On Location With
Walt Gonske

By Rebekah Powers | July 2021

For four decades, landscape impressionist painter Walt Gonske has braved the snow and the sun, scaled rocks and rivers and sought out the obscure evocative locations that inspire him to paint. His expressive brush captures the felt experience of a place in time using texture and stunning color combinations. Each painting is a response by the artist to the call of a moment in time and a particular place in history.

The artist studied with Frank Reilly, the famous illustrator and at the Art Students League of New York. Following a successful career as an illustrator, he moved to Taos in 1972 to find his calling as a fine artist. Gonske’s plein aire paintings are a direct and bold response to the intensity of the light and stunning colors of Northern New Mexico and beyond.

The artist talks about his immediate connection with New Mexico when he first visited in 1970. He responded in watercolor, creating 4 paintings that his sister took to Albuquerque and found his first gallery home at Brandywine Gallery, owned by Lou Abrums. It was she who sent him the first check for an art sale, and when he opened that envelope in New York City, the entire trajectory of his life changed. Fast forward to today, Gonske is widely known and respected and is now being represented by Chimayo Trading Del Norte is a full circle, with owners Gabe and Alicia Abrums of the same family that gave him his first sale. In between, he has mounted over 40 one man shows. If you missed seeing them, you can review his life’s work in his book, The Art of Walt Gonske, a Retrospective.

Recognized for his passion and integrity, Walt Gonske’s confident brush contrasts with his humble personality and he continues to push the boundaries of perception through color and composition. To view his work is to see through the artist’s eye and participate in his ongoing interaction with the natural world. He is the hunter who heads into the wild and returns with indelible images of the natural world and remnants of culture that will never die, because Walt Gonske has painted them into history.

On exhibition now at Chimayo Trading, a curated show of the artists’ work will introduce you to an experience of New Mexico at once familiar and unexpected. Join the conversation in our gallery and see for yourself through the eyes of another artistic legend in Taos, Walt Gonske.

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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

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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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