Nathaniel Franklin · Original Work
Large-scale sculpture, acrylic paintings, and watercolor works on paper — built by hand from reclaimed materials, exploring sky, ruin, and the American West.
2026 Music from Angel Fire · Official Festival Artwork
Featured by Music from Angel Fire as “Capulin Sunset”
Selected as the 2026 festival artwork for Music from Angel Fire, joining a lineage of New Mexico landscape artists commissioned for the series since 1984. The volcano at last light — orange, teal, deep violet. Textured surface. The sky over this land does not repeat itself.
Original — Live Auction
Bidding is open now — starts at $4,800, $100 increments, closes 12:00pm Wed, Aug 26.
To bid: call the festival office at 575-377-3233 or email info@musicfromangelfire.org
The original goes to auction through the festival — prints and canvas editions of the same piece are available directly below, any time.
Reclaimed Steel · Backlit · 44″ × 26″ × 5″ · Prairie Punk Gallery
Steel pulled from the high plains — including metal from the same 1966 Chevy hood that became The Chopper. Each panel sits at a different depth off the wall, backlit from behind. The shadows shift with the light in the room. Can be hung vertically or horizontally. One of a kind.
Reclaimed Steel Sculpture · 18 ft · Approx. 2,000 lbs
Three years in the making. Eighteen feet of reclaimed steel — a motorcycle sculpture built from the remnants of the American West. This is the piece everything else orbits.
Acrylic on Canvas · 36″ × 96″ · On View at Gallery House
Heavily textured. Copper patina and verdigris built up over the canvas — aerial geology, islands seen from altitude. On view at Gallery House, available for purchase.
Acrylic · 4-Panel · 22″ × 120″ · Original
Ten feet of sky at full burn. The kind of sunset that stops whatever you were doing. Four panels, one horizon. Framed prints available: 10″ × 60″, edition of 25, signed and numbered.
Prints available · $1,500 · signed & numbered · edition of 25
"After studying the skies for two decades, I've just recently begun the lifelong pursuit of attempting to capture the glory of these amazing displays." — Nathaniel Franklin
The Series
Illuminated forms is a play between hard materials and non tactile materials of light and shadow. as is typical in my work these can be material cast offs or remnants from other projects or just interesting found materials.
Hand-Carved · Cast · Backlit · No Reflection · Can be backlit or mirror installed
"You get to see whatever you want to see. Reality is separate." A hand mirror that shows you nothing. Gallery original is illuminated, no reflection. Reproductions available in illuminated or mirror versions, custom colorways, 3–4 week lead time.
Reclaimed Wood · Backlit · 60″ × 12″ × 4″ · Prairie Punk Gallery
Warm wood tones and fine blue lines set the stage for curving forms recalling musical strings. Subtle backlighting transforms the work into atmosphere, as though light itself were sound. Can be displayed vertically or horizontally.
Wood · Steel · LED · Freestanding · 12″ × 12″ × 48″ · Gallery House
Built from the cast-offs of Vanity. The curved wood panels are remnants — material that had no destination until this piece found its form. Backlit with LED, the light washes the wall and floor around it. Four feet tall, freestanding, available on view at Gallery House.
Reclaimed Wood · Backlit · 12″ × 60″ × 4″ · Prairie Punk Gallery
Created from Vanity cast-offs, this illuminated work suggests two figures leaning in quiet relation when vertical, or layered horizons when horizontal — an exploration of curve, light, and reflection. Can be hung horizontally or vertically.
Welded Stainless Steel · Burnished · On View at Gallery House
One of the first. Welded stainless, burnished to reveal the figure in the form. Custom matching pedestal. On view at Gallery House — one of the earliest sculptures, still one of the strongest.
Iron Sandstone · Hand-Fabricated Steel · 24″H × 28″L × 12″W
Iron-rich sandstone from the ranch, cut flat, epoxy finished. Custom steel cradle with heated through-bars wrapped around square stock. 200 lbs. One of a kind. Commissions open — no two stones are the same.
Works on Paper
Signed archival prints from my watercolor studies — elevators, storefronts, ruins, and relics across the High Plains and Mountain West. I am always adding to this collection with my travels and adventures. Check back often for new works.
Unframed · Archival
Framed · Signed · Free US Shipping
Prairie Relics · Ardell, KS
A grain elevator standing alone on the Kansas plain. Two studies available — white ground and open sky. Note which version you prefer at checkout.
Prairie Relics · Abilene, KS
The Purina mill complex in Abilene — silos, rust, and the scale of industrial agriculture written into the skyline.
Prairie Relics · Rural NM
A weathered International sitting where it stopped. The rust and patina carry the whole story of the high plains without a word.
Prairie Relics · Clayton, NM
One shoe in an abandoned building off of Clayton's Main Street. Painted as a symbol of presence and absence — this was once a home.
Main Street · Des Moines, NM
A deserted general store in Des Moines — once a hub of small-town life, still standing with the signage intact.
Main Street · Des Moines, NM
Painted abandoned — the first time the lights were turned on in two decades, now reborn as the Prairie Punk Gallery.
Main Street · Farley, NM
The old Farley general store — empty but still carrying the memory of the community it once served.
Main Street · Nara Visa, NM
Facing the railroad track in the forgotten town of Nara Visa, NM sits this little storefront. Its hard to say what it was originally but its easy to guess about the stories it could tell.
The Gallery
It's my studio and my storefront — a working creative space six miles from the ranch, outside Des Moines, New Mexico. Guests staying with us in Raton or at the Volcano View House can visit during their stay. Open by appointment only. It's not a polished white-box gallery. It's where I work.
Plan a VisitCommission work isn't for everyone, and that's by design. The best pieces come from the right conversation — the right space, the right client, the right problem. If you have something in mind, reach out. We'll figure out together whether it's a project worth doing.
Prints & Small Works
From $800
Custom watercolor studies. Specific locations, specific buildings, specific moments. Framed and signed.
Mid-Scale Works
$1,200 – $8,000
Illuminated steel forms, paintings, mixed-media sculpture. Sized for residential or commercial interior installation.
Large-Scale & Site-Specific
$8,000+
Statement sculpture, architectural-scale work, multi-panel paintings. These take time. They're worth it.
Every commission starts with a conversation — not a form.
Start That ConversationStay in the Loop
No noise. Just new pieces, available stays, and the occasional dispatch from the ranch.