It happens without fail, every year: by the end of the winter (aka the season of brown) I’ve been reduced to getting my fill of bright colors by taking photos of murals, graffiti, and signs.
I hit a trifecta last weekend in an Albuquerque alley, with a mural, some graffiti, and a reflection in a puddle.1 If you don’t live here, you may not realize how quickly puddles evaporate. To find a puddle with a good reflection in it is rare, a temptation I have never been able to resist … even without bright colors.
Then there’s the rainbow-striped building in T or C (aka Truth or Consequences), which I first photographed six years ago, also near the end of March. The colors were brighter then and the paint much more opaque.2 Still, considering the usual depredations of the New Mexican sun, the rainbow paint job is in much better shape than I would have expected.
Last, a beautifully painted bench in Mesilla. I love the peeling turquoise wrought-iron curlicues mixing with the bench’s sunflowers. To my eyes, this is a classic New Mexican scene.3
Color is finally returning to the natural world, bit by bit, with flowers opening and butterflies fluttering.4 I’ll likely be sharing much more of Mother Nature’s artwork from here on out.
The shadows on the wall aren’t too shabby either.
Unlike Santa Fe/Taos tourist-y depictions of New Mexican culture, which would never ever have peeling paint. Or crowded furniture.
I am convinced that butterfly is a misnomer. The correct word should be flutterby.
Gorgeous colors! The blossoming trees and budding leaves are filling my need for color.