TRINIDAD, Colo. (KOAA) — What started as a homeschool project between a mother and her daughter has grown into a community effort to preserve the legacy of a little-known artist whose work has largely disappeared from public view.
Last fall, Alanna Blu wanted to teach her daughter about Martin Bowden, a man she heard stories about while living in Trinidad.
"I said, 'Hey, you remember that kind of kooky guy Martin Bowden that did all that art? Let's learn about him today,'" recalled Blu. "Well, there was nothing."
Aside from a blog post, Blu found almost no information documenting Bowden's life or work. That discovery launched, what she calls, the Martin Bowden Archival Project.
According to Blu's research, Bowden was born in France, but settled in Las Animas County after emigrating with his family. From there, Bowden worked in coal mines, as a cowboy and homesteaded before his journey as an artist began.
While living in Purgatory Canyon, located about 18 miles northeast of Trinidad, Bowden carved and painted artwork across the canyon walls over the course of 40 years. He died in 1958.
Blu says Bowden produced more than 60 images within the canyon, a process involving chiseling outlines into the rock and then applying paint.
"The first thing that piqued my interest was a dirty hermit that lived on the edge of a canyon," said Blu. "I thought, 'What?'"
As Blu spoke with longtime residents, stories about Bowden spread by word of mouth. Soon, those conversations turned into something larger.
People began reaching out to Blu directly with memories or photos of the canyon. Others found flyers she posted throughout southern Colorado, leading them to a Facebook page she created called Martin Bowden and The Painted Canyon.
In just nine months, Blu says she has collected hundreds of photos documenting Bowden and his artwork. Many came to her through social media. Others, directly from members of Bowden’s family.
Bowden’s great-great-nephew, Rob Cuccia, happened to see Blu’s Facebook page and reached out to her to find out what information he could provide.
“What she’s found in the time... has been amazing, how much she’s found and talked about,” said Cuccia. “She’s very tenacious.”
Cuccia says his family does not want Bowden to be remembered as a hermit, like he’s been described in the past, but for his art. Blu agrees.
“What I really started to grasp was that this man was highly intelligent, that he was an outsider artist, and that he had been overlooked,” said Blu. “What he worked on for 40 years that disappeared in just one generation, it can’t be that way.”
Bowden's artwork features Western scenes and wildlife. Today, however, the canyon sits on private property and is no longer accessible to the public.
To preserve what is left of his work, Blu wants History Colorado to conduct a homestead study of the property. She also plans to submit everything she has gathered to the Library of Congress.
“I’m so grateful that his name is being spoken again, he deserves that,” said Blu. “I made a promise to this man that I would bring him back into history, and I’m honored that it’s happening.”
Email Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at meghan.glova@koaa.com. Follow Meghan Glova KOAA on Facebook.
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