Painting Route 66: An Artist Road Trip

An Artist Road Trip 15 artists from Santa Fe, New Mexico capture the essence of the mother road to California in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of Historic Route 66.

The exhibit, organized by Santa Fe artist Carole Belliveau, will be held at the Luna Gallery in San
Juan Bautista, California. Paintings feature well-known iconic locations along Route 66 as well
as remnants of gas stations, rusty vehicles and old buildings.

“Painting Route 66: An Artist Road Trip,” is the result of a collaborative project led by Santa Fe
artist, Stephanie West.

The Route 66 project began with an unforgettable trip to Tucumcari, NM, in October 2023 with
artist Wendy Ahlm. That journey sparked a vision — one that grew stronger after reading a
newspaper article about the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s efforts to honor Route
66. The concept of celebrating this iconic highway through art took root, paving the way for
more fun and adventure with other great artists.”

In October 2024, West rallied twelve fellow creatives for a journey along the original Mother
Road, Route 66, destined for Tucumcari, NM. The artists met up to paint the town ‘en plein air,’
meaning painting outside from life. Over the course of three days, more than 30 paintings were
produced.

Driven by a desire to document these locations before they disappear, the artists have
continued to paint locations along Route 66. In addition to Tucumcari, other road trips included
Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Gallup in New Mexico as well as Holbrook, Winslow and Kingman,
Arizona to name a few.

The art itself will take a road trip. Elizabeth May of Eldorado, New Mexico, will transport all of
the New Mexico paintings to Luna Gallery by car – for the most part, along Route 66.
Artworks will be on display and available to purchase at the Luna Gallery in San Juan Bautista,
CA from June 21 to August 10, 2025. Visit the gallery website at https://www.lunagallery.art/
for inquiries about paintings. 831-623-2783 lunaecoart107@gmail.com