I can't believe it's been a week already! I feel beyond grateful for this experience. Being immersed in the landscape which I am painting has been so incredible and getting away from the everyday distractions of "real life" has allowed me to really focus on my craft.
I have no worries of running out of reference material. Badlands National Park is vast and every corner you turn surprises you with an even more beautiful scene than before. The variety in landscape is refreshing; rolling prairie lands quickly turn into rocky valleys and cliffs forming "the wall."
The visual complexity of this landscape has presented me with a challenge, artistically. Subtle tonal shifts and complex light reflections throughout the canyons are what make the Badlands so visually captivating. I'm enjoying working through the challenge and have focused this week on creating a true but compelling color palette and utilizing the contrast of warm and cool colors to ignite visual interest in my paintings.
Below are a few of my in-studio paintings from this first week.
"Big Foot Pass" • 30 x 40 inches • acrylic on canvas
"Big Badlands Overlook" • 24 x 30 inches • acrylic on canvas
"Door Trail - Badlands" • 24 x 30 inches • acrylic on canvas