The Way to Santa Fe

MARTHA MARKS COMMENTS ON BERNARD MARKS’ “THE WAY TO SANTA FE,” WITH THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAIN LOOMING IN THE BACKGROUND

If you’ve ever driven north from Albuquerque on I-25, you’ve seen this view.

There’s one point where you come up the famous La Bajada (“The Descent”) and crest the ridge at the top. Suddenly, the four-hundred-year-old city of Santa Fe lies below you while the Sangre de Cristo (“Blood of Christ”) Mountains rise before you. And if you happen to reach this point at sunset, you see exactly why the original Spanish settlers gave the mountains that name.

Bernie took a bit of liberty with the perspective. He painted the piece from a pullover rest area on the right side of the highway, at the top of the steep ascent. Otherwise, he’d have been in the middle of the highway.

So this painting seems more of a bird’s-eye view of the way to Santa Fe than a driver’s-eye view. Still, it’s comfortably familiar to anybody who has traveled this scenic route.

It also conveys the sweetness we felt toward the Santa Fe landscape during the 2002-2004 time period. Those were our first two years as local residents. We were both wildly in love with the Santa Fe area. Bernie’s passion for this classic northern New Mexico landscape shines through in his simple, spare watercolor.


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

  • Size: 11″ x 14.5″
  • 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, off-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.