A brutal ice storm, scarcely touching the mountains, descended suddenly one afternoon and completely coated the desert of Big Bend National Park with a thick layer of white that shimmered in sunlight too faint to melt it. We drove down from the warmth of the Chisos Basin, where we'd been hiking in shirtsleeves and descended into ice fog, then emerged to see a vast winter palace. Century plants, still holding dull yellow color in their drying blossoms had collected snowy tops that glistened like diamonds, and tall stems of sotol and grasses stood like upside down icicles. Even for a land of extremes, it was a magnificent surprise, a gift of moisture to the desert and childlike delight to me.
In painting this, I imagined standing in that cold, glittering winterscape, blowing on my hands and stomping my feet to keep warm even while raising my face to the serenely glowing sky.
- Framed: 12 x 15 x 2 in (30.48 x 38.1 x 5.08 cm)
- Subject Matter: landscape
- Current Location: Old Spanish Trail Studio - PO Box 2167 401 Crows Nest Road, Fort Davis, TX 79734 (google map)
- Collections: Big Bend National Park, Far West Texas Landscapes