Oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches, framed in a gold panel frame with linen liner.
Exhibited: Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
Private collection, Fullerton, CA
 
About this oil:
California is the quintessential, golden hill state. I lived there for 10 years, and I was never too far away from seeing scenes similar to this one.
 
I really admired those steep rounded hills, and in this oil, I endeavored to put something together compositionally that would include that feature, but I wanted to arrangement to go further, not just a portrait of a place.
 
I took some photos of the area and back in the studio, this scene immediately stood out. The hill in the front is moderately steep in comparison but the edge to edge diagonal is important. The angled road is a nice touch, adding more geometry to a scene full of intersecting lines. It’s always a wonder how sometimes incompatible shapes and intersections can be arranged into a balanced formation.
 
All of the preliminaries being decided, now I was back to my primary focus, color. Every element is an opportunity to enrichen the experience and each color has its own life. The sky is a big part of this oil and the glowing blues are really pushed.
 
The result is that a couple of simple, rolling hills have become prime actors in an eye-catching play.