The light greens of the pasture and rolling hills suggest a hot, hazy atmosphere, stirred up by the dust tracks of the cattle moving towards their destination along the fence line. the sun is strong and hot on the backs of the longhorns. The hot reds of the livestock and the warm greens of the field set the scene unmistakably in the hot, open skies of Texas. The only relief from the sun is the occasional viridian green shadow of grass underneath the cattle or the few scattered grey and spotted longhorns that welcome blues and other cool colors.
Little Rock native Kristen Hess has been taken captive by the rich colors and thick textures of oil paints since 2005. Her work combines the effect of light on her subjects with expressive brushstrokes, creating movement and depth in her pieces. Her representational style along with an extensive background in drawing come together with the atmospheric colors of the impressionists to create paintings that capture the emotion of the place or subject.