Rock River Formation, 12 x 36 ” Oil on Canvas

The drive from Laramie north introduced me to beautiful vistas.  I got an especially early start, as I wanted to paint in the morning light, and before it got too hot.  The weather cooperated very nicely, by the way: unseasonably cool for August in Wyoming for the entire Plein Air event.

Right outside of the town of Rock River, WY,  intriguing white rock formations  drew my eye.  Finding a convenient place to pull off of the road, I was able to spend two hours painting this scene.  The light shifts quickly in the morning and evening, so speed i is of the essence.  The challenge I gave myself  was not only the distance between places I wished to paint, but also in the size that drew me.  I believe that such expansive panoramic views need larger than an 8 x 10 sized canvas to work on, so I pushed the limit!

As I was painting, I was surprised to hear a train whistle, and then see it approach into my view.  Coming from the right hand side of the formation, a freight train went alongside the front of the rocks, and then surprisingly, disappeared between two walls.  I hadn’t detected the rails from where I sat, nor did I realize the depth of the formation!  The path in the painting is a service road that leads up to the tracks, not merely a compositional enhancement.  This is Wyoming: it is a state with an array of beautiful landforms, but is also amazing with its large variety of natural resources

Painted for the Prairies to Peaks Plein Air event August 1 – 13, 2011.  This painting is on display at Deselms Fine Art Gallery in Cheyenne, WY through Sept. 30th.