The 'Big Bend' Chill

This was painted in the studio from photo references collected during my annual painting trip to Big Bend National Park with my "Rattlesnake Gang" colleagues in February 2022 (an invitational  group of professional painters that retreat to this remote location along the Texas/Mexico border). This year only a few of us (only 4 of 8) could make it through the historic ice storm that devastated most of Texas. Seeing the snow on the desert and the storms meandering through the mountains was incredibly inspiring, and I anxiously returned home with numerous paintings in mind. This painting was my first attempt to capture the dichotomy of the cold of the snow and the grey atmosphere that blanketed the landscape and cactus, normally seen in the harsh heat and sunlight of the desert, and it was one of five paintings that I was invited to share in the 8 person exhibition “The Rattlesnake Gang Presents Big Bend National Park,” Art Gallery Prudencia, San Antonio, Texas, April 10 –May 23, 2021.