Plein Air painting can often be a challenge. I only got a rough outline of this spot in Arches National Park down before I was pushed to flee to my car in 25mph winds! ⁠⁠
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This scene will always be special to me. Many years ago, when I lived in Washington DC, I bought my first Winsor and Newton sketching set of watercolors and made a sad attempt to paint this exact view. I didn’t know what I was doing and having not been to the park, I didn’t know where this was. I just knew the desert was inside me and I wanted to connect with it. It was an awful attempt. I put my paints away for years, thinking I would never be able to capture the places I loved. I’m delighted and grateful that I live within an easy drive of this spot and can paint it with pleasure. I hope to paint this place again and again in the future, measuring how far I’ve come. ⁠⁠