My Early Southwest Landscape Paintings



Simplicity, 48 x 48 Dyptych, Oil on Wood.
This was my first landscape painting of Oracle, AZ.
Copyright 2006, Mary A. Gravelle

Today, I wanted to share two of my early landscape paintings I did when I first moved to the Southwest in 2006. The landscape blew me away. It was expansive and breathtaking. I had never painted a landscape painting before, nor had ever wanted to. But, I had to paint this beautiful landscape that I was excitedly photographing everyday in my awe of it.

It was a scary venture because I had just completed my fourth semester of painting at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Connecticut. My dear and awesomely talented painting professor, Rick Harden, dissuaded his students from painting landscape paintings. He said that one had to be really good at it because there are so many landscape painters already out there, not to mention the masters that we had studied.

As luck would have it, during many coffee shop visits, I befriended and enlisted the critique help of an art professor from Western New Mexico University, Dan Davidson. Anyone who knows Dan, knows he knows how to critique. It's his middle name. After several of his critiques, I decided I was good to go. One of his best comments to me was, "Well, at least you have some raw talent." Ha. Thanks, Dan! He helped me a lot, though. So, here we go...



Serenity, 24 x 48 Dyptych, Oil on Wood.
This was my second landscape painting of Oracle, AZ.
Copyright 2006, Mary A. Gravelle

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Mary Rush Gravelle is an artist who resides in Prescott, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty. Find her work and daily comments on her facebook page. Her art can be seen on her website, maryfineart.com. She can be contacted via email at: mary@maryfineart.com.