Skull Valley and Beyond

Skull Valley, 9X12, oil/cavas panel ©2011

Hi Everybody!
Last week I got out of the studio long enough to paint this piece on location. I found this view when I was out geocaching, which is a modern day treasure hunt (hidden are little capsule which contain a log book to sign in and some small trinkets you are free to take with you, as long as you leave something of equal value. But for me the treasures are the locations I'm taken to by other geocachers who hide caches for the rest of us to find. Locations I might never find on my own. Breathtaking views and vistas are the norm). Anyways, when I found this site, I knew I would have to come back to paint it. We've had plenty of snow here in the high desert and this scene is evidence of that. True enough it usually doesn't stay around long, but if you're quick you can get it down before it melts. As the name implies, this is a view of Skull Valley which is a ranching area.

Skull Valley photo reference

I got this down between 3 and 5pm, and touched it up a bit in the studio. When I started out it was intermittently cloudy, but was clearing up. Here is what the scene looked like when I started painting it. As the afternoon wore on it cleared up and I was able to get the light effect I was looking for.

Thanks for looking! Steve