Art by Robert Yackel

San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas

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In a style similar to his latest paintings of El Santuario de Chimayo Bob just completed a rendition of the charming adobe church in Las Trampas. The watercolor and ink work measures 8×10” and will be matted to fit an 11×14” frame.

The Spanish colonial village of Las Trampas, which dates to 1751,   is located in a high valley of New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains along the High Road to Taos (NM76 between Santa Fe and Taos). San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas was completed in 1760 and still serves as an active parish church. Distinctive features include the wooden belfries and the second-story exterior balcony. Considered one of the best preserved examples of Spanish Colonial Mission architecture in New Mexico the church was fully restored in the 1960s.

Taos Courtyard II

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Bob’s latest completion is a revisit to the colorful Taos Courtyard in front of the Kilborn Gallery and La Lana Wools in Taos, New Mexico.

Washington Gulch Log Home

Crested Butte, Colorado

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While visiting Crested Butte, Colorado this summer we stopped into the Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery. Bob admired an oil painting by Shirley Novak. Later in the day as we drove up the Washington Gulch Road  Bob recognized the cabin in Novak’s work. From the assortment of photographs he snapped Bob’s completed a watercolor of the log home.

Off the beaten tourist path, Crested Butte is surrounded  by mountain peaks and wilderness areas – including one named Oh-Be-Joyful. Well known as a winter ski resort “The Butte” is also a favorite summer recreation area, especially popular with mountain bikers. By mid-July mountain slopes and valleys are covered in wildflowers – cause for celebration with the weeklong Wildflower Festival.

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Bob recently completed his painting of Pemaquid Point Light  located along the rocky Maine coastline. The lighthouse stands near Bristol and New Harbor, Maine – a picturesque costal village (see “Lobster Wharf” on the Seaside page).

The classic lighthouse at Pemaquid Point is portrayed on the Maine state quarter. One of the first light stations along the Maine coast the fourth-order Frensnel lens is still an active aid to navigation in Muscongus Bay. The Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse open the tower for educational tours 7 days a week from Memorial Day through Columbus Day.

The Cape Cod-style keepers quarters and surrounding Lighthouse Park is managed by the town of Bristol. The Fishermen’s Museum fills the first floor with tidy and informative displays relating to the history of the local fishing industry. The second floor contains a vacation apartment available through a rental agency. Imagine a peaceful evening spent in a front porch rocking chair gazing out to sea as the light flashes every six seconds.

Taos Courtyard

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Bob chose new subject matter for his latest watercolor. The historic Bert Phillips house in Taos, today hosts shops and galleries including the Kilborn Gallery and La Lana Wools. The flower bedecked courtyard faces Paseo del Pueblo Norte just north of Bent Street in Taos, New Mexico.

Bert Phillips was one of the founders of the Taos Society of Artists in 1915. Phillips and fellow artist Ernest Blumenschein met while studying at the Julian Academy in Paris. J.H. Sharp passionately described the New Mexico pueblos, peoples and landscape. In 1898 Phillips and Blumenschein set out from Denver with a wagon filled with provisions and art supplies. Their planned  tour of the American Southwest hit a snag when a wagon wheel broke north of Taos. Philips stayed with the wagon while Blumenschein made his way to Taos to find a blacksmith. “Blumy” enthusiastically described the town and surrounding landscape upon his return. Their trip came to a halt as the two spent the summer painting in Taos. Inspired with creativity Philips decided to permanently move to Taos.

Taos and northern New Mexico continue to inspire artists. Bob even admits he reached new heights with Taos Courtyard.

Back to Chimayo

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With a number of detail changes Bob completed another vignette of Santuario de Chimayo. The painting emits an inviting serenity one would find missing during the busy summer season when visitors and pilgrims from around the world flock to the church of the “miracle healing dirt”.