“San Joaquin Prairie” painting

“San Joaquin Prairie”, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 40×30″

I’ve lived in the midwest US, and I’ve seen plenty of prairies. As it turns out, California has its share of horizon-spanning plains too. I found one such in the San Joaquin Valley, north of Merced. Not pancake-flat, the grassy land instead gently rolled as far as the eye could see. It may have been part of a vast pasturage for cattle – I did see barbed wire. What was most striking to me was its sheer expanse, seemingly endless, from horizon to horizon. It felt otherworldly.

I snapped a quick photo out the car window while whizzing past. The picture was a little blurry, but the vision of the astonishing expanse of dry grass was etched into my memory. Between photo, memory, and a little painterly abstraction, I bring you this painting.

It may be that “prairie” is not quite the technically correct term here, but I liked the quirky midwestern reference.

By the way, this painting is the finished version of the canvas shown in my posts “Blank Canvas” and “Blank no more“. Yes, the big ones do take a while.

This painting is sold, but many others may be seen on my web site at www.barbarajcarter.com