There was something about this image that really captured my attention so I painted it. My first attempt is one I really love. The coldness of this scene was entertaining to capture, but I didn’t quite get the warm contrast I was looking for. Also, the towers feel diminished by the butte behind them and I thought they needed a more prominent presence. So in my second attempt, I adjusted my image by drawing the large background butte smaller and receded into the distance. My first painting did a good job of reducing the detail of the back butte, which pushed it back, but it still commanded too much attention.

For my second attempt, I think I really achieved what I was after with this image with the exception of the foreground. I don’t think it worked as well as I would have hoped. I was standing on an interstate on-ramp and liked the way the road swept through the scene, but I think it draws the viewers attention in a bad way. I actually thought about taking this painting to the table saw and just cutting off the bottom, but decided instead to paint it again.

In my third attempt, I think I achieved a really powerful composition. This is the most vibrant of the three paintings, and I’m not sure if that is something I love about it or not. There is something about the more subdued colors in the first two that really does it for me. One thing that really stands out to me in this final attempt is the strong contrast between the towers and the sky. I’m also really happy with the contrast between the feathered edge of the back butte and the sharp edges of the towers. It gives this last painting a lot of depth.

For a possible fourth attempt, I’m thinking of doing a lino cut of the final painting and gold-leafing the clouds. I think it would be an exciting addition to my first lino cut where the sky and river were gold-leafed.