Original Watercolor Painting “New Mexico Memories” [SOLD]

“New Mexico Memories” is an apt name for this painting.  There is nothing more New Mexican that an adobe building nestled under or among cottonwood trees.  There is no manicured lawn or formal entrances to the home, just native plants growing without need of water or attention.  The two saddled horses are ready for a tromp down by the acequia.  The cottonwood trees are displaying their beautiful fall colors.  There is no memory of New Mexico more memorable that such a view as this.

Morris Rippel was basically a self-trained artist, having obtained an architectural degree from the University of New Mexico. He worked in that field for 15 years but then decided to see if he could make a living for himself and his family by becoming an easel artist. He succeeded and did so very well.

Morris Rippel lived his whole life in Albuquerque.  He was well familiar with scenes such as this one along the Bosque and river.  Paintings of local scenes were his specialty and his preference. 

Rippel received the prestigious Prix de West—National Academy of Western Arts award in 1979 for a painting which then became part of the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum’s permanent collection.  He also received several gold and silver medal awards from the academy.

Rippel was honored with a one-man retrospective at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He also was exhibited in Europe and Asia.  New Mexico named him a recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence and Achievement in the Arts in 1997.

Watercolor is not an easy medium to master.  Achieving precise lines in watercolor is more difficult than doing so with oil or acrylic paints.  It is a looser medium when applied.  Rippel, having been trained as an architect and who had practiced in that career for 15 years, mastered the techniques of working in fine detail with watercolor and tempera.  He displayed his adroitness in doing so in this painting.

Condition: appears to be in original condition but has not been examined out of the frame.

Provenance: the current owners from Oklahoma purchased it in 1994 from the Grapevine Gallery of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Recommended Reading: Susan E Meyer, 40 Watercolorists and How They Work