Jeri Desrochers “Cortona, Italy 2014” Oil on Masonite Panel

This expressive plein-air landscape by Jeri Desrochers was painted on location in Cortona, Italy in 2014. Executed in oil on a masonite panel, the work captures the rolling Tuscan hills with lively brushwork, luminous color, and a warm Mediterranean atmosphere. A bold red painted border frames the composition, enhancing the contrast between the sunlit olive trees in the foreground and the distant hilltown rising along the ridge. Desrochers’ characteristic layering and textured impasto give the scene depth and movement.

The painting is presented in a contemporary black shadow frame and is signed at lower right, with an additional inscription and signature on the verso. A charming and vibrant work from a contemporary American painter recognized for her color-rich landscapes.

CONDITION

In excellent condition overall, with a clean and stable paint surface. The shadow frame shows only minimal handling wear. Please review the provided photographs for complete details.

DIMENSIONS (inches)

• Overall (framed): 16.25" × 13.25" × 2.25"
• Visible image: 14" × 11"

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.