Kate Withers - 'Painting Space'

This piece was inspired by my explorations of the Awapa Plateau .. a vast high-elevation region just outside Capitol Reef in Utah.  Large swaths of open rolling meadows are dotted with thick stands of trees clustered together as protection from the formidable winds. Nice and cool up here on hot summer days .. great camping .. one of my favorite places in this great state. 18x18     oil on canvas

5x7   oil on canvas panel    SOLD Here is one of my personal favorites.. a small oil I had completed in the last few months. It was sold a few days ago... I wanted to post it anyway as an example of meeting a painting challenge I had set for myself. While driving on one of the lonely highways across the Painted Desert region of northern Arizona... a storm was quickly approaching [weather can change quickly on the high desert].. and I almost didn't see this scene unfolding in front of me.. a rainbow just starting to form.. the subtle veil of colors coalescing against the dark backdrop of the stormy sky. My goal was to translate this great subject to canvas.. the electric light of the last rays of the setting sun.. the rainbow.. a sense of impending manifestation. How did I do?

8x10     oil on canvas panel     SOLD The beginning of a new series of highway/road oil paintings gleaned from my extensive travels.. based on one of the hundreds of road photos in my collection. The title of this piece is from a famous book detailing impressions of the less-travelled regions of the U.S.. written by William Least Heat-Moon. And the asphalt really is blue in the mid-day sun. I love the open highways in the Outback regions of the West.. no traffic.. just light and space.. plenty of time to soak-in the countryside.. cruising .. the good life.

8x10 oil on canvas panel After getting settled in our new camp and taking a few weeks off exploring the high elevations of Great Basin National Park.. it is time to get back to work! To warm up.. a few quick pieces. Here is the underpainting for a sky study from a photo I took last summer over the Grand Canyon from Mather Point. I also completed two small oils of Wheeler Peak... he highest mountain close to our camp.. will post them later. My current goal is to be much faster painting these small oils.. more impressionistic with the objective of getting an juicy expressive stroke with just the right color and value in one go.. whew!  This kind of work demands concentration and letting go at the same time.. like a dance.. a spicy tango.