Jeri Desrochers “New Mexico Skies” Original Oil on Canvas, Mesilla Valley Landscape

“New Mexico Skies” by Jeri Desrochers captures the sweeping grandeur of the Mesilla Valley beneath vast Southwestern clouds. In this vibrant oil on canvas, sunlight ignites golden and violet tones across the sky, echoing the deep reds and greens of the valley below. The distant Organ Mountains and a small adobe structure ground the composition, while expressive palette knife textures convey both movement and atmosphere.

Desrochers’ masterful layering of transparent underpainting and thick impasto creates a luminous, tactile surface—an embodiment of the light and energy unique to New Mexico’s landscape. Her work bridges impressionism and abstraction, celebrating the harmony between land, color, and emotion. Signed Desrochers lower right, and titled “New Mexico Skies” with signature on verso. Includes original Unsettled Gallery label, Las Cruces, NM. Presented in a modern shadow box frame without glass.

Condition:

In excellent condition with no damage or visible wear. The paint surface is stable and richly textured; the frame is clean and secure with no noted imperfections.

Dimensions:

Overall: 32.25" H × 26.25" W × 2.25" D
Visible (Canvas): 30" H × 24" W

Artist Biography: Jeri Desrochers (American, Contemporary)

Jeri Desrochers is a contemporary landscape painter based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, celebrated for her vibrant depictions of the Mesilla Valley and the broader American Southwest. Her work captures the rhythm, color, and texture of agricultural life in the Rio Grande region—fields, skies, and distant mountains rendered through bold brushwork and richly layered oil paint.

Raised on a small family farm in the Rio Grande Valley, Desrochers developed a lifelong connection to the land and those who cultivate it. After early training in watercolor and glass art, she transitioned to oil painting, developing a distinctive technique that combines transparent underlayers with thick, tactile impasto. This approach allows her to merge impressionistic representation with expressive abstraction, evoking both the spirit and luminosity of the desert landscape.

Desrochers’ paintings have been exhibited widely across New Mexico and Texas, including solo shows such as Mesilla Valley Textures and Cultivating Color at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Her work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including the State of New Mexico’s Art in Public Places Program and the City of El Paso Public Art Program.

Through her art, Desrochers celebrates the enduring connection between people and the land, transforming familiar Southwestern vistas into radiant meditations on color, light, and belonging. She currently works from her studio gallery in Las Cruces, where she continues to explore the emotional landscape of the Mesilla Valley.