Oak Creek at Cathedral Rock, Sedona, AZ

A common question I get from students is how to make shadows look transparent in bright light. In this painting of Oak Creek, I focused on using cool blues against the very warm colours of the rocks. I find that using a wash of cobalt blue for the shadows helps the sun look even brighter. It is a simple trick that works every time for sunny landscapes. The contrast makes the whole scene feel full of heat and energy.

For the big red rocks in the background, I chose a warm mix of burnt sienna and alizarin crimson. I painted these shapes while the paper was slightly damp so the edges stayed soft. You can see how the dark blue of the sky makes the red stand out. I used some neutral tint for the very darkest parts of the cliffs to give them more depth. Keeping the rock shapes bold helps the viewer see the scale of the landscape.

The water moving in the creek adds a lot of life to the scene. I used ultramarine blue for the deep water and left bits of white paper for the splashes. To show the reflections of the trees, I added some viridian green and cadmium yellow into the wet blue paint. I made sure the brush strokes in the water were horizontal to show the flat surface. It is important to work fast here to keep the colours fresh and clear.