THE MARTIN BOWDIN GALLERY IN THE PURGATORY REVISITED:

Bear and fox, Bowden Trail, Picketwire Canyon, Colorado. Eldon Brown photograph from John and Daphne Rudolph.

Back in August and September of 2015 I did a column in two parts about paintings produced by a gentleman named Martin Bowden on the cliffs of the Purgatoire (Picketwire) Canyon in southeastern Colorado. Some time later I was contacted by a wonderful lady named Alanna Blu who had become enthusiastic about Bowden’s art and wished to work to preserve it. Her efforts have since borne considerable fruit and I wish to celebrate her work and results here in RockArtBlog.

Closeup of the bear, Bowden Trail, Picketwire Canyon, Colorado. Eldon Brown photograph from John and Daphne Rudolph.

Instead of trying to describe a project that I can take very little credit for I will let Alanna describe it in her own words. "What began as a small grassroots effort to reconstruct Martin Bowden's history has steadily expanded into a much larger preservation and documentation enitiative. The mayor of Trinidad has publicly embraced the importance of Bowden's legacy, KOAA5 out of Colorado Springs recently filmed a public-innterest feature on the project, and multiple archaeological and preservation groups have now reached out independently after following the work online" (BLu 2026) My original columns on Bowden included over a dozen pictures of his work. Alanna has noww amassed considerably more material, peserved and made available to the public.

Burro, Bowden Trail, Picketwire Canyon, Colorado. Eldon Brown photograph from John and Daphne Rudolph.

Blu has also been working to share her knowledge of these unique works of rock art. "Most recently, I was invited to give a presentation for an archaeological society, and SPACES (Saving and Preserving Arts and Cultural Environments), the international organization dedicated to visionary environments and outsider art sites, has also contacted me about the project. The conversation around Bowden is shifting from 'local curiosity' into a broader discussion about whether Colorado contains a historically significant outsider folk art environment that deserves long-term documentation and preservation attention. Through all of this, I've continued emphasizing that this effort is fundamentally about documentation, historical reconstruction, and preserving memory - especially as th canyon artwork continues to deteriorate with time." (Blu 2026)

Eldon Brown family visiting , Bowden Trail, Picketwire Canyon, Colorado. Eldon Brown photograph from John and Daphne Rudolph.

She approached this project with a concern to preserve the works and Bowdin’s memory. “Through all of this, I’ve continued emphasizing that this effort is fundamentally about documentation, historical reconstruction, and preserving memory — especially as the canyon artwork continues to deteriorate with time.” Through all of this, I’ve continued emphasizing that this effort is fundamentally about documentation, historical reconstruction, and preserving memory — especially as the canyon artwork continues to deteriorate with time.” (Blu 2026) I could not have said this any better myself. As a student of rock art our goal has to be, as Alanna said, “documentation, historical reconstruction, and preserving memory.”

Eldon Brown's daughters and tiger, Bowden Trail, Picketwire Canyon, Colorado. Eldon Brown photograph from John and Daphne Rudolph.

She has expressed her gratitude to the community for their participation and coming forward with pictures and stories. Those were very valuable when she was putting together pieces of the history of Martin and his life in the canyon. (Blu 2026)

Blu's hard work has resulted in an impressive suite of references on Bowden's creations including the following Wikipedia and Facebook pages. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Bowden

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_Canyon_(Purgatoire_River)

In Facebook search for ‘Martin Bowden and the Painted Canyon.’

She has also registered a Colorado non-profit foundation and is working on a nomination for the National Register of Historic Sites.

It is personally very gratifying to have had a small part in the inspiration for all of this hard work and enthusiasm. I also wish to give credit to John and Daphne Rudolph for the photographs by Eldon Brown of Bowden's paintings that I used. It also gives me great pleasure to know that the future of Martin Bowden's work is in such good hands. Alanna, good work, and thank you. 

REFERENCE:

Blu, Alanna, 2026, personal communication by e-mail.

Faris, Peter, 2015, The Martin Bowdin Gallery in the Purgatory – Part 1, 29 August 2015. https://rockartblog.blogspot.com

Faris, Peter, 2015, The Martin Bowdin Gallery in the Purgatory – Part 2, 5 September 2015. https://rockartblog.blogspot.com