In the Footsteps of the Taos Society of Artists: Barbara Cleary’s Artistic Pilgrimage
Barbara Cleary (1935-2010), the visionary artist behind the art collection at Barbara Cleary Designs, has long drawn inspiration from the legendary Taos Society of Artists—an early 20th-century collective that helped establish Taos, New Mexico, as a vital hub for American art. Compelled by the same magnetic pull that captivated artists like Ernest Blumenschein, Bert Geer Phillips, Joseph Henry Sharp, E. Irving Couse, Oscar Berninghaus, and W. Herbert Dunton, Barbara embarked on her own pilgrimage to Taos. Her goal was not only to study their legacy but to experience firsthand the sacred beauty, rich history, and vibrant culture of the region they so passionately painted.
Cleary’s journey through northern New Mexico became a hallmark of her career. Following in the footsteps of these artistic pioneers, she developed a deep connection to the land—a connection that radiates through her expansive body of work. Her collection of oil and watercolor paintings focuses on many of the same dramatic landscapes, adobe villages, and high desert vistas that once inspired the Taos Society. The ethereal light and spiritual resonance of the Southwest are captured in each brushstroke, creating a dialogue between past and present.
Barbara was also drawn to the legacy of women artists who found their creative voice in New Mexico. Figures like Georgia O’Keeffe, Dorothy Brett, and Rebecca Salsbury James found in Taos and Abiquiú a place of solitude and inspiration, free from the constraints of the mainstream art world. Much of the Barbara Cleary collection pays homage to these women by capturing the same haunting beauty of the Ghost Ranch region, the Pedernal mesas, and the timeless structures of Abiquiú and Taos. Her work channels the bold spirit and independence that O’Keeffe embodied, while infusing it with her own contemporary sensitivity and reverence for the land.
Today, Barbara Cleary Designs is proudly based in Taos, New Mexico—where her granddaughter, Jenna Layden, is working to bring her work full circle. Jenna is now living and painting among the very landscapes that once stirred a generation of iconic artists, including her grandmother, Barbara, continuing the artistic lineage that made Taos a creative sanctuary. Jenna has plans to relocate the extensive collection of Barbara Cleary original art to Taos in 2025, giving it a new permanent residence and opportunity for the public to view the collection in the coming years.