Joshua Tree Night, 2026 by Ray Patrick — original oil painting — 2026.052.042

Subject

A single Joshua tree on a rise at night, in silhouette against a sky that has gone an extraordinary green.

Composition

The tree stands at the far right, small and alone, with the whole left two thirds given to empty sky. The ridge runs down to the left and the rocky foreground fills the bottom half.

Palette

The most unusual on the wall — a sky of acid lime graduating to deep green at the top, over cobalt and teal rocks. The tree is near-black. There is no warm colour anywhere in the picture.

Handling

The sky is scrubbed in small circling strokes of two or three greens, so it shimmers rather than graduates cleanly. The rocks below are dabbed in short flat marks of blue, teal and violet laid against each other.

Medium and support

Oil on board. Thick and worked, with the brush direction legible everywhere. The board's edges are painted white.

Signature

No signature visible within the painted area.

From the artist:

The desert has some of the best colors I have ever seen. It was very surprising to me to find turquoise, lime, pinks and neon green.