Rattlesnake Twilight - follow along with me on Facebook!

This is a page from my sketchbook where I began to work out the concept and general shape of a new painting, Rattlesnake Twilight.

Last fall a visitor to my studio suggested that I document a painting each day through to the finished painting because - unlike a direct painting - these go through a slow but dramatic change.

So I'll be posting the photos of my progress on Facebook. If you don't follow me, please look to the right and click. That's where I'll be most diligent in sharing the images of progress.

What you see here is simply the general land forms. After much thought I decided to include an immediate foreground with bunchgrass, to the left a close hill and then in the distance, the fields, the scabland, the Yakima River and then Rattlesnake.

The decision to include a close foreground is always a big one for me as my preference is often the big sky and the vista. But I've been looking at the Luminist painters and the Tonalist painters a great deal - especially Cole and Inness - and in reference to their work, the foreground will be in shadow. The light will be in the middle at the skyline and the land forms will be fairly dark.

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