From El Tovar we biked out to the western edge of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Because of the scenery it’s one of the most amazing bike rides I’ve ever experienced. We arrived at Hermit’s Rest cold, wet, and happy – especially because of the hot drinks available there. Later outside, while having lunch, I spotted this lone tree standing like a sentinel over the canyon. Fantastic. My husband agreed to hike around for a half hour so that I could get down a quick sketch.

Once again, I pulled out my handy-dandy little easel box and (once again) found I could use my full arm with the charcoal pencil to sketch in a quick design. The gesture of the tree was so compelling, especially before its background of eternity. After my half hour, I felt lucky to have created a good start but, time-wise had no chance to do a watercolor. I snapped a photo of the dramatic lighting on the tree, hoping I might be able to complete it later.

Watercolor as a medium, is demanding because the paper provides the strongest whitest light, so it is critical to know what not to paint before you begin painting. If you don’t make those important decisions up front, you end up with mud. So, once we were back home I had an enjoyable afternoon laying in light background washes and then attempted to sculpt that tree. The lights and shadows tell its story. I’m pretty happy with the result.

If you are interested in this piece shoot me an email.