This was the first of many times painting this rock and this cottonwood tree from the Syncline Loop Trail in Canyonlands. Something about the lines of the rock captured me in a brief obsession. In this one I muted the color, giving the painting an all-over wash before focusing entirely on the light and dark with the chalk and charcoal.

Finally, I embellished it with a flash of gold paint for the glow on the cottonwood.