Sunset Ridge, 2026 by Ray Patrick — original oil painting — 2026.047.073

Subject

Cumulus massed over a long ridge at the end of the day, with the land reduced to three narrow bands along the bottom and nothing standing up from it.

Composition

Nine tenths sky. The horizon runs dead level across the lower fifth and the cloud is built in two ranks — a lower bank catching the light and a darker mass above — so the weather reads as depth rather than pattern.

Palette

Ultramarine and cobalt in the sky with white and lilac in the lit cloud, and violet-grey in its shadow. Below, a seam of rust and crimson along the ridge, then olive and sap green.

Handling

The cloud is laid in thick curved strokes with the brush turning as it goes, each one keeping its own edge, so the mass is built from facets. The land is three or four long horizontal pulls and nothing more.

Medium and support

Oil on board. Heavy impasto through the cloud, standing well off the surface; the land is flatter and thinner. The board's edges are painted white.

Signature

No signature visible within the painted area.