xSOLD Stephen C. Datz - The Monsoon Arrives (PLV90469-0122-002)

16" x 16" framed. Published in Western Art Collector Magazine, January 2022 issue, page 120. "Though Colorado National Monument is known for its dramatic red rock canyons and vast vistas, there are other viewpoints in the Monument which I enjoy painting just as much, albeit for different reasons. This is one such view, which is near the Liberty Cap trailhead, below the canyons and cliffs of the Monument. This scene comes from August 2021, during which the summer monsoon that had largely been absent since 2019, returned in abundance. There is a feeling to the air – a subtle signal that storms will be coming as the heat of the day acts on the moisture in the atmosphere. There’s something operatic in scale and drama watching these vast storm clouds rise up above the cliffs, obscuring the rays of the summer sun slowly as they swell up and start to rain on the parched desert below."