The Complementary Life of Taos
Painter & Musician Chris Morel

Chimayo Trading Staff Report | April 2026

In the high desert foothills just off the High Road to Taos, Chris Morel has spent more than three decades translating the vast, ever-shifting landscapes of northern New Mexico into oil and watercolor. From his studio in Vadito, tucked among the Sangre de Cristo mountains at around 8,000 feet, Morel paints en plein air with a reverence for the region’s dramatic light, ancient adobe structures, rolling pastures, and rugged cliffs. His works capture not just the scenery, but its quiet power and sense of place: golden aspens in autumn, storm light breaking over the Rio Grande gorge, or the intimate scale of a backroad bend that feels both familiar and eternal.

Please visit Chimayo Trading in Ranchos de Taos or online at chimayotrading.com to see our entire collection of Morel’s oil paintings including some New Arrivals full of Taos wonder.

“Upper Ojito Ruins”
Oil on canvas, 2025
36″ x 48″
$20,000

”Upper Ojito Ruins” is one of Morel’s larger paintings inspired of plein air and currently watching over the front room at Chimayo Trading, (see original plein air painting below).

Born in rural Maryland, Morel trained formally at Towson University before heading west. After time as an illustrator for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and launching his full-time easel career in Austin, he moved to Taos in 1994. The move proved transformative.

“Upper Ojito Ruins” (Orignal Plein Air)
Oil on board, 2025
9″ x 12″
$2200

The massive scale and luminous quality of the high desert became his ultimate subject, inspiring a body of work that has earned him signature membership in organizations like Plein Air Painters of America (PAPA), Oil Painters of America (OPA), and New Mexico Plein Air Painters. His paintings hang in collections across the country, and he regularly participates in major shows, including the Coors Western Art Exhibit in Denver.

“Canoncito Adobe”
Oil on board
9″ x 12″
$2400

What sets Morel apart is his commitment to painting on location. He works quickly and decisively outdoors, often completing smaller studies in a single session before refining larger studio pieces. This direct engagement with the elements, chasing changing shadows, battling wind, or waiting for the perfect slant of late-afternoon light infuses his art with authenticity and immediacy.

“Autumn Bend”
Oil on canvas
16″ x 20″
$4400

Viewers feel the crisp mountain air and the weight of the land in pieces like sweeping views of Taos Pueblo pastures or intimate adobe ruins. Less widely known, but deeply intertwined with his artistic sensibility, is Morel’s musicianship.

“Sangres From San Luis”
Oil on canvas, 2025
12″ x 16″
$3300

A talented guitarist and singer-songwriter, he blends Americana, folk, and singer-songwriter styles with a reflective, rootsy edge inspired by the same landscapes he paints. His music carries the same thoughtful, grounded quality: melodic storytelling that evokes wide-open spaces, quiet introspection, and the rhythms of rural life.

“High Road Autumn”
Oil on board, 2024
8.25″ x 16.25″
$2000

He has performed locally for years, often solo or with collaborators like Charlie Woehler at spots such as the Adobe Bar at the Taos Inn, or with the trio Andrews Morel and Berry—bringing live music to Taos-area venues, brewpubs, and intimate gatherings.

“Winter Tracks”
Oil on linen, 2024
16″ x 20″
$4200

For Morel, the two pursuits feed each other. The discipline of plein air painting (observing, simplifying, and responding in the moment) mirrors the improvisational flow of live music. Both require presence: tuning into subtle shifts in light or sound, finding harmony in complexity, and distilling emotion into something tangible.

“Autumn Valley”
Oil on linen panel, 2024
9″ x 12″
$2000

Whether he’s packing his easel and paints for a painting outing or grabbing his guitar for an evening gig, Morel approaches both with the same quiet passion that has made him a fixture in the Taos art community.

“Sunset Over The Badlands”
Oil on linen canvas, 2022
36″ x 48″
$17,000

Today, visitors can find his work at Chimayo Trading Del Norte in Ranchos de Taos, where his luminous oils sit comfortably alongside Pueblo pottery and other regional treasures.

“St Francis”
Oil on linen canvas, 2022
12″ x 9″
$1800

In an era when many artists specialize narrowly, Chris Morel reminds us that creativity flows across mediums, light on canvas, notes in the air, each enriching the other in the unique crucible of Taos.

“St Francis After The Storm”
Oil on linen, 2022
24″ x 36″
$10,500

“San Francisco de Asis”
Oil on linen, 2022
12″ x 16″
SOLD

“Winter Chapel High Road”
Oil on linen
30″ x 40″
SOLD

“Luna Morning”
Oil on linen
24″ x 36″
$10,500

“Rodarte Adobe”
Oil on linen, 2018
12″ x 16″
$3300

If you have enjoyed our newsletters and learning about the artists and artwork we represent, or if you’ve had a good experience visiting our gallery, please take a moment to let us know by leaving a review using the links below.

Come to the gallery to see where History Meets Art in Taos..

#1 Saint Francis Church Plaza
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

575.758.0504

We buy individual pieces or whole collections.

Contact us for the evaluation and resale of your collectible art.
We’re interested in locating relevant collections and original New Mexico artwork for purchase. We buy historic and contemporary relevant paintings, pottery, jewelry, textiles, weavings and more.

Contact us directly to discuss and evaluate your collection. If you’re an artist, contact us about the possibility of selling your art on consignment or direct wholesale purchase.

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