Pitiado

Pitiado – Amazing Contemporary Southwest Landscape Art

“Pitiado” is a type of hand embroidering used on horse saddles in Mexico. The heading of this contemporary Amazing Southwest Landscape Art “Pitiado” could have been “Kokopelli” because of that image present.  Of course, with the massive cactus in front, this southwest landscape comes alive. This Sedona art print designation came from a contest suggested by Jim Ferguson when he interviewed me on 3/13/04 for the “Great American Outdoor Trails“ radio show. He recommended that I sent out a request to all of my patrons who have my Prickly Pear Desert Cactus landscape art. Then to challenge them to come up with a moniker for this whimsical art. The winner who came up with the appropriate handle received a Giclée of “Pitiado.” As it turned out, the radio jock had the best title. Of course, the 2nd best was “Kokopelli” of this landscape canvas print.

Kokopelli

When I originally photographed this adobe, the Kokopelli sign replaced “Abogado,” which means an attorney in Spanish. This set is used as a prop in some of the famous western movies made at Old Tucson Studios in Tucson, Arizona.  From western movie heroes like John Wayne to current box-office stars such as Harrison Ford, many of Hollywood’s legends have walked past this structure. And many wood-be actors have only daydreamed of performing here.

Adobe Appearance

Look close, and you can see the technique I used while painting this landscape wall art. The first thing to do is to mask anything that isn’t the building. Masking Fluids prevent the paper from absorbing the color. I applied a mask before I used a wash to protect areas that I wanted to remain white. Using a 2 “broad brush while the paper is wet, I put down the colors of yellow, orange, red, and cobalt blue, one after the other. This way, they could blend. I then sprinkled kosher salt to absorb some of the pigment, put saran wrap over the entire area, and scrunched it up. When the paint dried, I peeled away the covering and wiped away the salt. This technique was used for Drums & Mocassins, Mondays, Taos Pueblo, and San Ysidro, to name a few.

Sedona Landscape Paintings

While I love painting with watercolors, my current love uses acrylics, heavy body, and liquid acrylics.

To discover and delight in my creative process as a Sedona vivid, mystical landscape expressionist, click here.