oil on linen, 26 x 21.5 inches, 2023
I saw this hill photographed by the Perseverance rover and found it really mysterious and decided to paint it. I use pigments like Mars red, yellow Ochre, burnt umber, and Mars yellow, they are natural pigments, basically ground dirt. Most contain iron oxide(a pigment that makes the actual Mars surface red) to some degree, with Mars red containing the most red oxide content. I am also obsessed with some rocks that I saw in the pictures of the hill and have been drawing and painting them for some time. First on paper a few times. This canvas is Belgian linen I prepared almost 10 years ago from scratch using rabbit skin glue and lead white ground. I use glazing for the rocks' shadows and a pretty matte surface for the dirt, and more Japanese painting like sketching lines for the further mountain.
I have no idea what gets to me sometimes but I sit for hours to observe the rocks and how they are developed and the features, and make sure to paint what I understand about them. Some of the rocks have deep shadows with ochres and reds and features still visible even in the shadows. I can see they have different characteristics: some have poked holes, some have been sanded smooth by the wind, and some rocks have red dirt or strange corrugations. I have plans for some beautiful rocks I have studied for some time and can't wait to do them.
oil on linen, 26 x 21.5 inches, 2023