Dusk

Acrylic

5 x 7 Stretched Canvas

The colors of the sunset change from a pale yellow to soft pink at the bottom, blending into a deep periwinkle and navy night sky above. Big, fluffy clouds fill the sky from top to bottom, curving around each other as they try to make space for more. In the background, a bright moon sits in the top left corner illuminating the pure white of clouds. Stars scatter the night sky as the light from the sun fades below the trees in the foreground. Dark pine trees cover the setting sun in the low foreground, so many that those in the distance fade to a bright ultramarine blue.

Heavy clouds cover the sky warning of a stormy night. The dense forest with bright blue trees offers refuge, drawing in weary travelers as the day turns to night. A bright waxing moon lights the way as the setting sun changes the color of the sky before their eyes. 

Sunsets have long been one of my greatest sources of inspiration. Since moving to Oklahoma almost two years ago, I have seen more colorful sunsets than ever before. Here there is so much space free from civilization it seems the colors of the sky are allowed to spread so much further. A lack of mountains on the horizon leaves the sun to shine its last light that much further. I love the way sunsets can illuminate the entire sky in colors I wouldn’t be able to imagine on my own. “Dusk” is a culmination of the many sunsets I have witnessed since moving to Oklahoma. 

Although the colors are my main focus of inspiration, I couldn’t neglect the magnificent clouds that often spread across the sky. My camera roll is filled with pictures of the sunsets and cloud formations that mesmerize me. This piece showcases those that seem to go on forever, piling on top of one another and fading into the distance.