Desert Rules"

Compliments:

YEARS LATER:

I LIKE THIS. APPRECIATE THE BIRD'S SHADOW.

Posted Oct 26, 2008 5:39pm

sev:

love the blues , perfect

Posted Dec 28, 2008 9:16pm

WOW. This is so phenomonally beautiful. Love the detail and tones. I'm currently working on a painting where I am trying to achieve minute detail of the rocks and so forth (desert set in the Tibetan Plateau). This painting is a good source of inspiration!

Posted Dec 31, 2008 9:54am

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Uploaded on July 15, 2008
by rgeoffrey

See all of R. Geoffrey Black...'s works

For sale: $650.00

Shipping:
United States: $90.00
Everywhere else: $150.00

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About this work:

Prints
Pigment Print on Canvas
18 x 31 in (45.7 x 78....

A limited edition Pigment Print (Giclee) from an original oil painting (9 x 15.5 in./ 22.9 x 39.4 cm)

Print offered: Artist's Proof 4/10, Embellished gallery wrapped.
Also available in numbered edition. Please visit www.rgeoffreyblackburn.com for details.

Painting "Desert Rules"

My friend Jean and I were traveling to Arizona along the back roads of Utah and came upon the most extraordinary scene. Out in the middle of nowhere in one of the most desolate stretches of Utah desert, near the Arizona border, we discovered an abandoned rock house built into an overhanging bolder. The surrounding area was strewn with huge oddly shaped rocks and the cliffs behind the house were wreathed in clouds-stunning! We were captivated! I took 50 or so photos form every angle. I definitely wanted to paint this scene!

I decided on a small piece and did very tight detail work to capture the textures and colors. There was nothing alive in the area except some brownish bushes here and there. I decided the piece needed some life in it, so I experimented with various creatures, snakes, lizards even gila monsters. Nothing seemed to fit. Since I wanted to sell the image I also decided that whatever "life form" I added must be not only indigenous but also not-too-yucky to hang in someone's house. Since snakes, lizards and such are kind of yucky, I had to come up with something else. My niece and I were bouncing ideas around and she mentioned a bird shadow and it immediately clicked with me. No actual living creature, just the shadow of a predator! Edgy but not yucky - rich with symbolism-perfect for my painting.