Jessie Benton Evans paintings

"These mountains in Flagstaff, Arizona, are extinct volcanoes. Driving up to the peaks, you go from pine forests to spruce, ferns, and alpine vegetation and then above timberline. Sheltered snow banks remain in shadowed high places, into July. These are considered sacred mountains by the Hopi and Navajo. They have a spiritual presence. They create an independent weather system, with clouds forming above their peaks, even on clear days. This was the end of summer, when aspen were beginning to turn. I wanted to paint a western pastorale, with fair weather clouds. Brief rains came every afternoon, and during light sprinkles, I just kept painting."