Yellowstone Geothermal

                                                          watermedia on Yupo 20x20

My final painting of 2013.
 One of the most striking aspects of the geothermal fields in Yellowstone, is the stark contrast between the jewel like beauty of the pools with the devastated landscapes they create. Scenes of 'natural' violence and death surround these gorgeous, seductive waters. I read that tremors underground shift the access of the scalding water and suddenly whole forests have roots that are boiled alive! We joked more than once that it`s tough to be a tree in Yellowstone. Yet in some places, grasses colonize the areas very close to the water. Life will find a way.
 I was asked to list the colors pictured on my new palette in the last post. Since it was a true shopping spree, I couldn`t remember them all and had to look at the receipt;
Titanium White [I use lots of this to create translucency and to add 'liftability' to other colors]
Ivory Black
Sepia
Payne`s Gray
Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Compose Blue
Emerald Green Nova
Cobalt Green
Terre Verte
Cerulean Blue
Compose Green #2
Lavender
Cadmium Orange
Mars Violet
Cadmium Red Orange
Yellow Ochre
Shell Pink
Jaune Brillant #1
Permanent Yellow Lemon
Naples Yellow
Permanent Yellow Deep
Golden Earth
Cadmium Red Medium
Hansa Yellow Light

 Now I don`t think for a minute all of these are necessary, this purchase was therapy.
 In 1985, when I worked with Diebenkorn, I was painting tonalist abstractions; lots of murky grays and browns. He pointed to the edges of my palette where the fresh, vibrant tube colors were, then to the center where I was mixing my mud, and asked "which would you rather look at?"
That was effective teaching!


work in the studio