Stephen C. Datz is featured in the June 2005 issue Stephen C. Datz Oil Painting Demonstration Because the ecosystem in Colorado National Monument is so fragile (a footprint in the cryptobiotic crust that stabilizes the soils can take a century to regenerate), I often rely on deer trails to explore the back-country. There is a wonderful serendipity to traveling this way, because these paths go nowhere in particular, and meander randomly. I never know what ideas for painting will pop up, and it is great fun to wander and see what I can find. Winter in the monument is a particularly beautiful time, and this scene struck me instantly as a classic upland vista. Painting from 10 a.m. to noon, I loved the bright, high-key sunshine. The color harmony was endlessly appealing: the rich, dense green junipers with the blue hills in the distance, and the violet shadows in the snow.. Step 1 I usually begin with several small graphite drawings, roughly 2 x 3 inches, such as this. Experimental in nature, they help me hone the composition and arrangement of shapes and values in the piece. I don t spend much time on each one; I keep making new ones, varying the elements and arrangement, until I ve zeroed in on the best design. Step 2 Using my thumbnail sketch as a reference, I lay in the composition I ve selected onto my canvas panel, using dirty turpentine and a bit of Cadmium Red Medium or Venetian Red for warmth. Step 3 My approach to the block-in varies from one subject to another. I let the subject suggest where to start, and how to proceed. Because this subject was high contrast, I elected to start with the dark trees and sage, because those values and colors are the primary notes in the overall color and value harmony. They ll become the baseline in determining the values and colors for the rest of the painting. Step 4 Because most of the rest of the piece is very simple, highvalue shapes, I continue with the darks, adding color, temperature and value variations to the shadow areas. This will develop the sense of foliage in the trees and sage. Finally, I touch on the highlights where the sun is striking the foliage. Because the rest of the piece is so high value, and even in full sun the trees are the darkest element in the painting, I know that as long as these highlights relate correctly to the darks, they ll read. Step 5 The next obvious step is to develop the blue hills in the background, and the violet shadows in the snow. Pushing my main foreground darks cooler and lighter, I establish the distant blue hills. I then mix and add the shadows on the snow, adding a few warm darks in the foreground, where the red soil is exposed. Step 6 Finally, I block in the last untouched area of the canvas the sky. I enhance the background hills, helping to define them by adding the proper level of detail. I then lay in the snow and begin resolving the foreground, softening and adjusting shadow edges and punching holes in the shapes of the sagebrush to help enhance its character. The final steps in the piece will be to soften the sky and fully resolve the edges of the tree foliage, where it meets the sky. The Deer Trail (8 x 12 in.) To subscribe to Plein Air Magazine or to order back issues, call 800.610.5771. Outside the U.S., call 561.655.8778 (weekdays 9-5 eastern).