Summer | Dix Baines Studio

*please click the images to enlarge*

August 13, 2007

I have never heard of Gateway – but I have heard of the Unaweep Canyon. The arid landscape of Grand Junction has given way to a higher valley within the canyon. I have stopped at an information marker over looking a lush meadow that sits below Thimble Rock. I read that Unaweep is Ute for “the canyon of two mouths”. It is 2500 feet deep and 1.7 Billion years old. It is an ancient river bed of the Gunnison River. Like the Black Canyon, it carved magic into this canyon as well – beautiful! There is an old homestead, and adobe ruin at the base of this rock formation.

For a first sketch (fig 1) I have moved back into the opening of a canyon, as I hope to get good evening light on the Palisade. Cloudy tonight . The Palisade is very sculptural and changes drastically as you move around it.

"Summer Light" 9×12

August 14, 2007

This AM I am up early looking for a first light view – cloudy again.
Wow! – what a show, can you say pure cadmium chroma!

I like this scene as it has such dark silhouette tree shapes. I also like the fact I can record this hay meadow (as a golf course may take it place. What an intro into gateway. It is not Zion or Arches or Canyon De Chelly… but it is just as big – its Gateway.

"First Light on Palisade" 6×12

Just went up John Brown Road and am going to paint a full sun view of the Palisade.

"John Brown Road" 8×10

August 15, 2007

Saw some great light – for a second. It went dark on me so I was not very far into this view – I’ll fix it later.

"Painted Palisade" 6×12

Note: the brevity of entries made on the remainder of this first trip was in combination of some flat light days, which also gave me time to explore and survey this country. There has been a lot of driving all over in an effort to find vantage points and to get a feel for areas of opportunity so far as first/last light scenes. On the 16th I drove all the way up John Brown Road to nearly the La Salle Peaks. I then drove back down and out on the plateau to see the Dolores River valley below.

August 16, 2007

Good tree up John Brown Canyon – might be a good season study. But I will come back to paint later.

Up to the top of John Brown today. Hard to paint up top. Views are gianormous. Not a nice place in a storm, rained hard (I got caught in a really scary lightening storm with heavy rain, and I was introduced first hand to the forces behind the reality of what has made the geology of the area).