Concept to Competion

My woodblock start from rough sketches, some rougher or looser than others. For me, the object of a sketch is to capture the mood as opposed to the assorted detailed elements. For me, that is a more accurate rendering. I want to know the arrangement of value shapes and colors .

La Cienega started for a small value sketch. I loved the late light casting long shadows and the glowing white chapel.  On Lodge Pole Sunset, I sketched the sunset glowing thru the trees behind our cabin.

I pushed the chroma on the woodblock, feeling that the colors needed more intensity to convey the drama of the moment.  Then there was the little cemetery  along some dusty road in Southern New Mexico. In all of them, the spontaneity  of the sketch helps bring the woodblock to life.