take in all the glory of the Long House and the Talus House from the site of the monument. Thinking about the lifestyle of the Ancient Pueblo and the beauty of the surrounding canyons, valleys, and mountains gave me a pause for reflection and a prayer of gratitude.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After killing time at the Visitor's Center, I finally had a chance to break free when the clouds parted and the bad weather left. I meandered down the trail, camera in hand, taking in one scene after the other. Getting to climb up into the old cliff apartments by ladder, made the wait worthwhile. Gazing out over the valley, I knew that eventually I needed to paint one of these landscapes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My landscape entitled Frijoles Canyon at Bandelier measures 14 x 18 with double mats and a Lexington wooden gallery style frame. My New Mexico scene was painted on Colourfix Art Spectrum sanded acid free paper with pastels. It is currently available for viewing and for purchase in my home gallery and Mockingbird Studio.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope to see you next at the Zion Lutheran Church's Spring Arts & Crafts Fair on Saturday, March 6th from 10 to 4. The fair is located by the church on 1604 and Braun Road. I'll be in my tent outside of the recreation hall in the parking lot.

Happy Trails!

~~Cindy