Wildflowers in the Foothills

Painting No. 96, Wildflowers in the Foothills
Washoe Valley, Nevada
8"x 6", oil on linen panel

Wildflowers have begun to emerge once again along the foothills of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. What once was flat grey's of Sagebrush and Rabbitbrush covered hillsides has now given way to shades of yellow, green and blue.
Off the beaten path and balancing on a steep hillside, I set-up my tripod and pochade box near the flowers, with a view of the Sierra's in the background. The wind is in my face and the rolling clouds from the west are threatening to bring the next storm in any minute. I paint fast, wanting to capture the light before the clouds turn everything into a muted mess of shadow colors.
This is Will James country, where he wrote Smoky, the Cow Horse at his ranch house not more that 2 miles west of here. The scenery continues to inspire those willing to leave the roads behind and roam the hills.

"The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it."   Will James

Spring Colors

Painting No. 95, Spring Colors
Washoe Valley, Nevada
8"x10", oil on linen panel

This location is just above Deadman's Creek Trail, south of Washoe Lake State Park. Another fine afternoon for painting, a small granite lizard watches me from his perch on a nearby boulder. His black and grey body lies unmoving for an hour as he soaks in the last warmth of the day. I paint quickly, trying to capture the sunlight accents on the rocks before they disappear in the cliff shadow as it traverses the hillside.

There are 3 items of note in this painting. First is the use of Alizarin Crimson and French Ultramarine to create a purple-ish red for the shadow areas of the rocks. It's a good choice rather than fighting against a dull shadow color choice. Secondly, the strong angled lines of the foreground boulders help to maintain the steepness of the hillside without overpowering the rest of the image, Edgar Payne, in his book "Composition of Outdoor Painting", would refer to this as a "Diagonal Line" composition. Many landscape painters prefer strong diagonal lines to keep the painting from becoming dull. Lastly, the addition of the small hawk on the rocky edge helps to create eye movement within the painting. Notice how your eye naturally starts at the bottom of the cliff, then follows up the angled rocks to the left, then traverses straight across to the hawk, then drops straight down to the bottom of the cliff. This circular eye movement makes a painting interesting to observe while still allowing you time later on to explore other areas outside the circle.