Santa Elena Canyon Big Bend National Park Wall Art | Rio Grande Print

At Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park the Rio Grande squeezes between two vertical walls and comes out into the light. This vintage poster stands in the shallows and looks straight up the slot: the sunlit wall glowing apricot on the right, its twin held in cool blue shadow on the left, and the river throwing sparks all the way to your feet.

Why you'll love it

• Painted in the golden-age national park poster style: the limestone cut into faceted planes of tan and slate blue, the water stippled with small white glints, and stands of river cane drawn stroke by stroke along both banks.
• It names the exact place. Santa Elena Canyon, Rio Grande, Texas, with the park date and the coordinates 29.25 N, 103.25 W set along the bottom edge.
• The canyon walls rise roughly 1,500 feet above the river, and the Rio Grande here is the international boundary, with Mexico on the far wall and the United States on the near one.
• Pale river blue, apricot stone, slate shadow and golden cane make a calm palette for a bedroom, a bathroom or a north-facing room that needs warmth.
• Drawn in the same style as the rest of the 63-park series, so several hang together as one set.

Materials and sizes

• Paper: museum-grade matte art paper with archival pigment inks, 2:3 vertical format.
• Canvas: matte gallery canvas, or ready-to-hang framed canvas in white, black, espresso or natural wood.
• Sizes: 8x12" through 30x40", plus A4 to A1 for European frames.
• Made to order with colour-managed printing.

Styling it at home

The two canyon walls make a natural frame inside the frame, so this print pulls the eye down its centre and suits a narrow wall, a stairwell return or the space between two windows. Warm and cool sit in equal measure here, which means it can bridge a room where the woodwork is honey oak but the textiles are grey or denim. Hang it a little lower than usual so the river reads at eye level.

Shipping and care

Paper prints ship rolled in a rigid tube. Framed canvas arrives ready to hang with hardware fitted. Keep the print out of direct sunlight and wipe the surface with a dry, soft cloth.

FAQ

How is this different from the other Big Bend prints in the shop? This is the Santa Elena Canyon view, with the location and coordinates lettered at the foot of the poster. The other Big Bend designs show different views in mid-century, oil painting and watercolour styles.

Is a frame included with the paper print? No. Paper prints ship unframed; the framed options are the framed canvas materials.