This painting was truly difficult to execute without turning it into cartoon or a cliché. Simply being in Monument Valley at sunset is breathtaking. It didn't matter in which direction I looked. I kept saying to myself, "unbelievable." I can count on one hand how many late afternoon lightshows I’ve seen in the past year to rival this one

The actual painting had to get rid of the "Un" and make it believable. 

It was "Rush Hour" at Monument Valley on many levels. This painting came about by accident. I shot 25 photos that afternoon. None of them truly conveyed what I was feeling at that moment. It’s one of the reasons I hate painting from photos. A painting works better with at least a quick study on site. But there was no time that day.

I started getting cute and made this puddle shot.

I remember being bummed thinking that the cars in the distance messed up the snap. I was intrigued by the puddle but the reflection wasn't really working for me. I abandoned the concept believing it was too contrived.

It took me almost a year to find this composition. I was shuffling through all the Monument Valley stuff when the concept jumped out at me.

I was struck by the paradox of light . . . the Mitten AND the cars. Forget the puddle, there was a real narrative in the accidental moment. Here was this incredible sunlit mesa that is seemingly ignored by the people in the cars. Did a quick 9x12 but then took the plunge to 16x20. It's been good fun and I’ve used an amazing amount of paint.

This original 9x12 served as my roadmap. But that almost didn’t happen either!

The true irony was that I fell into this painting while I was experimenting with color mixing. I am in a constant battle with the true colors of mesas in the Southwest. Sometimes the sunlit rocks are cool while the shadows are warm. Or it’s warm/cool, or . . . Most of the time I get too much orange and it looks pasty.

That day I was just trying to mix some experimental colors with Alizarin Permanent, Cad Orange, Rose and Ultramarine Blue. I mixed what I thought was an intriguing color and looked around for a place to test it out. I found a busted painting from last summer and laid in a big heavy stroke. Hmmmmmm . . . looked good.

Suddenly the “Rush Hour” scene popped into my head. I loaded a really big brush and just started making thick marks. 

This painting was literally 90 minutes start to finish. I was possessed. My heart was racing and my pulse was pounding. It was a real visceral (and sensual) experience. 

In the end, I was very happy. But after a few days of staring at itg I knew I could do better. That's why I had to do the Big One. 

My initial block-in took less than 10 minutes. I was so excited because the darks and lights were so defined. But after the quick start the Big One is taking its sweet time. It's been on and off the easel for the past 12 days. 

A quick aside . . . everything in my life is moving slowly these days. Last Tuesday I fractured my upper left arm (Slipped on the wet deck). I can hold a brush but my left arm is nearly useless. Healing will be slow. I’m in a sling for 3 more weeks. Yup, I’m typing one-handed!

And so it goes . . . . .