Les Overlock is no stranger to capturing New Mexico with his brush, and his works can be seen at Umpqua Bank in the new exhibition “The Land of Enchantment: From Taos to Abiquiu.”

The artist and former long-time Liberty High School teacher who has contributed “The Buzz” and “The Buzzard” to the Herald since 2008 first became enamored with the region after seeing the 1969 film “Easy Rider,” which he saw in New York during a break in a job interview.

“I asked myself ‘Why am I doing this when I could be doing that instead?’” he said.

Overlock was inspired to visit the area of Taos 24 years later when a former student at a Chicago high school where Overlock taught told him she was recovering from a bike accident and that he had appeared to her in an out-of-body experience. The student did dental work at the Taos Pueblo and invited Overlock to visit her. She introduced him to the natives and culture, and this began an annual odyssey where Overlock would come to the area to paint.

Overlock has had a fascination with Native American culture since he was a young boy replicating the Pueblo buildings he had seen in photographs in his sandbox. This intrigue was only deepened after visiting New Mexico and meeting some of the Pueblo elders.

“Everything emanates from Pueblo,” he said. “I got to meet local people over there who do all kinds of craftwork. They were interested in me painting pictures of their home.”

Overlock has displayed his New Mexican artwork before, including at a Gallerie Renee Marie exhibit last year. His new exhibit at Umpqua Bank is a summation of the area as well as his own style.

“I’m into shapes, colors and how they all fit together in the universe,” he said.

The first painting on display, “Ghost Ranch View,” captures a 21,000-acre retreat near the village of Abiquiu.

“Somebody said, ‘You need to go to Ghost Ranch,’” he said. “It’s much more isolated, it’s away from Taos, but it has all the same ingredients in the sense that it’s a magical land.”

Overlock was particularly inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe who famously visited the region in 1934.

“She ended up there and started painting and became absolutely enamored with the colors,” he said. “I would have to go to the art store and get a whole new set of acrylics because of the colors. There’s a lot of purples, a lot of reds, just a blend of colors. Color is something I highlight in my work.”

Another landmark that O’Keeffe painted that Overlock also captured was the El Santuario de Chimayo. The chapel was built in 1816 after the area was settled by Christians and is now operated by the Catholic Church. It is considered a contemporary pilgrimage site drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and features a shrine to St. Francis of Assisi. Overlock’s painting coupled with his illustrations of a mission in the unincorporated community of Dixon are meant to capture the spiritual side of New Mexico.

“I really was attracted to a variety of the missions and the churches that are down there, and they all have an excellent history,” he said.

Other paintings include a hut in Abiquiu, a Pueblo oven, a dog— a popular species with the Pueblo culture, and the Sacred Mountain, which rises tall over the region.

“Wherever you go in Taos,” Overlock said, “you can see the Sacred Mountain. It doesn’t look very imposing, but anywhere you go in Taos, you’re gonna see that mountain.”

Overlock said part of the mountain’s allure is that it is closed off to everyone except the natives.

“When you tell someone you can’t go there, you kind of want to be there,” he said, “but it’s not gonna happen.”

Overlock said New Mexico was particularly appealing because of its natural beauty, especially the sunsets.

“The sunsets there are beyond anything,” he said. “We have beautiful sunsets here in Benicia. At the Carquinez Bridge, you can see some pretty amazing sunsets, but these are very hard to beat.”

Overlock described the show as “a labor of love.”

“The Land of Enchantment” will be on display through Oct. 31 at Umpqua Bank, located at 1395 E. 2nd St. The bank’s hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. A reception will be held from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 21.