This painting is my interpretation of the Grand Prismatic Spring as I experienced it during the summer of 2017. Captivated by the surreal intensity of color radiating from the microbial mats that surround the spring, I sought to translate their vivid beauty into an abstract landscape.

Rather than replicate a photographic likeness, I focused on the interplay of heat, color, and movement—burnt umbers and fiery reds for the mineral-rich earth, ethereal blues and aquas for the spring’s waters, and a burst of golden light where sky meets land. The medium allowed me to layer texture and depth, echoing the complexity of the natural thermophilic life forms giving the spring its rainbow spectrum.

This piece is not just a visual memory; it’s a sensory one—a meditation on the vibrancy and vitality of one of Yellowstone's most iconic features. It is a reminder that even in extreme environments, life thrives in astonishing beauty.