Evergreen and Red

This painting was a challenge. The original, self-inflicted challenge was to make a non-specific chunk of the landscape look interesting just by painting it well. I was not successful in doing that. The true day was overcast and the first swipe at this looked dull and flat. My new assignment then was, save the painting!
To save the painting, I manufactured drama by forcing the pretend sun out and moving the pretend atmosphere in. The desert has no humidity so very distant things, on a still day, can keep much of their color. On a windy day, there will be dust in the air, which will alter the distance visually but keep it in the warmer end of the spectrum. I pushed the distance back by cooling it, which is the effect produced by denser air. It's risky, messing with Mother Nature like this. I've long felt that to be honest, I must be ruthlessly true to my subject but I'm beginning to believe that, as an artist, the greater truth is told when one is true to oneself and to the work of art as a separate entity from its inspiration.