About this Painting: About an hour’s drive west from Albuquerque, NM on Highway I-40 is Grants, New Mexico. If you turn south on Highway 117, you will find the El Malpais National Monument. Nearby are the Cibola National Forest, Zuni Indian Reservation, and Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation. I met a family from the Acoma Indian Reservation that day and was treated to stories of ancient times and man’s challenges in this beautiful and rugged country. This area was a volcanic flow tens of millions of years ago. The layers of ash created spectacular rock formations, sandstone cliffs, and large granite boulders. This painting depicts a large mesa reflected in a flood pool. It was midday in July. A cloud burst had just finished, complete with thunder, large puffy clouds, wind, and distant lightning, leaving wonderful colors reflecting in the water. I painted a field study and took several photos. As the sun ducked in and out from behind the clouds, the reflection would change dramatically. I had to work quickly to capture the colors. It rained on my work twice. I took care to capture the mist in the air left by the rain along with the fresh colors in the wet soil and plants in the foreground.
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