One really fun aspect of impressionistic painting is the strategic application of the underpainting color.  The colors in the underpainting influence the overall tone of the completed painting, because they shine through the gaps in between the knife strokes.  This creates some next level vibrancy! 

I love to harness the rainbow when I paint, so I am always looking for ways I can add some juicy gradients into the work.  Yes, I believe that rainbows solve all the problems and bring everything together into a drool worthy picture! ;D 

What do I mean by rainbows?  I mean the smooth and natural gradation between colors within the spectrum of light.   

Watch this time lapse video to see me paint the underpainting for "Canyon Color", so you can see what I mean!

"Purple Canyon" 16x20" Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Color is one of the main themes inherent in all of my work.  It is truly what drives me to paint!  I decided to begin the "Desert Hues" series with a piece on the Grand Canyon, because the colors excite me so much. 

I intentionally chose a more simple composition compared to the others I have in the queue in order to get the juices flowing, but also wanted to highlight the beautiful contrast between the golden hour light shining on the plant life, and the purples and blues of the canyon in the background.

 
This contrast of color really excites me.  Our eyes love color contrast and color harmonies.  Warm (orange) and cool (blue) are contrasting colors.  They are opposites.  Purple and red are colors that connect to those two. 

If you observe the spectrum of light in a rainbow, you see how certain colors shift into other colors.  When sections of these colors come together, it creates an emotional response in our bodies.  It's as if  the harmonization of the colors also harmonizes us.  It is a direct effect on our well-being.

This is one reason why nature, art, photography and painting have such a positive effect on our state of being.  It is why having art in your home brings direct value to your mental health and spiritual center.  Color is therapy; when color harmonizes, our hearts do too!

In mid November of 2020, I embarked on my road trip to 5 national parks in 3 different states, with the intention to create a new series of paintings about the southwestern desert landscape.

Within the period of two weeks, armed with two cameras and a bunch of art supplies, my friend and I road tripped and wild camped our way through Joshua Tree, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Death Valley, and finishing off near Mammoth Mountain.

There are so many inspiring things about the desert landscape, and I was really excited to explore, capture, and paint the incredible rock formations and canyons that are the main feature of these national parks.

But what really surprised me and stood out to me the most were the peachy pastel colors and deep blues in the distance, and within the shadows which dominated much of the more simple scenery in between the parks while driving.  The areas between these parks are vast and seemingly empty, yet totally mesmerizing and beautiful. 

Such huge empty areas of land make the appearance of the simplest object so interesting to see.  We mostly tend to live in areas of density, which I believe desensitizes us visually so that we don't notice how interesting a simple bush looks in favor of the more complicated structures always surrounding us.

What else really stood out for me is the absolute gnarlyness of the plant life.  These mostly dried out plants with twiggy twisted branches claiming their small space in the dry dusty soil represent the epitome of resilience.  They look almost dead, yet still alive, conserving their energy only to the most needed parts.  They are very smart plants, having evolved to live in such an intense environment.

Not only will I be featuring the iconic views and vistas of the national parks, I will also be highlighting the plant life seen throughout the journey. 

Plants, and how they thrive, survive, and evolve to accommodate different environments is a subject that greatly fascinates me, and I'm excited to share interesting facts about the desert plant life with you as I paint this next series.