Swaths of Spring Color
Made in spring 2005 at the same remote Carrizo Plain location as Wildflowers on a Primordial Plain, this tighter panoramic composition brings the structure of the bloom into greater prominence. Broad swaths of yellow goldfields stretch across the plain, interspersed with blue lupines and brilliant orange California poppies. Beyond the flowers, the uniquely rounded hills rise from the open landscape, retaining the ancient, almost primordial character of the wider view while the concentrated bands of spring color create a distinctly different visual rhythm.
From the wider composition, the bloom read as part of the immense scale of Carrizo Plain. Changing lenses and shifting position allowed the scene to be reframed and composed differently, bringing the individual areas of color into greater prominence. Yellow goldfields spread across the foreground, interspersed with blue lupines and brilliant orange California poppies, while the uniquely rounded hills remained an important part of the composition.