Sunset Rocks, 2026 by Ray Patrick — original oil painting — 2026.057.047

Subject

Rocks in silhouette along a ridge with the sun going down behind them, the sky still fully lit and the land already black.

Composition

The rocks make a jagged dark band across the bottom third, rising to a peak just left of centre; above it the sky is open and horizontal. The division between the two is the only drawn line in the picture.

Palette

Lemon and gold at the horizon rising through cadmium orange to slate and steel blue at the top, with patches of true blue breaking through. The rocks are brown-black with a few olive accents.

Handling

The sky is laid in long horizontal strokes, each one a single colour, stacked tight so the gradation happens between strokes rather than within them. The rocks are flat masses put in last with no interior detail.

Medium and support

Oil on board. Thick, with heavy ridges through the lit sky. The board's edges are painted white.

Signature

No signature visible within the painted area.

From the artist:

I developed an obsession with rocks and boulders. Their color varied a tremendous amount based up on the light. They could be warm in sunlight and cool, like here, behind a sunset.