Featured
The roads less traveled: 'Shared Visions' explores the abandoned places of New Mexico, Colorado through photography, watercolors
Published
Modified
Steven and Kathleen Jackson spend countless hours winding around the back roads of New Mexico and Colorado in search of striking vistas and abandoned buildings.
Open at Santa Fe鈥檚 New Concept Gallery, 鈥淪hared Visions鈥� pairs his photography with her watercolors, often capturing the same images through their very different mediums.
Both Santa Fe artists share a reverence for the beauty of crumbling walls and abandoned places.
The roads less traveled: 'Shared Visions' explores the abandoned places of New Mexico, Colorado through photography, watercolors
A retired banker, Steven started out capturing dramatic black and white images on film and refining them in the darkroom. In 2006, he turned to digital, leaving him more time to wander New Mexico鈥檚 byroads. He subtly tones his haunting photographs.
In 鈥淐olmar,鈥� he focused on a dilapidated home nearly tumbling to the ground. The building is on the border of Colfax and Mora counties.
鈥淵ou can see the remains of the village from (Interstate 25),鈥� he said. 鈥淚-25 basically split the town in half.鈥�
He enjoys seeing what happens to the structures as they deteriorate over time.
鈥淪ome were intact,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow they may be a crumble of stuff on the ground. It鈥檚 interesting to see how these things age. Once upon a time there were wealthy people in the houses.鈥�
鈥淭he Pecos, Ilfeld鈥� shows the placid river beneath a menacing sky.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a little community off I-25,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f there are clouds, they were there. I don鈥檛 mind using Photoshop to take out a beer can. Sometimes I鈥檒l lighten or darken the sky. We tend to go out when the weather isn鈥檛 great. It鈥檚 more interesting and the light isn鈥檛 as harsh.鈥�
Steven鈥檚 dramatic images contrast with Kathleen鈥檚 delicate watercolors.
鈥淚鈥檓 an architect, so I鈥檓 really into buildings,鈥� she said.
She prefers watercolor because of its transparency.
鈥淓specially with these houses, it鈥檚 interesting to see the different layers,鈥� she added.
The old barn in 鈥淓ast of La Veta鈥� reminds her of growing up on an Illinois farm. She discovered the barn near Trinidad, Colorado.
鈥淚t鈥檚 surrounded by rock dikes that radiate out from the mountains,鈥� she said.
Her painting 鈥淟as Lagunitas Rock House鈥� shows the bare trees and blocked walls of the old structure.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still a church there and a couple of buildings,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here was one with tar paper and railroad ties. You never know what you鈥檙e going to see.鈥�
Located near Maxwell, 鈥淩ain soaked鈥� shows another abandoned building while a darkly moving sky hovers above it.
鈥淎cross the road from that, there were exotic animals; there were camels in a field.
鈥淚鈥檓 thinking what can be done with this,鈥� Kathleen continued. 鈥淲ho was living here? They鈥檙e not cookie cutter. They鈥檙e simple, but they have all this character.鈥�
As an artist, Kathleen worked in pastels for years. She recently turned to watercolor, sketching with pen and ink, creating small portraits of the structures and landscape she and her husband find while exploring New Mexico鈥檚 back roads.
