Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.527

Hello again painting fans.

This week I will be starting an entirely new painting. I am using the photo seen directly below. (A borrowed photo.) It shows El Morro National Monument in New Mexico. I was recently there and enjoyed the hiking. I've been there several times before but never tire of it. The butte has become a signature rock over the centuries. As there is a constant pool of water at the base, it has seen many visitors going back to prehistoric times. At the top is a natural ampitheater and late Anasazi pueblo ruins. On the way down I spotted a pottery fragment that had apparently been washed down from the ruins. It was lying in the dirt just off a set of concrete steps. I was concerned that it would get destroyed or walk away with a visitor. I turned it in at the visitor center. I only wish that I had taken a photo.

I started with my usual grid and sketched the outline of the scene. I then began to add some paint. I've painted in the blue areas of shadow along with the outline of foliage below. Note the rough line below that will desingate the edge of the juniper area.

The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.

I'll have more to show you next week. See you then.

Earlier paintings in this series can be seen here.