Sage Beauty, Late Autumn

On a research trip to New Mexico to gather information, drawings and painting material, I discovered this weather-worn bush next to a small stream. Snow had gathered all around it, but all that wetness had not dampened its warm color. It was that contrast that I wished to capture in this painting after I returned to the studio: between warm and cool, dry and wet, static and active, and the complementary color scheme that I wanted to dominate.