Monique Belitz

Monique Belitz’s work is celebrated for its deep connection to the land, and that’s exactly what brought her to live in Lama, a small mountain community just north of Taos.

“It’s where the eye can travel endlessly in each direction. Clouds veil the mountains and  sometimes obscure the valley below. Intricately drawn desert patterns are all around me,” she says. “I have the choice between mountains, the Rio Grande Gorge, piñon forests or close-up wildflowers. I can breathe freely in this wide open space.”

Since moving to the Taos area, Monique has been working in two different techniques. The first is a combination of painting and drawing using acrylic ink, either on paper or on wooden cradled boards. The second approach is mixed media, using watercolors, prints and drawings to create collaged landscapes. Using an innovative sequence of techniques, she first blocks in the main shapes with a brush, then uses pen and ink to overlay the painting with patterns and fine detail.

She describes her paintings as “mental snapshots” of the ever-changing quality of light, color and mood of the panoramic vistas she observes while driving and while on her property in Lama. 

Monique was born in the Netherlands and raised near Munich, Germany. Her global journey eventually led her to Albuquerque, where she earned an MFA in painting and drawing and a master’s in art history at the University of New Mexico. After a dual career teaching in higher education and pursuing her love for painting, she is now a full-time artist and gardener. She has  participated in more than 150 solo and group exhibitions internationally, including recurring shows at the Albuquerque Museum and the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos.