Coachella Mirage has a rather simple composition, yet has a strong, powerful feeling of heat emanating from the valley floor on up to the Coachella Mountains range. I began with mixture of bold transparent colors Alizarin Crimson and Indian Yellow to bring out the overall temperature of the region. Then I proceeded with the dark and light values of the piece with varying mixtures of Raw Umber and Titanium white. The creation of the piece evolved quickly under my brush work, revealing the reddish under-painting at the base of the piece, evoking a mirage against the mountains.