Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde

BERNARD MARKS WROTE ABOUT HIS VIBRANT “CLIFF PALACE AT MESA VERDE” WATERCOLOR PAINTING:

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest archaeological preserve in the United States. Native Americans (sometimes called the Ancestral Pueblo People or Anasazi) made this their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to 1300.

Today, Mesa Verde National Park protects nearly 5,000 known pre-Columbian archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings and cave dwellings. The one known as Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde is, without a doubt, the most spectacular… and therefore the most famous.

I made this complex watercolor painting using my plein air field studies right there at the Cliff Palace and Martha’s detailed photos of this enchanted, and enchanting, place.

MARTHA MARKS ADDS: I recall our first visit to Mesa Verde as the first time I’d ever heard Canyon Wrens, whose ethereal cascading whistles echoed throughout the park’s canyons and ancient structures. It was a perfect, haunting touch.

And I’ll also note that this big “Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde” print is every bit as gorgeous as Bernie’s original painting.


Excellent custom-made giclée prints on thick matte archival paper are available.

  • Size : 11″ x 15″
  • Price: $155, includes all applicable taxes
  • $25 will be added for packing and shipping within the USA.
  • Contact Martha Marks first if you’d like to add a standard-size (16″ x 20″), custom-cut white mat to finish off your print and make it easy to frame.
  • Click here to order this print.

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This painting and all reproductions of it are © Bernard Marks Fine Art LLC. No unauthorized use is permitted. All rights reserved.