Picacho Valley, Chávez Ranch

Artist Peter Hurd once described art as “an enduring record of man’s emotional response to his existence.” In this painting, Hurd records his deep love for and familiarity with the landscape of the Southwest, depicting a scene near his home in San Patricio, New Mexico. Hurd has included small details that evoke the quiet peacefulness of local life. Windmills dot the scene and a lone figure stands in the yard feeding chickens. Though the landscape is vast, Hurd treats it like a figure well known. The gentle, shadowed curves of the hills suggest a warm, bodily presence. Painted in tempera made using yolks from Hurd’s own chickens, the painting is a testament to the relationship between land and home.