CHROMASCAPE 167

The San Luis Valley is a remarkable place. It stretches north to south, flat as far as the eye can see, with farmland and open prairie filling the valley floor. On either side, mountains rise dramatically, creating one of Colorado's most distinctive landscapes.

I was driving home after visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park, heading north through the valley, when a powerful storm began to build behind me. Looking in my rearview mirror, I watched it chase me up the valley. By the time I reached Moffat, the northern end of the valley was still bathed in sunlight while the storm continued to intensify and darken the skies to the south.

I pulled over to be present—to witness the storm and experience the way it changed the landscape as it moved up the valley. As it advanced, the storm transformed the color and light blanketing the landscape. A large storm is much like a sunset. Both are constantly changing the light, color, and feeling of a place. The color palettes and the way the light is modified are very different between the two, yet both are equally captivating. I made this image as the storm closed on my position, the inky skies threatening overhead while the wheat-colored grasses in the valley were thrashed by the wind and rain and stained green by the stormlight. This is Chromascape 167. ~ Marc