Currently on Exhibition at the Artrageous Art Hub in Sherman Texas. Purchase must be made through the Hub while on Exhibition.

Chisos Basin Reverie is a 12" by 14" watercolor painting executed on 100% cotton handmade paper. This work presents a mountainous landscape centered around two prominent peaks that frame a valley, rendered with a carefully balanced palette of greens, browns, and subtle touches of red. The foreground is alive with varied shades of green, suggesting dense vegetation that anchors the scene in a vivid natural reality. Above, the sky bursts with dynamic brushstrokes in vibrant blues, purples, yellows, and oranges, evoking the atmosphere of a dramatic sunset. The slightly rough edges of the handmade paper complement the tactile presence of the landscape, inviting viewers to experience the painting as a direct encounter with place.

The inspiration for this piece comes from my ongoing engagement with the Chisos Basin area in Big Bend National Park, a setting that continuously fascinates me for its shifting light and color through the seasons. I’ve often found myself drawn to The Window, a distinctive natural rock formation on the 5.6-mile Window Trail. Its unique frame offers expansive views of desert and mountain vistas, a scene documented and celebrated by many hikers and photographers. This spot is not only a visual landmark but a nexus of natural and human history. The basin’s rugged terrain reflects a range of ecological zones and carries the legacies of indigenous peoples, including the Chisos Indians, whose ties to the land remain a vital part of its identity.

The act of painting Chisos Basin Reverie involved more than an observation of landscape; it became a meditation on Texas’s complex historical and environmental narratives. The Big Bend’s geography is shaped by the Rio Grande, a river that forms the southwestern border of Texas and folds into the Gulf of Mexico. This river is tied to political and cultural boundaries, as well as geological forces, all of which resonate through the landscape itself. The Window serves as a symbol layered with meaning—geological formation, site of cultural significance, and vantage point over a contested borderland. These elements informed my approach to the composition and color choices, aiming to convey not only the beauty but also the depth of place.

Technically, the use of watercolor on handmade cotton paper was essential to achieving the naturalistic yet expressive qualities I sought. The paper’s texture enhances the sense of tactile presence, while the fluidity of watercolor allows for the interplay of controlled detail and atmospheric abstraction. The varied brushwork in the sky and foliage captures the ephemeral character of light as it shifts at sunset, a moment full of movement and emotion. This balance between precision and looseness reflects the complex character of the Chisos Basin itself: ever-changing, resilient, and deeply evocative.

Chisos Basin Reverie is an invitation to pause and consider a landscape that is as much a repository of history and identity as it is a place of striking beauty. Through this work, I hope to share my reverence for this region and encourage a deeper awareness of the intertwined natural and human stories that shape it.