Sky Friday - March 1 sunset

Boy - a week has already gone by without me posting.   The wiltingly hot and humid weather we've been having here this week has put a damper on my desire to paint in the studio room, which has no a/c, and my latest painting...is not working.

So, in lieu of posting failed paintings, I'll stick with more successful photos.

Today's post was one of the dedicated sunset shoots I went on, in late winter.   The sky looked promising early on, so instead of being limited to snapshots of pretty clouds from the confines of the Jonquil's courtyard, I hit the road.  Back in late December, I'd discovered a dirt road by the name Misty Ray, that was off Hwy 90 towards Sierra Vista.  I've taken other photos along that same road, and being situated in a basin, it offers 360 degrees of mountain views.  Glorious.

The sunset wasn't one of those high-drama types, as the clouds were primarily some high-level bands of cirrus and some mid-level altocumulus, which are variable as far as potential for intense color production.  Nonetheless, the skies did not disappoint.  Some of these photos actually remind me of paintings.

Early evening 

An altocumulus cloud, seen over San Jose Peak, shows off the muted tones and warm grays of the setting sun in this view to the south.  Cirrus clouds form an amorphous layer in the upper sky, adding a sense of depth.

Cloud line to the north

These scattered groups of altocumulus form a sweep across the sky, their varying colors giving 

an indication of the location of the sun.

Contrasts

A small cluster of altocumulus offers colors and sharp edges against the muted bands of the cirrus clouds over the northern part of the Huachucas.

A pastel sky

Rosy pinks and pale mauve-grays fill the sky in this view to the northwest.  The Whetstones make up the distal range on the left side of the photo.

Final light over the Huachucas

Cirrus clouds peak in their color against the silhouetted forms of the snow-covered Huachucas.

Sky Friday - from the archives

Nothing photo-worthy happening in the skies here lately, so I've gone back into the archives for material from this past winter, of which there was plenty.

These photos - taken almost 6 months ago to the day - were from a hike I took off Hwy 80, about 10-15 miles south of Tombstone.  The area is sparsely populated, with a few scattered homes out at the end of various non-descript dirt roads.  I drove out one, towards the base of some hills with exposed rock strata, intending to hike and scramble up.  Monkey came along with me.

The skies were offering a menacing potential for rain, but none came.  Even being the middle of winter, it wasn't particularly cold or windy - a fleece pullover was all I needed.

I am a big fan of the early 20th century western artist Maynard Dixon.  For those not familiar with his work, he was the master at expressing the southwestern landscape via his use of color and form, and distilling it to the bare minimum.  His skies and cloudscapes are incomparable, and are so associated with his work that people frequently use the term "Maynard Dixon skies" when describing a beautiful sky in the southwest.

These are examples of what I consider "Maynard Dixon skies":  dramatic, sweeping clouds playing center stage with the land as an accompaniment.   On a hot summer day when the humidity is creeping up, these are a reprieve.

South towards the Mule Mtns.  

Afternoon sun casts dramatic shadows on these hills under the colorful clouds.  The Mule Mtns. are in shadow in the center.   Focal length:  42mm.

Stratocumulus 

The clouds clearly dominate in this 18mm shot taken from the same vantage point as above.

Crepescular rays over the Huachucas

Discreet rays of sun - "God rays" - break through the clouds to illuminate Sierra Vista.

Another 18mm shot; view is to the west.

Winter over the Mustang and Whetstone ranges

Clouds in the far horizon add to the sense of scale in this view that is to the northwest.  A good example of the basin and range topography of southern AZ.  Focal length = 55mm.

Color study - pastel

Finally getting around to posting this painting I did on Thursday, I think.  Given the mini rut I was in, I thought returning to some color studies based on the "paint the same scene" concept I'd done back in October might be helpful.  I still ended up fighting with that a bit, and even though I took a photo of the other piece I did in the same sitting, it's just something I think I'll toss instead...not worth posting.

For these, I like to convert my reference photo to a black/white image; that way, I'm free to choose whatever colors I wish.

I chose a photo I took out near Coronado National Monument, south of the Huachuca Mtns., back in March.  I decided to try a square composition just for something different and so that I could alter sizes if I wanted.

Nice range of values, a foreground, middle ground and distal horizon.  Some interesting stuff .  I didn't do thumbnail sketches prior to beginning the first painting, which probably would have been a good idea.  I altered the composition a bit as I went.  

For this, I decided to stick with Unison pastels and went with an orange-yellow-purple palette, sort of a split compliment, and going strictly on values vs. colors.  It's kinda fun, color-wise.  If I can settle on a compositional arrangement I am happy with, I'll probably whip out a bunch of smaller studies in between other pieces.

Trees with grass and wash

9x9" 320-grit sandpaper

Sky Friday - Cumulus Sunset

Here is a 4-part set of the sunset from last Saturday. It was a cumulus kind of day - all types seen: humilis, mediocris, congestus and of course, cumulonimbus. As per usual, I got many shots, and several turned out quite well. One was the reference for a painting posted earlier in the week.

These four are essentially taken from all 4 directions, so are almost a 360 degree view of what I saw that evening.

Celebrating the glorious cumulus cloud:

To the West

Huachucas to the right side of the image.  The sun casts beautiful crepescular rays behind this nearby cumulus mediocris, while a row of stratocumulus make up the far horizon.

To the South, over San Jose Peak

This 18mm shot shows the variety of shapes and colors in the evening sky.  Most are cumulus humilis and c. mediocris, with the lowest level - stratocumulus - visible over the mountain and in the distance.

Cumulonimbus to the East

This magnificent cloud reflects the pink rays of the sun, while its attendant "accessory" clouds are already out of the range of the sun's main rays.

Cumulus Congestus to the North

These towering pink cloud columns and lower level stratus layer lie north of the Mules.  Congestus often build rapidly and often transform into cumulonimbus (rain-producing). 

Sky Friday - Sunset from March 2

The sky above Bisbee was filled with cirrus and other higher-level clouds in the late afternoon on Tuesday, so I headed out with my gear to the location south of Warren, and waited. When I got there, the sky had beautiful cloud formations going on, as well as a pair of parahelia (aka "sundogs") in the altostratus clouds. Very cool.  The sunset was beautiful for 360 degrees, from the intense, high-chroma colors to the west, to the pinks, blues and purples to the north, east and south. 

I may do a second part to this sky Friday post to include some of the non-sunset clouds, as well as a couple of the photos from the other views of the sunset sky.

In the meantime, here are a handful of selected images from the sunset sequence to the west.

Enjoy!

Higher-level cirrus clouds have just barely begun to take on some color, while the lower altostratus clouds are already in shadow.

The cirrus clouds are gradually disappearing, and now the main cloud group is taking on some golden color.

This zoomed-in shot shows more of the color and texture detail in the clouds as they continue their color change.  The cirrus clouds are now a glowing, pale pink.  The Huachuca Mtns. are on the right side of the photos in this set.

The colors continue to deepen as the angle of the setting sun's rays passing through the clouds shorten, and the cirrus clouds have all but disappeared from the sky.

A final photo, showing a full range of reds, oranges and yellows, with some dark purple-reds on the eastern-most edge of the clouds.

A trio of landscapes in pastel

This is a bit of a catch-up post, since I haven't had regular internet access for the past several days. I'd intended to post these throughout the week, but I've got plenty of new material to be adding, so I'll just include all of these together in a single post.

All are based on photos taken at various locations and dates, so there's no real continuity of subject, other than mountains and sky. Details follow each painting.  They're posted in the order completed.

"Winter Storm Over Mule Mtns" - 5x7

pastel on sanded paper mounted to acid-free matboard

$45 ppd, ready to frame

This small painting was based on a photo similar to this one.  I loved the way this one portion of the mountains was sunlit in an otherwise overcast sky, and the small area of precipitation adds to the sense of drama.  I also was finally able to use the pastels in the much-anticipated Mt. Vision thunderstorm grey set I recently received.  In fact, other than the foreground greens and yellows of the mountain, the rest of the painting was done with this set, demonstrating its versatility as a southwestern palette as well.

"Towards Ramsey Canyon" - 9x12"

pastel on Colourfix sanded paper

$95 ppd, ready to frame

This painting could be described as a "reclamation operation" based on both the paper and the reference photo.  The original painting, done from a photo taken at Saguaro National Park, was my first time using this particular surface.  It's quite different than the sanded papers I've been using, where the pastels go on like butter.  This is much more textured and I found myself fighting the surface.  Despite the effort I put into the original painting, I was not pleased with the result, primarily as a result of the paper surface.  So, out came the paintbrush and off came the pastel!  I then applied black pastel to the remaining ghosted surface, used an alcohol wash to unify the surface color, and it was back to the beginning. 

I didn't want to try and re-do the same SNP image, so I decided on a photo taken during this same hike.  While the photo was nothing to get excited about due to the poor light, it is one I felt would translate well into a painting.  Simple shapes and strong values of the land elements contrast with the muted greys of the stratus cloud-filled sky, which is what I did .  The location is not far off the trailhead for the Brown trail, off of Ramsey Cyn. Rd in Sierra Vista, at the base of the Huachucas.  Residual snow is visible on the north face (although I'm not sure if that reads as such in the painting...) and the granite cliffs contrast with the evergreen slopes of the adjacent mountain.  Scrub oak and juniper dot the foothills and foreground along with the bright yellow grasses.  After looking at the photo, I think I will go back and adjust some of the areas of grass to the lower left side - they are a bit too dark and tend to pull the eye away from the center of the painting. 

My photography and PP editing skills aren't doing this painting justice - I think I may have reduced the contrast a bit too much, since the actual painting is more vibrant when viewed in person. 

"Cumulus, Rising" - 9x11"

pastel on sanded paper

$65 ppd, ready to frame

Here is another somewhat "experimental" piece.  It is based on a photo I took shortly after arriving in Bisbee, in early Dec.  Taken from the Mule tunnel overpass in late afternoon just before sunset, I was in awe of the very top of this brightly-lit cumulus cloud that was just peeking up over the hills of the Mules to the north. 

The surface is a 220-grit aluminum oxide sanded paper that I've used before, and while it has a good tooth for the pastel, there is a tendency for the pastel to come off if the paper is tapped vigorously.  Since I do this after finishing all my paintings to remove loose dust, this is a problem.  I'd decided not to use the paper anymore as a result, but then thought I'd try the alcohol wash with black pastel and use a bit of fixative and then do the painting on top, just to see how that worked.  It definitely was an improvement over the original surface as far as this technique went.  I never use fixative on my finished paintings, but decided to just try it here - a light sweep of Krylon Matte Finish spray.  It didn't appear to dull the painting down, which is usually the reason pastel painters don't use fixative. 

I modified the original photo slightly by shifting the hills over to the right so that the "v" didn't fall right in the center.  The cloud mass has been slightly enlarged and yeah, it's still mostly in the center, but I think it's okay here because of the lines and curves of the hills keep it from being too staid.  I kept the dark cloud tatters in the photo to add some depth and context of a cloudy sky to the painting.  They read better, as do the pinks and creams of the center cloud, when the painting is viewed in person.

Sunrise and Morning Mountain Light

Last Tuesday morning, I got up before sunrise, looked outside and saw potential in the sky, and headed out with my gear.  Thus far, all the sunrise photos I've taken have been snapshots taken from the courtyard of the hotel, sometimes taken while I'm wearing slippers and PJ's.  Those will make useful reference material for paintings.  But, getting the "bigger picture", as it were, required a drive. 

I'd previously cased out the top of a residential hillside in neighboring Warren, so I went there first.  That provided me with a few beautiful sky photos before the light changed.  I decided to continue down the road south towards the airport.  By that time, the potential for sunrise sky photos was well over, but I thought I'd probably get some good morning shadows across the Mules, Hauchucas and the Naco mountain, and I was right.

Normally, I keep PPP (post-production processing) to a minimum in PS Elements.  I adjust levels and occasionally apply filters to bring the photo colors and saturation back as close as I can to what I witnessed live at the location.  I also have to remove artifacts that show up from my camera sensor.  And, I sometimes crop the image to improve the composition.  In two of the photos, however, I found that there were some distracting elements that I simply could not get around having in the photos:  telephone lines and wires.  And a few stray branches from foreground mesquite shrubs.  So, for the sake of aesthetics, those have been removed. 

Sunrise from Warren

These altocumulus clouds take on a rosy pink glow from the rising sun.  Distal hills and ocotillo canes add ground contrast.

Morning Colors

This wide-angle shot shows the oranges and yellows from the distal cirrus clouds catching the morning glow of the sun

Mule Mountain Morning

The shadows cast on the Mules form a series of abstract shapes, while the warm orange from the desert shrubs contrasts with the muted greys of the sky.

Early Morning in Naco

The mountain behind Naco offers some more complex shadows from the Mules to the north, including those from the snow along its north face.

Huachucas in a Different Light

Normally seen in silhouette form in late afternoon or sunset photos I've taken, the Huachucas show off their eastern face in the morning sun.  The dark clouds (altostratus) change the mood of this image.

A Hike in Black and White - Photoseries

We are due to get a major storm system that is predicted to bring significant amounts of rain and snow to the lower and higher elevations of this region, respectively, within the next day.  Figuring this would likely limit outdoor excursions and hikes for the next several days, I took advantage of the mild weather we had this past Saturday and went on a trip to explore some of the hiking areas around the Huachuca Mtns., which have been featured in various other photos that have appeared on this blog, usually as a distal landscape element.

I managed to find an excellent trail off of Ramsey Canyon Rd.  The trailhead starts out near some residential property as a dirt road, and heads into the foothills of the Huachucas before becoming a singletrack trail that drops down into a drainage/riparian area, eventually heading up into the mountains, or at least that is how it appeared.  I will definitely be back for a full-day hike in the spring. 

As far as the photos go, sometimes weather or lighting conditions are not conducive for really standout captures, particuarly of sweeping landscapes.  That was the case on Saturday, as high clouds blocked out the bright sun for most of the afternoon.  So, I decided this would be a good opportunity to focus on more intimate views of the landscape:  the trees.  While I find a northeastern forest of deciduous trees in winter dormancy to be monotonous and dreary, we don't have that problem in the southwest.  Evergreen trees and shrubs dot the landscape, interspersed with native desert deciduous trees like the AZ sycamore and cottonwood.  

PP editing in PS included adjustments in levels, application of sepia or warm photofilters and cropping.

View from Carr Canyon Rd

A hike up the closed dirt road provided this view overlooking part of Sierra Vista and the Mule Mtns. to the east

Along the Brown Trail

Scrub oak and grasses cover the rolling hills at the base of the Huachucas

Sycamore Solo #1

This stately AZ sycamore, a native riparian species, shows off its form next to a dry wash

Along the Trail

An old fence, pile of wood, and a variety of trees line the trail.

Sycamore Solo #2

The characteristic white bark of this sycamore contrasts with the darker background giving drama to its elegant, flowing branches

 

Reach to the Sky

A skyward view from the base of this tree shows it in an abstract form

Sycamore Duet

This pair of trees is clearly living in harmony with each other

A Watchful Eye

This small, unidentified species of raptor takes advantage of this bare tree to survey its surroundings in the late afternoon

Sunset: A Performance Event

Sometimes, a sunset is just a sunset.  Other times, it becomes something most unexpected.  A few days ago, I went on yet another cloud-shooting photo expedition in the afteroon, and the skies promised a good sunset as well.  I went down Hwy 92 - known location for good sunsets - and waited with my camera and tripod.  I didn't have long to wait, and I wasn't disappointed. 

The sky on this evening ended up being one of the most spectacular I've ever seen in my life, although it didn't start out that way.  I took a bunch of photos capturing the sequence and progression of the sunset, and it occurred to me that it resembled a visual symphony orchestra.  Even still, they don't do full justice to this most amazing sunset in terms of color, scope and just pure awe versus witnessing this in person.  Still, I am pleased to present to you the one-time performance of "A Molten Sky":

Introduction - The Principals

Clouds, sun and mountains

Opening Performance - Solo of the Sun

The sun begins its performance by casting rays over the distal mountains

The Audience

The western hills of the Mule Mtns. glow a brilliant orange catching the late afternoon light

Suite 1 - Clouds with Sun

The clouds now begin to take on some color as the sun drops

Overature of Sun and Clouds

The lower edge of the clouds turn a brilliant yellow as the sun continues its path west below the horizon

Virga Quartet plays to Mexico

Looking south, areas of falling precipitation that vanish before hitting the ground (virga) cast a beautiful pink glow

Orchestral Movement in Orange and Blue

The crescendo builds as the sky takes center stage

Pièce de Résistance:  Molten Sky

High drama in the skies unfolds over the Huachucas.  If Richard Wagner was to compose a sunset, this would be it

Duet:  Pink Cloud and Transformer

The two elements, both slightly off center, add tension and uncertainty to this photo

Encore Performance - Huachucas and Sky

A closer view of the mountains silhouetted by the sky, showing the intensity of the color and shapes formed on the underside of the cloud layer

Curtain Call

The final performance as the colors fade and the sun gives way to dark skies