Clouds, Blue, and Light: a powerful combination
(Second Image: Jose Hernandez, "Desert after Rain," 2006. Oil on Canvas.)The slightest change in the sky dramatically alters the desert landscape. Deep blue mountains turn flaming pink when the sun is low on the horizon and white tumbleweeds turn into large dark masses when draped by a cumulus shadow. There are fewer trees in the desert that reduce the broad view of New Mexico's sky. Therefore, you see "cloud ranges" in addition to "mountain ranges" far into the distance.
Above we see a photograph of clouds in Tularosa with a white lining of light. The following image is of an enchanting desert landscape painting with moody clouds painted by Jose Hernandez. Jose was born and raised in Mexico and moved to Tularosa over a decade ago where he continues to create dramatic art. His clouds and desert scenes are spot-on and communicate the same feeling of awe one gets standing under the big sky in a New Mexican desert. Each session Mano y Mente invites one local Tularosa artist to share the studio with the national and international artists in residence who both paint and live on site. Jose is one such artist.
