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As a writer, I've always been attracted to artist coloniesÑthose peculiar outposts of individualism populated by eccentric characters determined to earn a living by following their creative impulses.

Taos, therefore, topped the list of places to visit on my first trip to New Mexico. An enchanting little kingdom of galleries, studios and storybook adobe architecture, it matched my notions of what an art community should be.

On a tour of art museums, our guide, a 35-year resident of Taos, called his town the "world's largest unfenced insane asylum, a real magnet for black sheep, losers and anyone else who does not fit into the mainstream of American society."

While his words may have been a bit strong, they were music to my ears. Just the kind of offbeat place I'm always seeking in my travels, Taos (rhymes with "house") is definitely out of the mold.

In his book "The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America," John Villani mirrors my tour guide's remarks. The first sentence in his Taos chapter reads, "Since the early 1900s, the dramatic beauty of the high desert surrounding Taos has drawn artists, art collectors, vagabonds and black sheep."

Some Taos residents trace their history back to the late 1960s, when hippies set up communes here on this plateau at the southern end of the Rockies, locally known as the Sangre Cristo Mountains. Their laid-back lifestyle is still the norm, making Taos a refreshing escape hatch for tourists. (Men with gray ponytails affirm the counterculture lives on.) Actor/filmmaker Dennis Hopper used the northern New Mexico town as a backdrop in his 1969 anti-establishment movie "Easy Rider" and moved to Taos a year later.

Even if you don't come with an appreciation for art, you still may find Taos a masterpiece. Merely by visiting the various museums and galleries, you'll soak up a lot by osmosisÑthe art grows on you because it's all around. I was surprised to see so many works glowing with bright colorsÑpainters of landscapes and figures are not afraid of electric hues.

The same reds, brilliant turquoise and hot pinks accent signs and murals that adorn the earth-toned adobe buildings.

The streetscapes remind you of a movie set or theme park, but a coating of reddish dust (turning to mud in winter) adds a layer of authenticity; an element of scruffiness makes it all the more real.

Ristras, those signature strands of dried chilies that festoon many buildings, just seem to say "New Mexico" and make good souvenirs, too. Vendors also sell strings of Indian corn, garlic and gourds.

Casual visitors who are totally oblivious to art just enjoy the Southwestern ambience, reflected in the threads of Indian, Hispanic and cowboy cultures woven into everyday life. Dining is another treat in Taos, a town of 6,500 that boasts a disproportionate number of restaurants (more than 70) as well as art galleries (almost 100). In fact, half the population in some way is engaged in the fine or culinary arts. Restaurants display original art (often for sale), and a few chefs have become accomplished artists themselves. About 250 painters, potters, sculptors, and craftspeople ply their trades on a full-time basis. There are hundreds more part-timers. Writers, filmmakers and musicians add to the talented mix.

Though artists now flock to Taos for its culture of creativity, the original draw was its clear, high-desert light. Early painters compared it to the ethereal light of southern France. They were fascinated not only by the crisp mountain landscapes but the intriguing blend of Pueblo Indian and Spanish cultures.

In 1898 two American painters bound for Mexico, Bert Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein, started the stampede of artists after a broken axle on their wagon left them stranded in Taos. They discovered the light and stayed, then invited others to join them. A generation of artists from the East and Europe followed in their footsteps, eventually forming the famed Taos Society of Artists in 1912, the year New Mexico became the 47th state.

Mabel Dodge Luhan, a New York heiress who married a local Indian, became a patron of the art colony and invited to Taos such writers and artists as D.H. Lawrence, Willa Cather, Thornton Wilder, Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe. Her house is now a bed-and-breakfast inn. The E.L. Blumenschein Home & Museum, an adobe building dating from the 1700s, exhibits paintings by the co-founder of the Taos Society of Artists, plus works by his wife Mary and daughter Helen. You can learn about Russian portrait artist/master woodcarver Nicolai Fechin at the Taos Museum of Art at Fechin House. The adobe home Fechin built in the late 1920s and early 30s showcases his handcrafted furniture, doors, windows and moldings; galleries display changing exhibits of paintings by Fechin, early Taos artists and contemporary artists. History buffs like the Kit Carson Home and Museum, another adobe landmark. It encompasses the home where the legendary Indian agent, explorer and mountain man lived from 1843 to 1868.

Popularized in dime novels as a hero on the western frontier, Carson achieved near mythological status in his own lifetime.

These house-museums are within easy walking distance of Taos Plaza, the town's focal point. Shops selling Indian crafts, Western wear, antiques and fine art occupy historic stucco buildings ringing the tree-shaded square. More shops and galleries are packed into side streets and pedestrian lanes.Though some of the art in these galleries fetches $10,000 and up, casual browsers don't feel intimided. The atmosphere is friendly and low-key. Subject matter ranges from Pueblo Indian life to classic Southwestern landscapes to the abstract.

Perhaps the town's most famous artist is R.C. Gorman, whose Navajo Gallery on Ledoux Street has been a Taos fixture since 1968. Best known are portraits of Indian women in which he uses a shawl or blanket to suggest rather than define shape. Most of his figures are portrayed as earthy, stoic and nurturing. Lithographs, oil pastel drawings, silkscreens, bronzes and signed posters round out Gorman's premium-priced offerings.

If you're inspired by Taos' artistic environment, become a "student" at 3 Dog Studios and paint your own pottery. It's good hands-on fun and a lasting memory of Taos. Choose from plates, dog bowls, cookie jars, even chess sets. You can paint your purchase for $5 (free instruction included), then have it glazed and fired. The studio bills itself as "a creative outlet for seasoned ceramicists, newcomers, and the creatively challenged."

Michael's Kitchen, a block south of 3 Dog Studios, is a great restaurant choice any time of day, offering more than 250 menu choices, including traditional Mexican and Spanish dishes. I popped in for breakfast and had blue corn pancakes sprinkled with pinon nuts. Breakfast burritos are served all day. Bakery favorites are the giant cream puffs, crunchy apple fritters and "the largest cinnamon roll known to man."

An upscale dining landmark on Paseo Pueblo del Norte is Doc Martin's at the 36-room Historic Taos Inn, a cluster of adobe buildings dating as far back as the 1660s. Housed in the former office of Thomas P. Martin, Taos County's only doctor for 40 years, the restaurant serves creative dinner entrees such as maple-cured venison with carrot fries and mango ketchup and prickly pear-glazed salmon accompanied by lavender rice. For an appetizer, get the lobster bread pudding with fresh herbs and sherry cream. The inn's Adobe Bar, featuring live entertainment in the inn's two-story lobby, is called "the living room of Taos."

No visitor to Taos should miss Taos Pueblo, a home for the Pueblo tribe's Tiwa people for more than 1,000 years. Located north of town, the apartment-like adobe dwellingsÑthe upper levels accessible by ladderÑhave changed little over the centuries. Of New Mexico's 19 pueblo communities along the Rio Grande (there once were 76), this is the oldest and most photogenic. About 150 Tiwa-speaking people live here, with 1,900 others on reservation land nearby. Besides the multi-story structures, the village has ground-level adobe houses as well.

Visitors can wander around Taos Pueblo on their own or take a guided tour. You might see women and girls gathering water from a streamÑhouses and apartments have no running water or electricity. Heat comes from a wood stove or fireplace. Corn dances and certain other ceremonial events are open to the public.

Shopkeepers in the ancient buildings sell jewelry, pottery, moccasins, drums, and other souvenirs. Also for sale are cookies, mini pies, and hot fry bread made in outdoor hornos, or igloo-shaped adobe ovens. Other sights include an 1850 Catholic church and the ruins of one burned by the U.S. Cavalry. The Tiwa traditionally have been farmers, growing beans, squash and corn, but many now have other jobs. Taos Pueblo, governed by a tribal council, has its own fire department, medical office and public works department, and it owns a casino.

In Rancho de Taos, a community south of town, a must stop is San Francisco de Asis Church. Defined by the massive buttresses supporting its back walls, it's been the subject of countless paintings and photographs.

The Taos area also inspires outdoor enthusiasts. A year-round alpine playground, it offers everything from mountain biking and horseback riding to fly fishing and llama trekking. The famous Taos Box of the Rio Grande River is nirvana for whitewater rafters and kayakers. Taos Ski Valley, run by the same family that founded it in 1955, clings to tradition. Appealing to purists, the ski resort is one of four in the country that bans the increasingly popular sport of snowboarding. Less glitzy than many competitors in Utah and Colorado, Taos Ski Valley costs 15 to 20 percent less and claims no lift linesÑeven at Christmas.

Taos Ski Valley lies a few miles off the Enchanted Circle, an 86-mile sightseer's dream anchored by Wheeler Peak, the highest crest in New Mexico at 13,161 feet. Taos is the hub of the circle and a logical starting point on this National Forest Scenic Byway, but you can begin your journey from several communities on the route, such as Questa, Eagle Nest and the ski communities of Angel Fire and Red River.

Indeed, this whole part of northern New Mexico is enchanted. In the words of novelist D.H.Lawrence: "You cannot come to Taos without feeling that here is one of the chosen spots on earth."

Know before you go...

The following information may be helpful in planning a trip to Taos, New Mexico: Location: Sheltered by the Sangre Cristo Mountains, Taos sits on a high-desert mesa 72 miles north of Santa Fe, a drive of about one hour and 15 minutes.

Elevation: 6,967 feet in town; 9,207 feet at the base of Taos Ski Valley.

Population: 6,213 year-round inhabitants.

Weather: Summer temperatures rarely go above 85 degrees in town, with evenings in the 40s and 50s. Winter temperatures reach 30 to 40 degrees.