Canyon Road Contemporary Art will present Mesa skies, a new exhibition featuring contemporary artists Mark Bowles and Ali Rouse, opening Friday, October 9, with an artist reception from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the gallery’s 409 Canyon Road location. The exhibition will remain on view through Sunday, October 18.

Bringing together two artists with distinctly different approaches to the natural world, Mesa Skies explores landscape, material, and the enduring influence of the American West. Bowles’ contemporary paintings and Rouse’s intricately embellished sculptural works create a dialogue between expansive terrain and the animal forms that inhabit it.

Mark Bowles has spent his career interpreting the landscape through color, texture, form, and intuition. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and educated at the California College of Arts & Crafts and Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Bowles has developed an approach that moves fluidly between representation, minimalism, and abstraction. His newest body of work reexamines the horizon line, shifting attention toward the terrain and the colors that convey temperature, vegetation, minerals, and changing seasons.

“I’ve re-examined the horizon line and where I place it,” Bowles says of the new work. “I’ve lowered my view to consume more of terrain and maybe less of atmosphere.” The shift reflects an ongoing effort to keep his work evolving while finding new ways to express the landscapes that have shaped his artistic practice.

Ali Rouse approaches the natural world through a dramatically different medium. Using animal skulls as the foundation for elaborate compositions, Rouse combines precious and semiprecious stones, handmade Bali sterling silver, and glass seed beads to create works defined by intricate pattern, geometry, color, and texture. Animals emblematic of the West, including bison, bull, and ram, frequently appear in her work, with each form guiding the design that develops across its surface. Rouse’s practice explores the relationship between beauty, nature, and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Her pieces can require anywhere from 15 to 80 hours to complete, transforming natural forms into highly detailed contemporary works that reflect both her background in design and her longstanding connection to Santa Fe.

The opening reception on October 9 will give collectors and visitors an opportunity to meet both artists and experience their newest work. The evening will feature artist discussions, live music, and cocktails by As Above, So Below Distillery.

Mesa skies continues Canyon Road Contemporary Art’s longstanding commitment to presenting contemporary artists whose work offers distinctive perspectives on the landscape, culture, and natural environment of the West. Located in the heart of Santa Fe’s historic arts district, the gallery has been part of the Canyon Road community for more than 35 years.