Keeping with tradition, Parsons Gallery of the West in Taos, New Mexico, will host its annual Big Summer Show, featuring work by prominent Taos artists and those from the surrounding area. There will be a little something for everyone to discover, as the show features a robust collection.
Nathanael Volckening, Sonorous III, oil, 20 x 16 in.
Find work by noteworthy artists Amery Bohling, Nicholas Coleman, Jerry Jordan, Scott Yeager, Mary Dolph Wood, Ron Rencher, Drew Macias, Melinda LittleJohn, Roseta Santiago, Dan Stovall, Aaron Garlick, Katelyn Betsill Del Vecchio and many more.
Gallery director and co-owner Ashley Rolshoven Loveless says, “This event is much anticipated by many of our collectors. Some guests travel from as far away as New England to attend. It is a great chance to catch up with our artists and community, while enjoying delightful company and great art. The building where Parsons Gallery of the West is housed is the perfect place for creative spirits to gather. It was once Victor Higgins’ home and studio in the 1920s, and later, in the 1950s, became one of Taos’ first galleries, the Blue Door.”
Chloé Marie, A Life Well Lived, oil on linen, 24 x 18 in.
Some wonderful examples include Nathanael Volckening’s Sonorous III, a composition the artist is returning to with tremendous care, “as it is, in a way, a portrait of my home,” he says. “Having grown up in Taos, Taos Mountain served as a prominent backdrop and geographical anchor. A steady, resonant presence. In this third iteration of the painting, I hope to depict the mountain as something more than mere topography.”
Aaron Garlick, Taos Monsoons, oil, 24 x 30 in.
He continues, “With Sonorous III, I’m continuing to explore the interplay of light and shadow as the late-day sun illuminates the corporeal forms of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Using successive layers of paint, particularly within the illuminated passages, I strive to create a sense of depth and sculptural embodiment. Each iteration of Sonorous is a movement toward greater clarity and directness, whether through a more restrained palette or through fewer, more expressive brushstrokes.”
Volckening adds that the painting is an invitation to step outside oneself for a moment and encounter something larger and more enduring than the concerns of daily life.
Drew Macias, A Thought Unspoken, oil on panel, 14 x 11 in.
Artist Chloé Marie is known for depicting and honoring the people and land of the Old West with a folk eye and a modern touch. She shares the inspiration behind her piece A Life Well Lived, depicting a quiet scene with two figures on horseback. “In the fall of 2025, I was lucky to get to spend time in Taos and take an afternoon to shoot with Dwight and Bear, whom I have known since the first time I set foot in Taos, nine or 10 years ago now,” says the artist. “Ashley Rolshoven Loveless organized a wonderful time for us to work together and I was able to snap some really good shots—the perfect moment when the light sets on the Taos mountains at the end of the day. When the sunset is in motion, you have about 10 minutes tops to get the right pictures. This photograph was very special to me, the horses quietly standing, the tender look back, the white horse bowing, a very harmonious dance between the horses, the figures and the light. And the privilege of painting some old friends.”
Jerry Jordan, The Fragrance of the Dream, oil, 20 x 20 in.
The Big Summer Show at Parsons Gallery of the West, in Taos, New Mexico, opens on Saturday, August 1, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Many of the artists will be in attendance. The show will hang through the end of August.
Parsons Gallery of the West 122 D Kit Carson Road » Taos, NM 87571 » (575) 737-9200 » www.parsonsart.com/parsonswest
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