‘Ode To The Mother Road, Route 66 Centennial Art Exhibit’ At Step Up Gallery Until July 23

Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on July 1, 2026
- 8:21 am

‘Breakfast on Route 66’ oil painting by Marcia Williams. Courtesy photo

‘Lunch on Route 66’ oil painting by Marcia Williams. Courtesy photo

Step Up Gallery News:

Ode to the Mother Road, Route 66 Centennial Art Exhibit, now showing in Step Up Gallery at Mesa Public Library, has some wonderful art not to be missed!

Above are two oil paintings by Marcia Williams of Santa Fe. Although Marcia is a plein air painter as well, these studio paintings are done with some family history in mind.

Marcia explains “I have boxes of family photos from both sides of my family including many black and white photos. The images of my family are finding their way into my paintings. One photo, in particular, has stayed with me, a photo of my mother’s family by the side of the road in 1938. They were on their way to California via Route 66. My grandfather had built a trailer to pull behind the car with everything they needed for their trip to California. My grandmother, my mother and her two sisters are posing with their breakfast bowls in clothes that my grandmother probably made.

“Route 66 was paved in the 30’s and was a lifeline for many leaving the Dust Bowl and heading for a new life in California. My mother’s family were lucky to be heading to California for other reasons, but their photo which I made into a painting ‘Breakfast on Route 66’ led me to envisioning a companion painting, ‘Lunch on Route 66’. This painting shows people who were more desperate, packing everything they owned on their car, or on foot with what could be carried, heading west. The dust cloud on the right and abandoned farmhouse give background to the narrative. These two paintings expand the story of Route 66, as it was more than just ‘getting your kicks on Route 66’ Santa Fe fabric artist, Cynthia Fowler is all about ‘getting your kicks on Route 66!’”

Allan Hopkins from White Rock had one of his entries chosen for the show poster. See Allan below at the show’s opening reception in front his two pieces of art.

One of Wendy Ahlm’s (Tijeras) plein air paintings was featured as the back inside cover of last week’s Pasatiempo Magazine. Congratulations Wendy!

This celebratory exhibit will run through July 23.

Step Up Gallery is on the top level of Mesa Public Library at 2400 Central Ave., Los Alamos NM. The gallery is open the same hours as the library: 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

‘Get Your Kicks on Route 66’ Art Quilt by Cynthia Fowler. Courtesy photo

Allan Hopkins in front of his two entries ‘Route 66: Vintage Road Trip’ and ‘Route 66: Shelby Cobra’; at the show’s opening reception. Courtesy photo