I grew up in arid Southern California, and always loved going on drive trips. At 14 I secretly drove my absent sister’s car through high-desert roads to Julian, about 50 miles away. The thought of doing it still gives me pleasure. A beautiful drive. Whenever I need time to review my place in the Universe I go for a drive on back county roads. This pastel came about from one of those drives to Joshua Tree, California.
The highlight colors shift from warm yellow in the foreground to a dark peach, rust, purple, green, and finally a cerulean blue on the distant mountains. They move like stepping stones. The color concept helps to more confidently accent a form, and it helps to pull the space. This spatial thing give me of a feeling of out of the body experience, as if I am flying through space, banking off warm currents, disappearing in the distance and then looping back.
Michael Newberry, Idyllwild, 10/26/2020
Michael Newberry 