Jeri Desrochers “Color Fields” Original Oil on Canvas, Mesilla Valley Landscape

“Color Fields” by New Mexico artist Jeri Desrochers is a luminous original oil on canvas capturing the radiant farmlands of the Mesilla Valley. Rendered in rich layers of crimson, violet, and green, the scene portrays the vast fields and distant mountains characteristic of southern New Mexico. Two modest farm structures anchor the composition, their simplicity balancing the intensity of the surrounding color. Desrochers’ painterly approach transforms the agricultural landscape into an emotional field of light and energy.

Working in oil with a palette knife and layered brushwork, Desrochers builds a textured surface that shimmers with depth and motion. Her technique—transparent underpainting followed by bold impasto—infuses the work with vibrancy and dimension. Both representational and expressive, this painting exemplifies her signature style: landscapes that convey not only place, but the artist’s deep connection to the land and those who cultivate it.

Presented in a contemporary shadow box frame without glass. Signed Desrochers lower right; titled and signed on verso.

Condition:

In excellent condition with no visible damage or wear. The paint surface is stable and richly textured, and the frame remains clean and well-fitted with only minimal handling evidence.

Dimensions:

Overall: 32.25" H × 42.25" W × 2.25" D
Visible (Canvas): 30" H × 40" W

Artist Biography: Jeri Desrochers (American, Contemporary)

Jeri Desrochers is a contemporary landscape painter based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, celebrated for her vibrant depictions of the Mesilla Valley and the broader American Southwest. Her work captures the rhythm, color, and texture of agricultural life in the Rio Grande region—fields, skies, and distant mountains rendered through bold brushwork and richly layered oil paint.

Raised on a small family farm in the Rio Grande Valley, Desrochers developed a lifelong connection to the land and those who cultivate it. After early training in watercolor and glass art, she transitioned to oil painting, developing a distinctive technique that combines transparent underlayers with thick, tactile impasto. This approach allows her to merge impressionistic representation with expressive abstraction, evoking both the spirit and luminosity of the desert landscape.

Desrochers’ paintings have been exhibited widely across New Mexico and Texas, including solo shows such as Mesilla Valley Textures and Cultivating Color at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Her work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including the State of New Mexico’s Art in Public Places Program and the City of El Paso Public Art Program.

Through her art, Desrochers celebrates the enduring connection between people and the land, transforming familiar Southwestern vistas into radiant meditations on color, light, and belonging. She currently works from her studio gallery in Las Cruces, where she continues to explore the emotional landscape of the Mesilla Valley.