Hampton Parish Sunset Vista

2023
8″ x 10″ (unframed)
Status: Private Commission

This piece was based on a summer sunset photo overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina, taken by the person who commissioned the piece.

A lot of fun color blending went into this one, from the sunset’s peaches, pinks and purples to the varying shades of blue-green in the layered mountain ridges.

The Blue Ridge Mountains’ famous blue hue is due to tiny hydrocarbon particles called isoprenes that are released by the native trees to protect them from the heat and weather. The isoprenes react with natural ozone molecules already in the air to form new particles that scatter the shorter wavelength rays of sunlight which are predominantly blue in color.