Miracle Valley Monsoon Morning

[JStarr]

So I HAVE been working at the easel some- just not a lot as we use the somewhat cooler days to get work done on the house.

This view is of the Huachuca Mountains and foothills which sit about 2 miles WSW of our house; this view, though, is closer, and more SSW. Most of the year, because this is all Sonoran Desert, the scenery is various shades of Desert Beige, but during monsoon season, if we get rain, everything turns the most amazing, glowing emerald green. That didn't happen this past summer- we got very little rain and just baked in the heat, but this reference was taken last summer, 2022- when we got AMAZING RAIN, and the growing season for all living things here was unbelievable.

The foot hills there is a land lease for a horse rescue, and this shot was taken in the late morning just as the clouds start to puff up into towers, making the glowing green land partly shadowed, partly sunny.

It's fair- that's the best I'll give it. The horses are a motley crew, there were a couple ponies and a donkey, too, but I made 'em all horse-like because I was tired of bothering with it. A couple years ago they had two Percheron which were freakishly huge- glad I didn't have to try and make those two fit into this scene!

 

[ntl]

Lovely painting. That's a beautiful area. I hope you will get a lot of rain over the winter. Your grasses and trees, the mountain shadows are so lovely.

 

[Jo Castillo]

Ooooh, love this. I know what you mean about the desert green and beautiful. Well done. I like the horses, too.

 

[MurrayG]

Those hills are just lovely... I like the way the valleys and folds lead you thro the landscape. Sorry, I don't mean to belittle the horses, I just got lost in the mountains. Very nice.

 

[Artyczar]

Gorgeous color! I'm lost in those hills as well. And I love the horses too. Thank goodness for the rain. Excellent work!

 

[Terri]

Beautiful greens! You have captured the lushness of the desert after good rainfall. Your horses are beautiful in that deep color, and look great against those greens.

Great work!

 

[Donna T]

Gorgeous painting! The sunlight and shadows on the hills are so well done and the horses just add to the peaceful feel of the place.

 

[JStarr]

Thank you ntl, Jo, Murray, Arty, Terri and Donna. It's unbelievable just HOW green monsoon rain makes this area- it looks nothing like a desert during monsoon.

And, because humidity and dew points are all way up high, it feels like southern Florida only without an actual beach. Sand, yes; beach, no.

 

[Joy]

Greens are the most difficult to portray, and you did this really well.

 

[JStarr]

Thanks. It helped that I laid out pastels before starting: These hues, these values, that's *it*.

Helps keep colour harmony- something I learned from Tom Christopher- I watched him use the same blue as a highlight and reflected light, and also as a shadow in the same piece. Well well well- that DOES make sense!