Painting of the Day, December 20, 2011

By Donna Poulton

“I believe images of the American West are as iconic as the Statue of Liberty. These spectacular vistas are so familiar to us.  They’re intrinsic to how we see and think of ourselves as Americans.” – David Jonason

David Jonason, Colorado Bridge, oil on canvas, 36 x 24 in. Credit: Michael Hollis Fine Art

I’m a sucker for clouds, the kind that swell to monstrous proportions on the low horizons of the western landscape. In David Jonason’s contemporary cubist depiction Colorado Bridge, the enormous bridge is used for scale. The bridge, often the center of attention for tourists because of its span and height, is dwarfed by the ominous cloud Jonason has created by breaking the lines to create depth, tension and power.