4 Hours in Morocco
Year Completed: 2026
Materials: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 9” x 12”
Status: In Personal Collection
Series: Series of 1-hr plein air paintings in Morocco
Exhibition:
Brookview Golden Valley- Golden Valley, MN (June - September 2026)
Plein Air 1
I painted this watercolor plein air in the Sahara Desert, sitting directly on the sand and working from the landscape in front of me. I was drawn to the way the dunes seemed to overlap and disappear into one another, with their shapes constantly changing through light, shadow, and wind. Rather than trying to precisely reproduce the orange color of the sand, I used purples, reds, pinks, and small areas of green to interpret the different planes and shadows I could see across the dunes. Painting on location forced me to work quickly and respond to the landscape as I experienced it, capturing the scale and movement of the Sahara through color and loose layers of watercolor.
Plein Air 2
I painted this watercolor plein air among the Monkey Paws rock formations in Morocco, a landscape shaped by dramatic layers of folded and eroded sedimentary rock. The formations rise from the surrounding arid terrain in narrow ridges and rounded projections, their unusual shapes created over time as uplift, folding, weathering, and erosion exposed the underlying rock layers. I was especially interested in how this geology produced strong vertical and diagonal lines that seemed to repeat across the landscape. Using oranges, reds, purples, and blues, I exaggerated the differences between sunlit surfaces and deep crevices while contrasting the warm stone with the intensely blue sky. Sitting directly within the formations made their scale and texture much more immediate, so I focused less on reproducing every detail and more on capturing the rhythm, angularity, and movement of the exposed rock.
Plein Air 3
I painted this watercolor plein air from inside Akhiam Ims ir Rebbi Cave, focusing upward on the enormous natural opening and rock arch overhead. To capture that perspective, I laid on my back beneath the formation and painted with my sketchbook held above me. Working in that position introduced an unexpected challenge: gravity changed the way the watercolor behaved. Washes and droplets ran across the paper differently than they would on a flat surface, forcing me to react to the movement of the pigment rather than fully control it. I used the intense blue of the open sky against warm reds, oranges, and purples to emphasize the feeling of looking from the shaded interior toward the light. The experience became as much about adapting my process to the physical environment as documenting the cave itself.
Plein Air 4
For my final plein air study, I painted Ait Sidi Moulay Igherm, surrounded by the steep mountains and traditional earthen and stone architecture of the High Atlas. I was drawn to the contrast between the tall fortified structure, the rugged mountain face behind it, and the small details of everyday life in the village, including the sheep that wandered into my view while I worked. I painted in the morning, when the strong sunlight created deep shadows across the buildings and illuminated the green valley beyond. A local friend brought me Moroccan tea and nuts while I painted, turning the session into more than an observation of the landscape. It became a quiet experience of being welcomed into the place I was trying to capture.
