"A Bend in the Chama River, NM " by artist Brenda Hofreiter

This painting was created along the banks of the Rio Chama River near Abiquiu, New Mexico off Highway 84. I was perched off an overlook on a dangerous curve in the road. It was worth the risk to life and limb because it showed a spectacular birds eye view of the curving Rio Chama River as it meandered through the canyons and cliffs near Abiquiu. Many people stopped to see us painting and to take photos
of the beautiful views.

This was painted in the morning, and you can see the still-long early shadows made by the canyon walls and from the foliage along the river. It is August, which is the rainy season in the SW. The Chama river is swollen by the recent rains, and is running swiftly though the turns. You can see the white heads created by the rocks underneath the shallow water. Rafting on the Rio Chama is a popular sport and many companies give rafting river tours. There were several groups of rafters as I painted.

Across the river you can see an old clay road cut into the banks winding down to the river. One of the access spots to the road was down river from this spot, but I never got the chance to explore all the wonderful river access roads. Next time!! Art is long and time is always short when you are traveling.