Kate Withers - 'Painting Space'

8x10            oil on canvas             Sold Here in Capitol Reef country.. huge spectacular clouds are frequent during the summer monsoon season. They dwarf the massive rock formations below.. rising and floating over the land like an alien armada.. and just when you aren't paying attention.. they disappear.. or they might evolve into a fast-moving deluge.  Best to be prepared if you are out and about in this glorious changing landscape.

If you have ever visited Capitol Reef National Park.. you know there are many different reef formations in the region.  This painting was inspired by the moonlike landscape found just outside the east side of the Park.  Clay and old ancient sand dunes with hardly any plants growing.. afternoon light on the Reef. 8x10     oil on canvas View at the Rim Rock Restaurant in Torrey Utah

Finding the right colors for this piece was a challenge..paints are so limited in their range.   Many of the colors used in this piece are straight from the tube.. no white at all.  My inspiration was the intense molten colors of sunset on the rock formations near Torrey.. the beginning of the magic hour.  8x10      oil on canvas Private Collection

6x6     oil on gallery-wrapped canvas     Sold Gallery 24 - Torrey - Utah This was easier to paint than I expected .. never tried an onion as a subject and was worried about creating the papery impression of the skin.  Instead of usual sienna paint.. I used gold ochre as the base color .. lemon and cad yellow as the lights .. mixed turquoise from cerulean and lemon .. and multi-colored glazes over a grayed cool shadow.  The onion sat under a spotlight on my studio table .. so strong contrast was called for .. that's why I chose blue-green as the complement to the orange-colored subject.  Voila! .. the turquoise onion. *This is a photo of the onion on my desk top .. painting from life is the best way to learn to see color and closely observe a subject .. still lifes are ideal.

6x6     oil on gallery-wrapped canvas Gallery 24 - Torrey - Utah This was a great subject to paint .. took quite awhile .. and this photo is only a facsimile of the real thing .. the paint is much more subtle and modeled.  However .. it's a worthy impression and gives you an idea of what I was trying to convey ... the glowing quality and the wonderful saturated orange of the stripes.

6x6      oil on gallery-wrapped canvas Purchase info Winter is a good time for practicing close observation of objects ... painting while the cold winds blow outside .. small studies are fun to do in the warmth of the studio. Sometimes these can be a real challenge .. like this one .. the red from the light shining through the bottle was beautiful .. like stained glass. I may have to try this one again .. I have had zero practice painting glass .. on to the next one!