Jeri Desrochers Original Oil — "The One That Got Away" 24×24

 "The One That Got Away" is an original oil on gallery-wrapped canvas by Las Cruces painter Jeri Desrochers — one of New Mexico's most recognized contemporary landscape and figurative artists, with works acquired by the State of New Mexico Art in Public Places program and the El Paso Public Arts Program. The composition centers on a cowboy on horseback, seen from directly behind — a bold, intimate vantage that makes the viewer feel seated in the saddle alongside him. A straw hat, broad shoulders catching the light, and a coiled white rope in hand are set against a sweeping field of gold and green beneath a luminous teal sky. Desrochers' signature palette knife technique is fully evident: thick, directional impasto strokes built over transparent underlayers create a shimmering, almost kinetic surface that rewards close inspection.

The canvas edges are painted in deep orange and require no frame — the work hangs gallery-ready as delivered. Signed "DESROCHERS" in paint lower left on the face; titled "The One That Got Away" and signed "Jeri Desrochers" in hand on the verso. Studio label affixed to stretcher bar confirms title, artist, and dimensions.

CONDITION Very Good. The painted surface is vibrant and structurally intact, with rich impasto relief throughout and no visible cracking, lifting, or inpainting. Significant paint bleed-through is present on the reverse of the canvas — characteristic of oil applied heavily to an unvarnished ground, and not visible from the front — but should be noted for collectors who display works without backing panels.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• 24" × 24" (square format, confirmed on studio label)
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Support: Gallery-wrapped stretcher, painted orange edges — no frame required
• Signature: "DESROCHERS" in paint, lower left (face); full name and title inscribed on verso
• Studio label present on stretcher bar (artist name, title, dimensions)

ARTIST Jeri Desrochers is a contemporary oil painter based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, celebrated for her vibrant depictions of the Mesilla Valley, the Rio Grande agricultural landscape, and the working people who tend it. Raised on a small family farm in the rural Midwest, Desrochers developed a lifelong reverence for the land and those who cultivate it — a connection that remains the emotional core of her work. She spent more than two decades in the technology industry before committing full-time to painting, bringing to her canvases the same precision and discipline that defined her professional career.

Desrochers began as a watercolorist and glass artist before transitioning primarily to oils in 2003. Her technique is distinctive: transparent underlayers are applied first, then built up with thick, bold strokes of paint — often applied with a palette knife rather than a brush — creating a luminous, tactile surface in which color seems to glow from within. The effect draws comparison to Pointillism in its vibrancy while remaining firmly expressive and contemporary in execution.

Her work has been acquired by the State of New Mexico Art in Public Places program, the El Paso Public Arts Program, and the El Paso International Airport Arts Collection. She has exhibited at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, the International Museum of Art (Best of Show, Sunbowl Exhibit), the Louisville National Fine Art Show, and Masterworks of New Mexico, among others. Her gallery is located in historic La Posta in Old Mesilla, New Mexico. She has been featured on PBS's Living Here and recognized as a leading voice in contemporary New Mexico figurative and landscape painting.