Sandoval Snow

Sandoval Snow

Look close, and you can see the technique I used in this southwest New Mexico church, “Sandoval Snow,” while painting this wall art, which is not far from the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The first thing to do is to mask anything that isn’t the building and walls. Preventing the paper from absorbing color, I wanted to remain white for this wall decor to protect areas. 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. When the paint dried, I wiped away the salt. This technique was also used for Drums & Moccasins, 1001 Nights, and San Ysidro, to name a few.

Artistic license

As a contemporary Sedona artist, sometimes, I use my creative license. I loved this image so much that I painted a vibrant winter purple sky used here with snow all around.  San Ysidro had vivid yellow heavens at sunset, which showed the cross at the top of the steeple.

Monument Valley

When I created this watercolor of Sandoval Snow, the original background was mountainous. Since Monument Valley is such an iconic spiritual place here in the southwest, and I love painting it, I added it to the setting. I think you’ll enjoy my 10′ x 3′ version of “John Ford Point.”  If you go to Monument Valley do a tour with Navajo Spirit tours, you’ll be glad you did. In addition to this, director John Ford used this location for a number of his best-known films with John Wayne, and thus, in the words of critic Keith Phipps, “its five square miles have defined what decades of moviegoers think. Of when they imagine the American West.” This original 33” x 120” x1.5” canvas is available. Of course, art prints are also available, as canvas prints & paper prints.

Discover Vivid Mystical Southwest Landscape Paintings

While I love painting with watercolors, my current love uses acrylics, heavy body, and liquid acrylics. Creating vivid, mystical landscape paintings is my current direction.