Original artwork description:

When I paint outdoors on location I don't often choose to do architectural studies, but this particular scene drew me in and I knew I had to challenge myself. It was a summer morning in the city of Santa Fe, and the setting was a small historic park with a glimpse of the Sangre de Christo Mountains peeking through the tall evergreens. I loved all the colors coming together: the brilliant green grass (something we don't see very often in the desert environment of New Mexico), and beautiful blue mountain contrasted with the red-orange roof.

Working on location is a challenge, even when the weather is perfect, because the light is always changing. I use palette knives and silicon painting tools to apply my oil paint, working quickly to capture my impression of the subject. I enjoy the marks and texture they produce, and rarely even bring brushes with me when painting outside.

The colors of "Adobe on Upper Canyon Road" are vibrant and strong; in some areas the application of paint is thick and heavy, in other areas a thin wash over the base coat of yellow ochre. Once the painting was sufficiently dry, I applied a protective varnish (Gamvar) and later a thin layer of Cold Wax Medium. The surface has a beautiful sheen which is neither shiny nor matte. Varnishes provide a non-porous layer which prevents dust and dirt from being embedded over time in the more porous paint layers beneath.

Materials used:

oil

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