Sunday, June 5, 2011

The Athleticism of Painting


Buddha Beach, 6x8" oil, Sedona, AZ , $250

After an early morning hike to Cathedral Rock, and discovering I couldn't reach the side I wanted without a long drive in to the other side...I plunked down in the shade of Buddha Beach and painted the backside of the Cathedral. That was after negotiating a later entry payment with the parks guard. Apparently my annual pass was no good in this part of the park, and I didn't have cash on me...so with some fancy sweet talk she was nice enough to let me come back with the cash so I wouldn't miss my painting light.

I think it's my best attempt yet; I'm finally getting the hang of those colors and values. I'm also realizing that I need to think of painting as an athletic sport that requires physical fitness, endurance training, discipline, a good night's rest...and early morning and late afternoon outings...in order to paint in this heat!

On the return trip with cash in hand, I took some fun photos of the extreme colors of this place:


Check out the crazy colors of these cacti--they are actually PINK!



More pinks


Love how the giant flowering bushes match the neon-yellow road stripe!

2 comments:

Samantha said...

This is my favorite painting from this trip yet! It's really lovely! Are you going to sell it? :)

Studio Zanne said...

Considering I need to pay for this expensive trip to Sedona...oh yes...it goes for $250.