Acrylic on Canvas | 24 x 48 | $2500
Inspired by the views near Marianne’s studio, this modern landscape shows a storm gathering over the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the most important mountain range in New Mexico, and contain most of the state’s high peaks. The range extends from Santa Fe in the south past Taos to the Colorado state line, and beyond into South Central Colorado. They rise nearly 8000 feet (2400 meters) above the Great Plains to the east and the Española Valley to the west, with a nearly uninterrupted ridge line that runs from the Colorado state line to near Santa Fe. This topographical barrier had important impacts on the settling of the Southwest by “Anglos” arriving from the eastern United States, as it forced pioneers southward and thus into contact — and sometimes conflict — with both American Indian communities along the Rio Grande and Spanish colonial settlements at Santa Fe, Albuquerque and other places. The mixing, and sometimes clash, of the three cultures continues to exert an influence on the region long after the settlers passed.
