Thursday, January 25, 2007

Sagebrush Serenade - Painting of Kayenta Sage and Sand

Sagebrush Serenade - original watercolor painting by Roland Lee of Kayenta

I sent off five new paintings to the framer today - all landscapes. I will exhibit a couple of the big ones next week at the Mission Gallery show. The others will be back in time for my one-man show at the St. George Art Museum. "Sagebrush Serenade" (above) is a huge painting of old man sage in the red sands at Kayenta, Utah.Purchase Information

Step by step painting technique of Roland Lee. Watercolor of Kayenta Utah

I begin the painting with a pencil sketch on Arches watercolor paper, then lay in loose washes of color. I will build up the values with glazes or washes of color, refining the detail as I go.

Roland Lee painting of Kayenta, Utah

At this stage I continue the washes, being careful to keep the glazes thin and transparent.

Roland Lee watercolor painting of Kayenta Utah

At this point I have tightened up the shapes of the mountains and defined the shadows. Notice how the shadows become bluer and lighter in value on the distant cliffs. That is an effect of aerial perspective.

No comments:

Post a Comment