Robert Nicolais
New Mexico landscapes
robertnicolais.com
Painter and woodworker Robert Nicolais spent a summer in El Rito in 1966 working on an archeological dig. After finishing architecture school he returned here to work for pioneer builder Peter van Dresser. He bought some property in the area and, as he says, "did my own riff on Henry David Thoreau." He made the adobes, laid the adobes and framed the roof. His paintings reflect his love for the landscape of northern New Mexico and the outdoors.