John L. Campsall
Artist in watercolor and oil
commercial art & scale Model builder
  Telephone # (505) 242-0296    e-mail johnlcampsall@comcast.net
 

This web page is an ongoing project that will be and is added to very frequently. Please return often and search deeply

Classic Watercolor Paintings of Churches

  In the year 2000 I began to realize that there are as many historic churches in the Albuquerque area and beyond as it might take a man on a horse or a wagon to reach in a day. The settlers her in New Mexico were driven by there religion to build there church as soon as possible I presume.
  It amazes me that they could assemble there natural recourses such as timber, known as vegas here and adobe brick, made of mud a straw.  Many of these churches were begun with a Capilla. The Capilla was a tiny church that could be built first to give a place for the priest to give mass.
  These lands were granted for the most part by the Spanish government and a lot of it is still land grant. Having been Spanish for the most part, the churches were built to resemble churches in Spain. I do believe that at the time the Spanish in Spain were not pleased at the result because of the rough hand hued buildings and icons,  but it is obvious that they were totally dedicated to there church.
  I did  approached a series of watercolors of the churches beginning with the closest ones to my home in the Mazano Mountains just outside of Albuquerque. This pursuits took me all over the state until I had reached more than thirty churches in watercolor. I found then that it was time for me to paint other things but I am still moved to paint the ones that come up.
  As you will see there are some that are not catholic churches but I love them as well.
  I hope you enjoy these paintings in watercolor.

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Tijeras, N.M.	Albuquerque, N.M.
Bishop's Lodge, N.M. .	Estancia, N.M.
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