Heaps Canyon, part 2

There are canyons in Zion National Park so long and challenging that you have to plan to take two days to get through them. Heaps Canyon is one of these. When you are down in the narrows of a two-day canyon, you are truly in the belly of the beast. This is the sort of feeling that overwhelmed me for most of the trip. I reflected on this trip for months before putting my thoughts into imagery. This was one of the most challenging things I had ever done. I wanted the painting to express that deep trapped feeling, but at the same time reflect a sense of awe and magic.

Here is the image from the canyon I used most when composing my sketches. My first sketch is a simplified replication of the photograph. From here I made a few quick studies.

  

From here I made a bold leap directly onto the canvas. I had a vision, and I quickly sketched it out in ochre paint. I also took a few more shots as the painting progressed over several weeks. I was a bit concerned about the intensity of the colors, but in the end decided that it was the exageration of the oranges and purples that gives the scene a sense of magic and play. Refer to the trip report below to read the whole story on why potholes are like a jungle-gym.

    
I layer the paint on thinly, trying to preserve the luminescence of the white canvas beneath. Up close you can see the strokes and thin layers of color, but from a short distance it all seems to blend and glow. I am satisfied with the way the light comes in from a particular direction and bounces around. This is something undeniably fascinating about slot canyons. But, being an abstract artist I like to keep the forms more mysterious and open to interpretation. There is a sensuality and womb-like warmth portrayed through the sensational use of colors, something only the imagination can bring to the piece.

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Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Heaps Canyon, Zion National Park, UT
• It begins…
• Willow Creek Canyon, Part 2
• Autumn in Zion