Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Blooming chamisa and dark skies - plein air

Late August in Horse Gulch - 16x12"
pastel on black Strathmore paper
The chamisa in bloom, aka "rabbitbrush", are a sign that late summer is upon us, and fall is right behind.

This is the view along the nearby trail system area known as Horse Gulch, and specifically, along a trail  known as the "Meadow Loop".  It overlooks a sweeping view of sage, grasses and chamisa, and slopes up to a hillside of Gambel oak, pinyon and juniper.

It was in the low 90's when I went up in the mid-afternoon yesterday to start painting, and the sun was intense.  But, the light has a different quality to it - it is around this time that we start to notice that.   I had a bit more work to do on it when I got back, but it was too late to photograph it until this morning.

We are heading up to the Piedra River in a little bit for Wayne to do more fishing and of course I am bringing along my painting gear, though I have no idea what I'll paint today.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks Casey. I thought it actually looked sort of flat in the photo, but I'm glad it reads okay.

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  2. Another beauty, Sonya. Your ability to simplify a complex landscape amazes me. And you always add just the right touches of detail. Bravo!

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  3. Thanks so much, Darla. I still agonize over the detail-adding, though! A never-ending process, I think :).

    Thanks, LeAnn!

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Your thoughtful comments add value to this blog - thank you so much for taking the time to leave them!

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