Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Monument Valley


5" x 7" oil on gessoed masonite
$100.00 + $10. s/h
please contact me if interested

On our trip through Utah in November we went to Monument Valley, which is famous for it's rock formations and the many movies filmed there.  I kept expecting John Wayne to ride up at any minute!  (John Ford filmed several westerns there.) I know people who are unfamiliar with the west, or who haven't been here,  put all the separate states in one big category "the west".  But, each state has it's own beauty, it's own geology, it's own colors.  The colors of Monument Valley, which is southern  Utah and northern Arizona are very different from the colors here in Colorado.

I started this series with small color studies to help me see the differences.  The winter colors there are very grayed and muted.  I've really found it inspiring to mix all these "new" color notes.  Traveling is a real opportunity to see so much.



6 comments:

Kelley Carey MacDonald said...

Wow. This is so cool - the colors, yes, but also the composition. Good for you, Pam!

Nancy B. Hartley said...

Love the distant rocks! Beautiful shadows and colors!

Karen said...

Pam, it's wonderful! I missed some of these because for some reason your link on my blogroll isn't updating?! I tried to delete it and add it again...has anyone else said anything? will try to fix it more...

Anyway...great to catch up with your work!

susan hong-sammons said...

Your post is perfect timing for me. I'm heading to Sedona to paint. I hope to have as much success. This is wonderful. Love the values and how it captures the great expanse of space.

Celeste Bergin said...

exceptional colors--one truly gets a sense of the place through your choices of color and color temperature.

Pam Holnback said...

Thanks Kelley and Nancy, the colors were amazing. The valley lent itself to painting!

Karen, not sure what's going on. Am trying to fix it. Glad you checked in.

Susan, You will love the area. so different from the midwest!

Thanks Celeste, I loved the colors. So different from here!