Rainy Morning in the Mesa Country 2019

Mark Maggiori made Rainy Morning in the Mesa Country with paint, and probably some brushes, sometime recently. It's all about mark-making as a process, you know? The texture here is palpable, the paint thick in places, especially in the foreground where the desert floor rises. There’s a real physicality to the medium, you can almost feel the grit of the earth. Notice the way Maggiori handles the light on the horse's rump. It’s not just white, but a blend of grays and blues that give it form and depth. It’s a masterclass in color temperature. I think of artists like Frederic Remington, who also captured the American West with a similar blend of realism and romance. But Maggiori brings a contemporary eye, embracing ambiguity over definitive statements.