Pursuing my passion

I had been to Taos, New Mexico several times before I saw the chamisa in full bloom. I almost ran off the road driving into Santa Fe from Texas upon seeing these beauties scattering the landscape in all their glory for the first time. I was trying to drive and take pics out the window...it seems some of the nicest specimens are not where you can easily pull off. And usually after driving for 12 hrs. or so I'm ready to get to my destination in Taos.

I painted out a lot during that trip in May of last year - but none of the locations I ended up at had chamisa or rabbitbrush. I did get some great shots of huge chamisa with their fluffy clusters of bright yellow flowers glowing in the light of the sun. I never realized they often grow to seven feet tall so I was amazed to stand beside them and see how massive they can be. 

I've wanted to paint this painting for quite a while. I painted a 9 x 12 study to determine my color palette and decide on the composition before beginning the 18 x 24. There was a diagonal drop off that I wanted in the foreground...but I didn't want it to take up too much room. I kept trying to move the big chamisa up on the canvas, but when I did there was too much foreground on the left side from the diagonal. I decided to add a smaller chamisa (barely visible) above the focal plant to hopefully add some depth to the painting and help lead your eye, along with the path, to the distant mountains. I will probably add some more layers of paint to build up the texture in certain areas, but I will need to let it dry first. This will also give me time to see if there is anything else I would like to change/add. I've added bits of color here and there, but it's hard to see so I'll post a close up below.

Looking forward to my next trip back to Taos. Even if the chamisa are not blooming I always love getting back amidst the mountains, desert and sage!