Noah Desmond’s latest body of work captures the feeling of Santa Fe, New Mexico, but doesn’t weigh itself down with literal depictions. The artist is inspired by the northern New Mexico city’s beautiful landscape, “where the land meets the sky, where the land meets the mountains,” but his paintings are never premeditated. 
Winter Hues, oil on canvas, 48 x 48"
“I work a lot with layers, and I’m always trying to find fresh combinations of color, relationships, stuff that surprises me, new revelations,” says Desmond, “so I don’t stay stuck or bored or do the same painting over and over. I think it’s sort of unconscious painting in a way...I don’t go out looking for a scene, but I’m going out and soaking in beauty.”
The Valley Down Below, oil on canvas, 48 x 48"
A current Santa Fe resident, Desmond has lived in the City Different on and off for years. “I really love being out West...You have to live in a place awhile and let things soak in,” he says.
This new series of landscapes, which takes on abstract tones and comes off more as a feeling than a concrete scene, are on view at Canyon Road Contemporary Art from January 7 through 12. “Desmond’s expressions of the northern New Mexican landscape embody the many moods and hues unique to the region,” says gallery owner Nancy Ouimet. “His palettes explore the ever-changing high desert landscape in endless variation. Like listening to a Vivaldi symphony, moods of the season are played out with multiple layers that wash over each other and dance! Passion journeys emotively from elation to contemplation like chords in a progressive musical drama.”
After the Harvest, oil on canvas, 48 x 48"
Many of the paintings in the exhibition, like Winter Hues, embody a cooler time of year. “There’s something very poetic about a winter scene. You’re not painting white, you’re painting blues and purples, and it’s sort of a challenge so it’s fun,” says Desmond. “I think the key is to keep your momentum going.”
Canyon Road Contemporary Art
622 Canyon Road • Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 983-0433 • www.canyoncontemporary.com
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