Medium: Acrylic on canvas panel
Size: 9X12 inches
Location: Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
Year: 2026
Painted during my residency at Desert National Wildlife Refuge, this piece captures the intensity of desert light as it settles across the mountains. The ridges catch and hold the sun in long, glowing streaks, while the shadows deepen into cooler, quieter tones below.
In the desert, the shift into evening doesn’t happen gently—it lingers, stretches, and then disappears all at once. The brushwork leans into that fleeting tension, balancing warmth and shadow as the landscape briefly feels lit from within.
This painting reflects that moment when everything is heightened—the color, the contrast, the stillness—and you know it won’t last, but you stay anyway, watching it fade.
