Garden of the Gods

The Ute people in Colorado have considered the Garden of the Gods as holy ground for millennia. The spectacular sandstone formations jut out of the soil in parallel rows and in razor back shapes. Sculpted by wind and rain they have taken on individual personalities. The contrast of deep orange against the jade green of the juniper trees and other flora surrounding them forms a breathtaking view. I so enjoyed the opportunities to paint that our little sojourn into the south afforded. Painting en plein air presents its own unique challenges. This image appeared on the first day and it is the strongest of all the paintings I did during our vacation. Having planned to spend some time in the open I packed my larger watercolour backpack. It fits nicely into a medium suitcase along with the camera tripod and a chunk of plywood cut to fit with a tie nut set into its center. The plywood and the tripod permit me to set up a level table on any terrain and provide a large enough surface to hold my medium sized palette with a couple of jars of water and the quarter sheet of watercolour paper. I use large clips to hold everything to the plywood so should there be a wind it will not disturb the setting. The brush case usually ends up on the ground. I am always thankful for my fingers as they separate the half dozen brushes at work. I intend one brush per colour or set of colours. For this piece I really paid attention to the notan under structure. Likely that is why I am more pleased with it than the others. Somehow I managed to ignore the little beasties biting me... I was standing on an ant hill, it had the best view... Life is good.