The Devil's Head

                        The Devil's Head - 11x14 oil on board.

There's nothing quite like sunshine. In the winter we're up long before the sun. In the summer it's the sun lighting up the sky at 4 30 or 5 am that taps me on the shoulder and I love it. In the quietness of the early morning, comes the promise of what a new day may bring. 

The Devil's Head is the most recognizable landmark on the Calgary side of the Rockies. The First Nations across North America apparently revered any outcrop that resembled a head. They believed that such formations embodied a or several spirits. The first white explorers, who used the Ghost Gap as a passage to the west reported finding peace offerings on the cliffs of this mountain, which were made to appease the spirits. 

It is the proximity of complementary (not complimentary) colors representing warm and cool color - temperature that gives so much life to a scene like this. When I look at this painting, it feels like I should see my breath!