The Piñon and Mount Blanca Series

In the tradition of the Impressionist masters, highly acclaimed artist Angela Manno has captured the quiet beauty of the San Luis Valley 's desert wilderness in her plein air pastel series, Piñon and Mount Blanca.

The view is from one of the hermitages at the Carmelite Monastery and Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado. Ms. Manno was granted permission by the monks to paint this scene over a period of several years, in winter and summer at dawn, mid-morning and sunset. In the foreground is a lone piñon tree, a variety that is characteristic of the high desert in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. In the background is the awe-inspiring Mount Blanca, a sacred mountain to the Native Americans. Out of the nine paintings in this series, Daybreak, Morning Glory, White Silence and Evening Splendor are the subjects of a limited edition print series. There are only 500 in the edition.