San José de la Laguna Mission—Original Watercolor by DeGe McCoy

An original watercolor on paper by DeGe McCoy depicting the San José de la Laguna Mission at Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico — a Spanish Colonial adobe church constructed between 1699 and 1701, located 40 miles west of Albuquerque along the old Route 66 corridor. McCoy renders the church's signature scalloped parapet and twin-bell belfry in warm terracotta, a palette characteristic of mid-century Southwest painters, with a solitary figure in traditional dress at a side entrance, prickly pear cactus flanking the facade, and the volcanic mass of Mount Taylor rising behind a dramatic, cloud-filled sky. The composition captures the mission from a vantage point that has drawn painters and photographers for generations. Signed lower left in the artist's distinctive block-stamp monogram.

The painting is presented in a solid wood frame behind glass.

CONDITION Good. Pigment remains saturated with strong compositional contrast throughout. Light scuffing is present on the frame, and debris is visible behind the glass.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 19.25" × 23.25" × .75"
• Visible (sight size): 15.5" × 19.5"
• Medium: Original watercolor on paper
• Support: Paper, glazed under glass
• Frame: Solid wood
• Signature: Lower left, "DeGe McCoy" block-stamp monogram
• Subject: San José de la Laguna Mission, Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico (est. 1699–1701)

ABOUT THE ARTIST — DeGe McCoy (1919–2006)

Doreen "DeGe" McCoy was born in Colville, Washington in 1919 and showed enough promise early to earn an art scholarship to Eastern Washington University, where she studied for three years before going on to train at the Northwestern Academy of Watercolor. She went on to build a parallel career as a licensed architect — a rare achievement for a woman of her generation — holding membership in the State of California Registered Architects, the American Institute of Building Design, and Women in Architecture. The spatial fluency of her profession shows clearly in her paintings: her compositions are structured and confident, with a sure command of perspective that sets her work apart from the amateur Southwest watercolor tradition.

The American Southwest was her primary subject as a painter, and the adobe missions, desert light, and indigenous architecture of New Mexico recur throughout her body of work. She painted in the warm terracotta and indigo palette that defines mid-century Southwestern regionalism, and she taught both beginning and advanced watercolor classes, passing that sensibility on to students throughout her career. She was an active member of the Nevada Artists Association and the California Art League. McCoy signed her work with a distinctive hand-cut block-stamp monogram — a mark as deliberate and individual as her compositions.