Desert Spring

Desert Spring     8 x 10 inches     pastel on linen laid on wood

desert spring

the delight you bring

your blooms unfold

and sustain me through the cold

an early stage of the painting in progress

completed

After a time of stop and go in between the buzz of lawn workers manicuring lawns nearby I videoed the beginning of this painting.  I planned to make a video demonstration of me creating this painting but I had to keep pausing because of the noise outside my window.  During one of the pauses to wait to let the noise of lawn machines subside I watched the first video section.  There is a point in the video (see image below) where I could discern distinct shapes that were very interesting and I thought of how the painting could be simplified down to that.  I gave up creating a video, as it seemed all of my neighbors were having their lawns done today.  But as I continued to work on the painting I tried to keep it simple.  I no longer looked at the reference photo.  I worked intuitively and relied on memory - what I felt and sensed when I was actually in this place, the desert on the Pyramid Lake Reservation in Nevada, mingled with my interaction with the painting as it unfolded.  It is a cold day today and I thought of how the colors and blooms of spring help sustain me through the cold of Spring. 

simplified shapes

    

pastels used in this painting