(click to enlarge it in your browser) I’m presenting this sketch tomorrow to the National Park Service and El Malpais National Monument as we proceed through the process of developing this painting. The final painting will be used on the back of the park map, the handout you get when you visit. I’ve done these before for other parks and talk about putting art in the hands of the many, this is sure a way to do that.

Just to remind you, here’s the original concept sketch. Comparing the two is a great way to show the ‘process’ of making art like this.

Few wildflowers are here, at least obvious ones. This is a very arid and high-deserty place very near the Continental Divide in New Mexico, so, I focused on the critters – and there are a bunch of them. It’s fun to develop these projects, to start with a white piece of paper and bring in one element at a time. Of all these birds and animals, I think there were only a couple that needed to be resized to fit their neighbor’s size. This is the most difficult thing to pull off, because you can’t put a coyote next to, say, a mouse, or an elk next to a bobcat and call it even somewhat realistic.

More soon as this project develops.

Thanks for reading this week – and the entire year for that matter.
Larry Eifert

Here’s the blog on the web. And here’s my Facebook fan page. I post lots of other stuff there.

Click here to go to our main website – with jigsaw puzzles, prints, interpretive portfolios and lots of other stuff.

Nancy’s web portfolio of stunning photography

And here to go to Virginia Eifert’s website. Her books are now becoming available as Amazon Kindle books.