Colorado Landscapes Series: No Name

We have driven by No Name, Colorado, countless times and have never stopped before. With the changing autumn colors at their peak, this rest area, exit 119 on I-70, made an unforgettable first impression. When I looked up at its dramatic canyon walls, I felt like I was standing in one of the great cathedrals of Europe.

No Name
20 x 20", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson (c) 2014

Stages 1 and 2: Sketching in the composition and then painting in the background trees. I used a thin wash made up of Burnt Umber and mineral spirits to brush in my sketch.

Stage 3: Blocking in the middle ground.

Stage 4: Painting the trees and foliage.

Stage 5: Painting the canyon walls. I wasn't sure if my plan of action for creating the rock walls was going to work; using a palette knife, I did a small area just to see. Its fun to push paint around and try different techniques. You never know until you try.

...I continued the canyon walls with an underpainting by blocking in the different shapes and colors that I saw.

Stage 6: Completing the painting. Using a brush and palette knife while the underpainting was still wet, I applied the second layer of paint focusing on color and texture.