The mountains of Far West Texas rise into a sky so large, they are dwarfed. This view from Highway 166 SW of Fort Davis shows the softer side of the rugged high desert as a rare winter thunderstorm showers welcomed rain on the golden grassland of Texas ranch country. The Davis Mountains are volcanic in origin, and light from the cloudy sky disperses across them unevenly and unpredictably.
In this miniature skyscape, the towering cloud and thin showers of rain steal the show. The mountains are gently colored beneath the drama of the big West Texas sky. As I painted this rather complex miniature, working the energy of the clouds, I felt it would also fill a larger canvas. So I stopped painting after finishing the sky (most of the painting, actually) to do a larger version of this same skyscape.
(The 16" x 12" rendering of this same landscape is "Winter Rains".)
- Framed: 9 x 7 x 1 in (22.86 x 17.78 x 2.54 cm)
- Subject Matter: Landscape
- Collections: Far West Texas Landscapes, Miniatures