High Desert Joshua Tree, 2026 by Ray Patrick — original oil painting — 2026.006.003

Subject

High desert with a single Joshua tree right of centre, a flat-topped bluff to the left, and a long blue ridge behind. Towering cumulus stands above the ridge in full sun.

Composition

Three bands — sky, ridge, desert floor — with the tree the only vertical breaking them. It is placed off-centre and reads against the brightest part of the cloud, so the eye finds it immediately.

Palette

A turquoise sky, unusual and deliberate, against white and lavender cloud. The bluff carries ochre on its lit face and near-black in shadow; the floor is pink and sage with sharp green accents.

Handling

Broad and direct, each plane a few loaded strokes. The cloud is built with the brush turning as it goes, so the edges are scalloped rather than drawn; the foreground scrub is single stabs of green over the pink ground.

Medium and support

Oil on board. Impasto throughout, the cloud standing noticeably off the surface. The board's edges are painted white.

Signature

No signature visible within the painted area.