Painting in studio (working from photos taken in Sedona, AZ, June 25, 2007)

SUMMARY OF PLACE:: I was visiting Red Rock Country, Sedona, Arizona. This scene is a view from the Verde Valley School Road just south of Sedona. From this vantage point, I was looking toward the south and east. The sun was low in the sky, about 1 hour on top of sunset. The day was exceedingly hot and arid. The temperature peaked above 110 degrees. The sky was clear and bright with little moisture.
INSPIRATION:: I was impressed with how the evening sunlight spotlighted the prickly pears in the landscape. The illuminated cactus stuck out like lights on a Christmas tree. This seemed especially miraculous since the cactus lay so close to the ground. My goal for the painting was to capture this effect on the canvas.