Sunset at Malloy Bridge Road

"Sunset at Malloy Bridge Road"
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
8" x 10"
2011
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Here's a view of the sunset seen just over the tree line on Malloy Bridge Road near Seagoville, Tx.  All along Malloy Bridge Road there are acres of farmland.  This was a plowed field covered in a rich, dark top soil.  It made a wonderful contrast to the brightly lit sky.  Texas sunsets are spectacular, and you can watch them every night and never see exact same thing twice! 

When painting skies of any kind I find it useful to premix several colors on my palette.  For this painting I mixed a few greenish blues, several tints of yellows, oranges, and reds, and a couple of violets.  I like to start with a simple drawing indicating the horizon line and basic cloud formation, then loosely lay in the blues.  I tend to work towards the middle values initially, so I layed in the dark tree line and stronger values of the clouds next.  I finished with the vivid yellows and oranges and the small semi-cirle of almost-white for the sun.  I touched up a few edges and a couple of highlights on the ground, but I didn't want to overwork this one.  I like the loose and quick feeling of this painting.  It's kind of like watching the sky itself.  Everything seems to be constantly in motion.