Evening Blush, 1997
I could write a book about what has led me to paint this piece. What inspired me is a new palette of three opaque primaries coming out of work with artist and art educator Dick Nelson, experiments with colored light sources, as well as painting on location. I've also been influenced by the incredible pastels and color courage of Diana Lehr.
The light at the last 30 seconds of the day sometimes projects a bright crimson up on the mountain. It amazes me how beautifully the colors are altered in the landscape. But the moment is so fleeting that it takes a great deal of study on location and color memory to get it right. It's a stimulating challenge and painting a work like "Evening Blush" has been very rewarding.