Beginning a new Series - Desert Scenes

Today I started the first painting in a new series based on the photographs I took during our two trips to the desert, last fall and this month. This painting is just moving into the middle stage. First stage is blocking in the basic areas. Middle stage is completing the major parts of the painting. Last stage is adding the final details. I've finished blocking and have just begun to flesh out the larger areas. This painting is based on this photograph I took in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. I plan to make a series of paintings of that area, Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire and the other parks we visited in Utah in the fall. This painting is 18 by 24 inches. I may do some larger paintings as well. To see more details of what I've done so far, look at this one larger.

The little paintings that I just finished of the area where I live, along with three larger ones of the same area, are going up tonight at the Colophon Cafe in the Fairhaven district of Bellingham. They'll be up for the month of March and will come back down on the 31st.