I recently took a road trip with a friend to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico in search of fine art, good wine and authentic New Mexican food. We parked our car at the North end of Broadway Avenue near the entrance to Ralph Edwards ranch and began our afternoon with a tour of the Rio Bravo Fine Art gallery. This large two-story gallery houses the work of many fine artists including Harold Joe Waldrum, Delmas Howe, Nolan Winkler, R. Wm. Winkler, Dave Barnett, Eduardo Alicea and William Bertum.
After viewing H. Joe Waldrum's collection of Polaroid SX-70 monoprints at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History earlier in the year, I was curious to view his sketches and paintings of the Spanish churches in northern New Mexico. On the second floor of the gallery, I found a selection of Waldrum's artwork beautifully lit and displayed. For Waldrum, the churches represented the physical and spiritual reality of the people of New Mexico. In 1982, Waldrum wrote: "The people of this area have focused their collective thought on their churches. As an artist, it is my job to distill that focus until it communicates."
We continued our stroll down Broadway Avenue until we reached the Welty Art Gallery. My friend being a horse fan was drawn to Welty's many paintings of horses featured in the display windows. Much to our surprise, the artist herself greeted us as we entered her gallery. Here we discovered over 400 original paintings by Mary J. Welty, featuring many styles, media and sizes, from impressionism to realism. The depth of her artwork was mesmerizing, with a strong focus again on horses. At the rear of the gallery, we stumbled upon her collection of duck paintings. Welty is also a Federal Duck Stamp competitor and her art has traveled with the Top 25 Tour twice. Also, at the back of her gallery is Scoops Ice Cream Parlor where visitors can sit back and take in each of Welty's competitive entries while enjoying an ice cream cone.
Rio Bravo Fine Art Gallery, 110 North Broadway Avenue, T or C, NM 87901
(575) 894-0572, http://www.riobravofineart.net/
Welty Art Gallery, 424 Broadway Avenue, T or C, NM 87901
(575) 894-0095, www.flickr.com/photos/weltyart
