Melissa Halsey – IMG_0410

Pastel on mounted sanded paper. This pastel landscape captures the intensity of a sky at its most luminous moment. Bands of saturated orange, vermilion, and coral move across the surface, layered against cooler passages of blue-gray and pale green. The shifting color temperature creates depth and atmospheric tension, while the vertical break of light at the center draws the eye upward through the composition.
A low horizon line anchors the scene: a row of darkened trees rendered in deep greens and umbers contrasts with the brilliance above. The foreground field, treated in warm ochres and muted golds, provides a steady counterbalance to the movement of the sky.