Desert Town, 2026 by Ray Patrick — original oil painting — 2026.048.038

Subject

A settlement strung along the horizon of a desert plain — low roofs, a water tank, a utility pole — under a sky of broken cumulus.

Composition

The horizon is pushed low, into the bottom fifth, so the town is a thin line of incident and the picture is almost entirely weather. The cloud is layered in three ranks that diminish toward the horizon and carry the depth on their own.

Palette

A deep ultramarine sky with white, pewter and pale blue in the cloud. The land is ochre and olive with emerald accents, warm against the whole cold field above it.

Handling

The cloud is laid in flat loaded strokes with square ends, stacked rather than modelled, so each one keeps its own edge. The buildings are single small dashes of grey and white, put in last.

Medium and support

Oil on board. Thick in the cloud with raised ridges; thinner in the sky between. The board's edges are painted white.

Signature

No signature visible within the painted area.