The ideas for this painting came from a horseback riding adventure with Sean and friends at the Circle Z Ranch near Patagonia, AZ and a hike with friends in Sabino Canyon in Tucson in January of 2011. We saw these two ravens sitting together on a tree limb while on a lunch break from riding and I photographed them. Not long after, I went for a hike with friends, Kim and Janelle, and enjoyed a morning view of long shadows receding into the distance – a theme I’ve been interested in since hiking in the Peruvian Andes in the late 80’s.
STAGE 1
The first stage shows loose washes using a wet-on-wet technique. I get the paper wet after drawing general shapes and poor in saturated color.
STAGE 2
In the next stage, I’m developing more detail and layering washes on top of each other.
STAGE 3
After allowing for the paint to dry, I frequently stand back and look at the painting for long periods to determine what it needs. This helps to create more balance and integration - hard to achieve when staying too close-in.
