The Divide at High Noon

This peaceful traditional landscape invites the viewer to linger in a quiet open foreground area while gazing into a vast forest and eventually being drawn up to the far-reaching expanse of the magnificent continental divide. The painting utilizes the effects of shadows and light to demonstrate dynamic space & distance. The power of the intense light depicts the warmth of this summer day, allowing the observer to unite with a moment in nature. This oil on linen landscape features the Colorado mountains that Gault has loved since a vacation from Missouri to Colorado when he was 12 years old. He went home from that trip saying that he would live in the mountains someday and 40 years later he did exactly that. Paintings of this size can take weeks to finish. The artist starts with a block in, letting the canvas dictate what it wants to be. Multiple days are then spent building the character of the place with brushwork and color, while playing with backlighting that is so unique in Rocky Mountains.