Ouray Meyers and the Art of Southwestern…Impressionism?

by Steve Winston, for “Art of the Times” magazine

He remembers his father trading with the Indians at the trading post in Taos, and the blankets, jewelry and dry goods that were exchanged. He remembers his father, a noted painter and writer, holding court in the family parlor with luminaries like Georgia O’Keefe, D. H. Lawrence and Ansel Adams. And he remembers his dad’s death when he was only seven and how he was pretty much “adopted” by local artists from then on.

He remembers, too, the colors of his Taos boyhood; the earth tones of brown dirt, tan adobe and green forest; and the brilliant turquoise doors, red blankets and purple mountains that seemed to burst from the landscape.

For the past four decades, Ouray Meyers has been painting those earth tones and vivid hues of the Southwest, having never left Taos.

Now, at a stage when most well-known artists have settled into artistic styles that have brought them commercial success, Ouray Meyers is choosing
instead to take risks. In fact, he’s undergoing his own personal artistic metamorphosis, and in doing so may very well turn Southwestern art on its ear.

Ouray Meyers’ work was already different from most other Southwestern artists with his innovative treatment of light – seeming almost three-dimensional – and his gold flecks scattered on the canvas to enhance the light. Now, however, he’s really breaking away. Ouray Meyers is bringing an
iconic, classic style from long ago and far away to Southwestern art.

And what great “Western” artist was the inspiration for this change? Frederic Remington? Charles Russell? Actually, it was a fellow by the name of Van Gogh. In fact, this New Mexico native has always been a fan of the Impressionists, particularly Van Gogh. Meyers laughs that he was attracted by Van Gogh’s “craziness,” and adds that all good artists have at least a little of that characteristic.

He refers to his new style as “Ouray Van Gogh.”

At first, when you look at his newer paintings, it almost appears to be an optical illusion. The style is so different from what we associate with Southwestern art, and as you focus in, particularly on the grass and earth, it becomes clearer… Impressionism in a Southwestern painting! You can plainly see the bold, short, swooping strokes of the Impressionist.

But how do you suddenly become an Impressionist after a lifetime of accomplishment in another, more classic, style? “Easy,” says Ouray Meyers. “I’m self-taught, and when you’re self-taught, you have less fear of boundaries and rules. I’ve always tried to break rules that I thought were made to be broken, and always tried to make new discoveries. To me, that’s what ‘creativity’ is all about.”

He’s the first to acknowledge that it’s a difficult thing to pull off, but he talks about it with the love of an artist reborn.

“It’s a lot more labor-intensive than my previous style,” Meyers says. “For example, light has always been a very important element in my work. Before, I was working with big blocks of light. Now I’m doing little strokes of light. My newer works are much more detailed.”

He calls his original style, which he still intends to use, particularly when he does people and faces, “illuminist” because it gives the impression of being
illuminated from the inside.

“Although the new ‘Ouray Van Gogh’ style is much different,” Meyers says,
“the goal is the same – to bring out the light running through the painting, almost as if it’s backlit.”

Few artists attempt to work in two different styles. But to understand the art, you must first understand the artist. Ouray Meyers was born in the
darkness of the early-morning hours and named after a Ute Indian chief. Translated, his name means “Straight Arrow” or “Pure of Heart,” which is appropriate, because you immediately see that Meyers’ work comes straight from his heart. He grew up in Taos before the outside world had even heard of Taos. With the Indians on the Taos Pueblo, looking up at the mountain pueblo people believe is the source of all life. With the Hispanics at Taos Plaza, still the heart and soul of this 400-year-old settlement. And with the hardy Anglos who followed them to this mystical, ethereal place.

Like many Taoseños, Meyers worked many different jobs as a young man “just to survive.” In fact, he didn’t even start painting until he was twenty-seven, when his sister gave him some of their father’s oil paints.

Meyers’ “survival” days are now well behind him. His distinctive styling and emotionally-touching work has been recognized far beyond the sleepy, if artistic, northern New Mexico town. Working from his Spirit Runner Gallery in Taos (www.ouraymeyers.com), he creates about 250 paintings a year – and sells every one of them.

In fact, every edition of his works has sold out, which is why he’s not totally abandoning his original, classic-Southwestern style. People still love it. One thing that will remain constant in his newer style, as well as the original,
is the emphasis on structure and light. He’ll use the new Impressionistic style for buildings and landscapes, but not for people. In fact, as of this writing, Meyers had recently created ten works in his original style – and half had sold within the first two weeks.

Even though you often can’t see their faces, you can almost see into the souls of the Indians standing stoically in front of their pueblos, wrapped in colorful blankets. And you can certainly see into the ways in which northern New Mexico’s magnificent vistas and natural light have left their mark on the artist, whether it’s looking into his march of bison across a high-desert setting sun, or his goldflecked reflections of mountain lakes and full moons.

Meyers’ new Impressionist works tell wonderful stories of life. In “Rio Grande Fall,” set against the stark, 800-foot cliffs of the Rio Grande Gorge, the river has so many shades of blue that it actually seems to be flowing, and the trees seem to sprout from the cliffs in oranges, golds and reds. In “Reflection,” a river seemingly without beginning or end is reflected against burnt-orange cliffs and hazy, blue-ish mountains in the distance, and for an instant the viewer is almost tempted to ask which side is up and which is down. And in “Taos Pueblo,” Indians in colorful shawls walk among their mud-and-clay adobe homes with their beloved Taos Mountain looming over the reservation. And even though you can’t really make out their faces, you feel as if you know them.

Ouray Meyers learned his “storytelling” technique from one of the masters at painting a Southwestern story — the renowned Navajo artist R. C. Gorman. Meyers’ subject matter is often somewhat spare, because his friend R. C. once told him to “simplify the image and still tell the story.” And so, today, his art is defined not by the complexity of the subject matter, but by the striking shapes and shadows in it, and the incredible depth and range of his light.

Meyers is nothing if not always evolving, and notes that his new style will remain “new” for only so long. After that, he may very well come up with
something else.

“Every day that I paint, I learn something,” he says, “and I think that will always take me to new frontiers.” He says that, no matter what
changes he may make to his style, his goal remains the same.

“I’m always trying to explain the deepest aspects of Taos, its mysticism and its magic,” Ouray Meyers says. “I do it in the hopes that others will feel the way I do about this place.”

Meyers continues to win recognition for his work. A couple of years ago, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Taos Arts Festival, only the second Lifetime award they’ve given. He is flattered by the recognition, but to him the best recognition of all is when one of the visitors to his Spirit Runner Gallery connects with his paintings.

“Anyone who has ever passed through Taos knows that it’s different here,” says Meyers. “The air. The light. The earth. If I can help someone feel that through my work… well, that’s the greatest reward of all.”

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