Canyon Drawing
Halfway up Negro Bill Canyon. Immediately off Utah 128, which runs along the Colorado River and ends north of Moab. Yes, "Negro Bill Canyon" is the actual geographic name of the place, which apparently was once worse. Named after a William Granstaff, who settled in this canyon in 1877. Smart man: despite the desert conditions, it has a babbling brook running right through it, but also generous amounts of poison ivy, which I managed to avoid. At the end of the canyon you can climb up to find Morning Glory Bridge, a huge rock span of 240+ feet. I did not get that far, only because I decided to stop and make a quick drawing before the light ran out for the hike back. Rough pencil onsite, color applied in gouache later. Kind of nutty to sink this much work into a sketchbook drawing, but somehow I like that. The book is becoming crinkly and difficult to close.