Rising in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado; fed by the springtime snowmelt, the Rio Grande del Norte spills into the San Luis Valley. Flowing southward, its current carves a deep gorge through eight hundred feet of volcanic sediment, before debouching just north of Ohkay Owingeh. After mingling its waters with Rio Chama, the great river snakes across a floodplain below Puye Cliffs and Tunyo, or the Black Mesa. Passing beneath Otowi Bridge, the Rio Grande presses on through White Rock Canon. Filling Cochiti reservoir, its waters refresh a thirsty land. From the outflow of Cochiti Dam, the river meanders below bluffs and mesas toward Kuaua, Albuquerque, and beyond.
Map of New Spain. 1807. Captain Zebulon Pike. US Army. Collection of University of Texas at Arlington. Reproduced under fair use, etc. (Locations visited by McElhinney in 2019 are found within the gray rectangle)
In 2019, topo-historical pictoriographer James Lancel McElhinney traced the river’s course from Wagon Wheel Gap to Bernalillo, filling his journals with paintings and stories, which have been published in Sketchbook Traveler: Southwest (Schiffer Publishing, 2022). In the spirit of 18th and 19th-century expeditionary engravings and lithographs, Needlewatcher Editions has unpacked a selection of McElhinney’s journal-paintings as limited editions of individual signed, dated and numbered archival pigment prints.
James Lancel McElhinney’s original Rio Grande journal was exhibited in Reimagining New Mexico at Gerald Peters Gallery. Santa Fe, New Mexico. June 24-August 3, 2019. McElhinney is represented by Gerald Peters Gallery. Ten of the images below were published as a fine press limited edition of 25. This portfolio contains twelve (16) images. Those marked with an asterisk are included in Grand River Sketchbook, available through this website, or from Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. Contact Maria Hajic: mhajic@gpgallery.com. Individual prints are also available from the publisher. Please direct enquiries to editions@needlewatcher.com
FOLLOW THE RIO GRANDE
FROM THE SAN JUANS TO THE SANDIAS
(15 locations. Scroll down)
GRS_1. Bachelor Mountain from below Wagon Wheel Gap. Price: $195. Purchase now
GRS_2. The Rio Grande Dividing Costilla and Conejos Counties. Price: $200.00. Purchase now
GRS_3. Rio Grande Gorge Bridge*. Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_4. Rio Grande Gorge, Looking South. Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_5. Rio Grande Gorge from The West Rim*. Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_6. Rio Grande Gorge, Looking North from NM Highway 68*. Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_7. Junction of the Rio Grande del Norte and Rio Pueblo de Taos*. Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_8. Below Pilar*. Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_9. Below Embudo Junction*.Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_10. Late Light. White Rock Canyon.Price*: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_11. White Rock Canyon. Looking Northeast. Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_12. White Rock Canyon. Match 7, 2019.Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_13. Sunset. White Rock Canyon*. Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_14. The Ortiz Mountains from Cochitit Reservoir*. Price: $195.00. Purchase now
GRS_15. The Sandia Mountains from Kuaua*. Price: $195.00. Purchase now
NB: Developers, Architects, Interior Designers, Real estate development & management firms: We can fill large orders for major projects. Enquire to: editions@needlewatcher.com
ALSO BY JAMES LANCEL McELHINNEY
NEW (September 2022): Sketchbook Traveler: Southwest is a field guide to mindful engagement that invites readers to explore their surroundings, in ways that make every step of their journeys an adventure. Volume 2 of the series explores locations from southern Colorado through northern New Mexico, Monument Valley, Joshua Tree and Coachella Valley. Learn more HERE
