Tehachapi Dawn

Awarded “Best In Show”, 15th Annual Pastel Society of Southern California Members’ Exhibition

Awarded PleinAir Magazine/Streamline Publishing Award, PSWC Pastels USA 99 Voices Exhibition

It was early morning on my wedding anniversary when I came upon this beautiful sight. Several artists were gathering in Tehachapi in mid-May for some plein air painting and I pulled over the side of the road to capture this very brief moment before gray clouds overwhelmed most of the morning sky. I quickly made a value sketch, took some color notes with pastels and took some photo reference that I used to finish the piece.

Dawn and dusk have always intrigued me and can be a challenge to paint when there is no direct sunlight hitting the landscape. There was a hint of morning light peeking up over the low blanket of undulating clouds in the far background. The sky was a transition of pale yellow-orange that gradated to a pale green then ultimately to beautiful shades of blues. All sorts of clouds decorated the early day, billowing here and wisping there. The bush in the foreground seemed to reach up to praise the oncoming morning with its outstretched branches, and I enjoyed working in that subtle bit of whimsy.

To create this piece, I initially sketched in the forms with a pastel pencil and then worked in some oil washes, which were followed up by several layers of soft pastel.