D.A. Davis
My Inspiration
After attending the graduation of our son in Prescott, Arizona, my family and I drove up to the South Rim of Grand Canyon. As this was early December, the weather closed in on us and it snowed the entire way up to the canyon. When we arrived, the canyon was completely socked in with clouds and we had to wait for 1½ hours for the snow to stop! After the clouds finally lifted, it was spectacular! I knew then and there I would be painting Grand Canyon. The drama of shifting light and snow made for truly A Grand Storm! I sought to capture the drama and grandeur of one of God’s most awesome creations…beautiful Grand Canyon.
My Design Strategy
My objective was to create a scene evoking the feelings of light, cold and space, etc… that I experienced at the Grand Canyon. To accomplish this, I needed a strong visual path through the scene. The foreground’s sharp edged rocky outcrops form the starting point. The play of light and dark, along with hard and soft edges, defines the visual path that draws the eye further into the scene. Drawn into the heights and depths of the canyon, I incorporated “resting spots” for the eye, with little detail. To emphasize the canyon’s geology, I increased the contrast between the lighted buttes and shadowed areas. For aerial perspective, the receding colors of the distant North Rim are vital to projecting the immense feeling of space.
My Working Process
Linen was used for this painting due to its archival properties. I relied heavily on recall for this painting and combined my own mental notes, recollections and reference photos to derive the composition, color and saturation of the colors. A palette of each warm and cool primary colors, along with several earth tones, was employed. Payne’s grey and titanium white formed the grey color of winter. The canyon was sketched in with pencil. Next, I blocked in and then refined the clouds at the horizon. I proceeded to paint the canvas in alternating areas while working on the interplay between them. The painting was finished when the scene communicated the awe I felt at the rim’s edge.
Contact Details
Email: neerodsivad@yahoo.com Website: www.paintingsbydavis.com