Middle of the Night Plein Air Painting

Yes I know plein air painting is not typically a nighttime activity ...

But ...

Y'know ...

I am still me ...

And yes I also know that this is not exactly the best photograph in the whole wide world. Cope as best you can.

I didn't TAKE a photo of this piece before it was hanging for the plein air show - and of course once it was there photos were forbidden. I had to go at pick-up time and hope whoever bought it hadn't already picked it up, then had to almost sell my soul to get into the place to take a picture (that I should have already had but ... it's a long story).

At any rate, the back story of this piece is plenty long and I'm not going to relate it all here.

The pertinent bit is that on my drive up to Victor, Colorado for this event I was driving in the night and thoroughly distracted by the moon.

If you know me at all, you'll know my love for a particular place in the Colorado Rockies. It's a thirty mile drive called Phantom Canyon.

The moon as I drove up into the hills that would take me to the top of Phantom Canyon wasn't about to turn me loose.

And so ...

The next day I drove Phantom, at least the top ten miles of it due to the ten-mile restriction of the Victor plein air event I was there for.

My sister and a friend had driven the distance and told me there was a good pull-over spot just before the outer ten-mile limit - so that's where I went.

Pulled into the pull-over.

Turned around to look where I was.

And there was my painting site.

Boom.

Haunted canyon?

Maybe.

But it was the moon haunting me right then and I knew the look I wanted.

Realizing there was no way I would be able to see the details I would need once dark fell, I got the texture-work done and took a lot of photos just because that's what I do when I find myself in a beautiful place (which happens frequently I have to admit).

As the sun went down the silhouettes became more and more striking, at least in my eyes.

And then the moon showed up.

There's a thing about being down in a canyon ... it takes a while for the moon to actually rise enough to be able to have moonlight.

I knew darned well the look I was waiting for - heaven knows I've seen it thousands of times - but for THIS night I had to WAIT FOR IT so I could finish the piece.

Yep.

And there it was.

The piece is called Moonlit Phantom.

If you want to see it for yourself, head down Phantom eight or nine miles (can't miss the pull-over as there are few of them) at about two in the morning when there's a full moon.

And of course you're right ... there's a LOT more to this story than this ... it will be told in due course.