As the United States of America celebrates its 250th anniversary, there is another celebration taking place this year: The 100th anniversary of the iconic Route 66. The iconic highway was constructed on November 11, 1926, as part of the country’s first highway system and stretches more than 2,400 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California. Route 66 became famous after World War II as families hit the open road, traveling to destinations that included the Grand Canyon and Disneyland and cementing the concept of the “Great American Road Trip.” It also caught the attention of a myriad of
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  Wild Plum Blossoms, Josh Elliott, oil, 13″ by 60″   What are your plans for June 5 and 6? If you’re lucky, you’ll be attending La Luz de Taos 2026, the Ninth Biennial Gala and Art Sale at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site in Taos, New Mexico. The site, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, includes the homes, studios, and gardens of Eanger Irving Couse and Joseph Henry Sharp, two men who had much in common. They were early 20th-century artists who were famous for their paintings of Native Americans, they were founding members of the Taos Society of Artists in
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    You can see Ariana Enriquez’s artwork while driving down a street or riding along a bike path in several cities, including Chandler, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe, Arizona. That doesn’t mean galleries don’t carry her work; they do, but she’s made a name for herself as a muralist, creating most of her works on outside structures. Enriquez completed her most recent project in March, when she painted four bike paths—each one 30-feet-by-five-feet—in Tempe. “They were next to an elementary school, and I painted them in two weeks while the students were on spring break,” she says. “Each path was inspired
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  How do artists create moods in their paintings—and why is that important? A doctor who has studied emotions for many years identified eight primary emotions, including joy, sadness, surprise, and anticipation. Artists create those moods in their paintings through their use of light and colors. Yellow, for example, conveys a positive, warm feel, while blues are calming and reds are exciting. Artists are well aware of the importance of connecting with viewers, not only by subject and style but by mood. And gallery owners and directors know—and support—those artists. One of them is Elaine Adams, director of American Legacy Fine
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  There always seems to be something exciting going on at the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, Texas. One of the most recent events was an exhibit of Edward H. Bohlin silver saddles, which ran for three months and closed at the end of January. While saddles might seem to be an unlikely focus for a museum, it wasn’t for this one. “We treat them as art, even though they’re utilitarian,” says Darrell Beauchamp, the museum’s executive director. “We gathered 11 of them and exhibited them along with old movie posters. We painted the walls black so they would shimmer and shine.
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