Up close and personal

The subject of my up-close and personal project was a place in Colorado that I visited a few years ago. Ouray, Colorado is a town at the bottom of a box canyon. My family and I camped during our stay, and as you drove up the side of the canyon to get to the campsite, there was a lookout point, which is the subject of my drawing. Looking down on the town, everything looked very small and cozy. Ouray is one of the most welcoming and quaint places I've ever been, and I wanted to pay tribute to it in this piece. I created emphasis by portraying the dark sign against a snowy background. I was in CO during the summer, but I can imagine it would be an isolated area during the winter. That aspect of Ouray makes me think of "up-close and personal." I chose to use chalk pastels because I love the way they blend! Their colors are vibrant and enthralling. A risk I took in this piece was choosing a real life place; it was easy to be frustrated when my art didn't turn out exactly as I remembered the subject. I think the best quality of art found in my project is emotion.