Courthouse Butte Loop Trail, (early AM)

Got out really early this morning to see one of the most picturesque trails I've walked yet. It was a good solid two hour walk but fairly easy walking, good trail conditions and not much upping and downing. Saw lots of cottontail bunny's and one, honest to gosh, black tipped long eared jack rabbit. The photography was magnificent as I hiked close up to some of the most dramatic red rock formations in the area. But the highlight for me was coming up over a small ridge in the trail and becoming aware of a sizable lump in the middle of the trail just ten or twelve feet in front of me. Then the lump moved, and growled! I yanked my glasses on and found myself staring at a beautiful young bobcat who was staring back at me. Fortunately, he was not crouching over a fresh kill or he might have taken more umbrige at my presence. Instead he grumbled his indignation at my interruption and stalked off into the grass clumps and turned to stare back at me to see if my intention was to molest him in any way. The furthest thing from my mind, let me tell you! I yanked my camera out and frantically tried to focus on him but couldn't find him in the viewfinder. Looking over the top of the camera, I realized he was on his way out of town fast, so I just swung the camera along the path he was heading and snapped, hoping for luck. This is the result.

My legs were tired by the time I returned all the way back to my car (I had tried a different pair of hiking boots), but I sat thinking what an amazing experience I just had, all because I really wanted to get out and hike in the early hours and light. The sky was fairly overcast and even a bit threatening. The light and colors were very cool and very soft. Not all jazzy or intense and contrasty. Mostly it was just very low contrast, the darks were not really even opaque black like you get on a sunny bright morning, and the light colors were very muted and soft. I realized to paint that, I would have to really plan out my complementary color combinations, and paint mostly with cool variations of hues. Very much the opposite of the way I usually try to express the red rock vistas in the majority of my pieces. Later in the day the exact same places would look entirely different, and require a complete change of colors.  I'll have to really think about and maybe study up on how to effectively paint that feeling of coolness and very early light. Steven Quiller is the artist I will study up some more on, as he teaches how to really get those lovely cool muted grays and and make them really work for you, and not get muddy or overworked.