"When dawn spreads its paintbrush on the plain, spilling purple... ," Sons of the Pioneers theme for TV show "Wagon Train." Dawn on the mythic Santa Fe Trail, New Mexico, looking toward Raton from Cimarron. -- Clarkphoto. A curmudgeon artist's musings melding metaphors and journalism, for readers in more than 150 countries.

Monday, July 17, 2017

Mythic morning watercolor--Santa Fe Trail

Dawn on the Santa Fe Trail, 9 by 12 watercolor, 140# d'Arches
Trails loom large in our history and culture, and especially mine.
The photo at the top of this blog I took a few years ago, as the first crack of dawn colored the landscape east of Cimarron, New Mexico, as I headed back to Oklahoma. I crossed the ruts of the old Santa Fe Trail, in this view looking north.
The end of the great Plains, the land of mesas and the Sangre De Cristo Rocky Mountain front.
It's a place for color, and history, and imagination. Other trails--Route 66, El Camino Real, the Mormon Trail, the Oregon Trail, Natchez Trace, Trail of Tears, Chisholm Trail, and so many more help define in spirit what we are as Americans.
So today's watercolor is a spiritual journey for me.
Day 17 of WorldWatercolorMonth challenge
Palette--Thalo Blue, Cobalt Blue, Alizerine Crimson, Cad orange, real green

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