Towers Above the Emerald outlet Pools I - Framed Original Plein-air Altoid Tin Oil Painting on Canvas - 2x3 Inches Square

My partner and I took a week or so in late October of 2020 to get out of the house and refresh our weary emotions with a visit to see Zion National Park in Utah. Thankfully there were a relatively small number of other tourists travelling after school/homeschooling was back in session for the fall, so we were able to enjoy the park safely separated from other visitors. Our first day in the main canyon, we enjoyed the stunning vistas and hidden grottos along the Upper, Middle and Lower Emerald Pool trails. The depth of rich oranges, rusts and purple shadows in the Navajo sandstone cliffs of Zion Canyon are overwhelming and seem unreal, especially contrasted against the brilliant blue of desert skies. Painting on location is extremely helpful in getting "color notes", when the camera tends to flatten out these striking hues and dull the stunning impact of a landscape's true depth of color.

This is an original oil painting created entirely on location. It is done on gessoed canvas cut to 3 by 2 inches, which fits into the lid of a mint tin. I was introduced to the concept of using mint tins as a plein-air pochade box through a friend's Instagram feed. As I am planning on traveling to paint in Ireland, discovering this solution for compacting my on-location toolkit was extremely exciting! Tiny surfaces and a time limit seem to be the ticket to freeing my decisive side and eliminating the inner voice prodding for "just a little more tweaking/detail/fussing".

The dry painting has been adhered to an 8-ply acid-free matboard using acrylic gel medium, outlet fit into a 4 by 6 inch cherry toned 1/2" wide wood frame with an acid-free linen mat. It is glazed with Museum glass for maximum clarity and UV-blocking. Your framed work is wired and a hanger is provided if you wish to display it on the wall.