'PROCESSION'

5x7 oil on canvas/board

Here is a piece I completed last fall...the compelling stone formations of Arches National Park...one of my favorites regions in the West. I am going to rework this a little...I think there is too much orange [even tho the landscape really is this strong color]. This painting demonstrates a too-common pitfall for artists...copying the landscape. I would suggest to artists painting this scene to concentrate on capturing the atmosphere and not be a slave to what you see. Even tho the soil and rocks are all bright sienna [those strong earth colors of the palette]...the challenge is to present this wonderful land with Southwest ambience without the harsh coloration...to make it more believable even tho it really is unbelievable! Purple may be the answer...and perhaps a different foreground treatment. I will try to post the revised version tomorrow.
A weather note: We had one of our fanastic desert storms here yesterday...flash floods, dramatic skies, and the strong pungent odor of wet cresote ...still drizzling today. Rainy gray days are for books... I took time off from the easel to read true cases of art theft from major museums all over the world ... happens more than you might think. Anyway.. good thing SpaceCamp is on high ground!