Grand Indeed (25 x 19.75 dry pastel)
In preparation for our trip to the Grand Canyon, I read books about it. I saw pictures of it. I studied maps of it. I watched videos. I must say, though, that there is no way I could have prepared myself for the reality of standing on the edge of that magnificent canyon! There simply are no words to describe the feeling. It seems as though there should be a stamp, or tattoo, one gets once you've "canyoned" so when you're talking about it, someone else can know if you really know the canyon. It is truly beyond words.
Some subject matters seem almost "hands-off" to me when I consider painting them because they seem impossible to capture. That's a bit how I feel about the Grand Canyon. However, I was compelled to spend more time there after returning home and getting lost in this painting was a wonderful way to do that. I wandered around all the nooks and crannies and hilltops and studied the ledges formed over thousands of years. It was such a joy to work on this piece.
I was prompted to post this piece because I was reading a wonderful blogpost by Katie who's husband taught her to fly (so cool!) and one of their trips was over the
Canyonlands. Travel safely!
