Gary Biel "The Other Side of the Drain" Giclée on Canvas, 2013

A giclée-on-canvas reproduction of an original acrylic painting by Las Cruces artist Gary Biel, depicting the Organ Mountains at sunset across the Rio Grande valley farmland of Doña Ana County. The jagged ridgeline of the Organs rises in silhouette against a wash of yellow, rose, and lavender sky, with pecan orchard rows, a small white farm structure, and utility lines threading the Mesilla Valley agricultural floor. Signed lower right in white paint, "G. Biel" with "13" below, consistent with the 2013 date.

The image carries strong regional resonance: the Organ Mountains were designated a national monument in 2014, the year after this work was made, giving the subject topical currency for New Mexico buyers. Presented in an ornate gilt wood and plaster frame in the Victorian-revival style, with acanthus scrollwork and a beaded inner lip — a substantial decorative surround well suited to display-ready presentation.

About the Artist

Gary Biel was born and raised in Las Cruces, the son of a tradesman whose shop occupied an old adobe on North Mesquite Street. His talent was recognized early — an art scholarship was offered out of high school, and declined in favor of a more practical path. The detour lasted decades. In between, he spent years in Europe, living in Paris, Amsterdam, and Torremolinos, supporting himself by selling pen-and-ink drawings, and closed out his travels crewing a recreated Spanish galleon that took on water and sank in a storm just off Cartagena.

He returned to New Mexico, took over the family business, and built it into a landscaping company that still operates today. In 2019 he came back to the beginning: he spent three years restoring his father's adobe into Trails End Gallery, a five-room fine art space with seven working artist studios, in the heart of the Mesquite Historic District. He has since given himself over to painting full-time — his own phrase for it is making up for lost time.

Biel works primarily in acrylic. His subjects are the people, culture, and landscapes of the desert — the country he grew up in and came home to.

CONDITION

Very Good. The giclée surface presents cleanly with strong color. The gilt frame shows corner chipping to the plaster ornament with touch-up repairs, along with scattered rubbing to the high points of the gilding consistent with the decorative finish.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall (framed): 32 1/4" H × 44 1/4" W × 2 1/4" D
• Visible image: 23 3/4" H × 35 3/4" W
• Medium: Giclée on canvas
• Date: 2013
• Frame: Gilt wood and plaster, Victorian-revival style