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Recently Rediscovered |
This unusual piece by Peter Hurd was recently rediscovered in a portfolio of art that was thought to be lost. The subject matter and medium suggest that this sketch, along with many others in the portfolio, were executed early in Peter Hurd's career, most likely while he was studying with N.C. Wyeth in Pennsylvania.Check our website often to see more of these early Peter Hurd works.
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"Monsters of the Night" | |
This strange creature seems right out of a nightmare...or perhaps it is just what Peter and Henriette used to refer to as a "mud pie" (a painting that didn't turn out quite right.) Whatever inspired this watercolor, there is no denying that the mind of an artist can be a very scary place. |
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Hondo Valley Mona Lisa | |
For the first in a series of portraits of Hondo Valley natives, Michael chose to sketch Jessica Sanchez in front of an apple tree, representing the agricultural heritage of fruit orchards in the Hondo Valley. Jessica is a Speech Pathologist in Las Cruces, but returns to the valley regularly to visit her family.
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Hondo Valley Apple Puffcake | |
2 Tbsp. stick butter
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup (1 medium sized) baking apple, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (do not use self-rising flour)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
Heat oven to 400 degrees. In the oven, melt butter in 9" x 1 1/4" pie plate and brush melted butter on the sides of the pie plate. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over melted butter in pie plate. Then arrange apple over sugar. Set aside. Beat eggs slightly in medium bowl with wire whisk or hand beater, then beat in remaining ingredients just until mixed. Do not overbeat. Pour batter over apple. Bake 30-35 minutes or until puffy and deep gloden brown. Immediately loosen edge of pancake and turn upside down onto a heatproof serving plate. |
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An Unusual Sentinel Ranch Critter | |
Is that spider wearing a Halloween costume? Nope, it's just Araneus Gemmoides, more commonly known as a Cat-Face Spider, Jewel Spider or Barn Spider. These characters usually show up on porches and overhangs at Sentinel Ranch in the fall.
The name Cat-Face Spider comes from the two points and dark spots that make the spider's abdomen look like a cat's face. However, this special critter, photographed on the porch at the Polo House, seems to be sporting an extra special design for Halloween. Perhaps we should name ours the Jack-o-Lantern Spider!
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Visit Our Newsletter Archives | |
If you're new to our online newsletter family, you've missed a few. Click on the photo above to see past newsletters on our Newsletter Archive Page. |
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October Afternoon
by Michael Hurd
 Price: $7,500Size: 13 3/4" x 19 3/4"Medium: watercolor |
Portrait of Jessica
by Michael Hurd Price: Please Inquire
Size: 20" x 25"
Medium: charcoal |
A Sentinel Ranch Ghost Story
 Peter Hurd "La Llorona" (superimposed over the waters of the Rio Ruidoso) 11 1/2" x 12 3/4" Pen & Wash
Once upon a time (in the 1950's), in a historic little village called San Patricio, a man and his family came to visit. The man's name was Dr. Curry Holden and he was an archaeologist, historian and the first director of the Museum at Texas Tech University. Dr. Holden was traveling to Mexico with his wife, Fran, and their young daughter Jane. Hearing of this pending trip, Peter Hurd offered his home to the Holdens as a place to rest and spend the night on their long trip.
With their famous hospitality, Peter and Henriette Hurd made the Holdens comfortable in a room next to Henriette's studio. Unfortunately, little Jane Holden wasn't feeling well, so the family retired early. Henriette told Mrs. Holden that she had various forms of medicine and if Jane needed anything during the night, they should feel free to just walk across the compound and through the courtyard to the Hurds' room. Around 2:00 a.m., there was a knock on the door and Henriette provided Mrs. Holden with some medicine for little Jane.
The next morning at breakfast, the Holdens thanked Henriette for her help in the middle of the night, but as breakfast progressed, Peter and Henriette noticed that both Mr. and Mrs. Holden seemed much more subdued than they had been the previous evening. Mrs. Holden finally confessed that when she had crossed the compound the night before, she had seen a woman with a baby and thought it strange that a woman would be outdoors with a baby in the middle of the night. Peter agreed and said that he'd check with the local ladies, but that the Hispanic women in the area tended to be somewhat superstitious and generally didn't go out after dark unless it was absolutely necessary.
In the dim moonlight, Mrs. Holden reported that she had noticed that the woman was wearing a black, lace veil (also known as a mantilla, although this was a fashion more commonly worn in the 1800's.) Holding her baby in her arms, the woman was moving away from the compound. Mrs. Holden said that she seemed to descend into the darkness, but after seeing what was east of the compound in daylight, she now realized that the woman and her baby had glided over the edge of an arroyo.
Mexican settlers who came to the area in the 1800's brought with them their folklore and their superstitions. One of the most well known is the story of La Llorona, or the Weeping Woman. The legend says that the beautiful woman's name was Maria. Thinking that her children were keeping her from the man she loved, she drowned them in the river. But after being once again rejected by her love, she took her own life. When she reached heaven, she was denied entry until she found her children. And so the weeping woman is thought to wander the rivers and acequias looking for her drowned children. To this day, many mothers will warn their children not to play near the water or be out after dark...or La Llorona may take them to replace the children that she lost. |
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Content and images on this site are the property of Michael Hurd, Tiffanie Owen and the Hurd-La Rinconada Gallery & Guest Homes/Sentinel Ranch. Reproduction of the content on this site is prohibited without the express written consent of the owner. All rights reserved.
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