The light feels like it strikes differently in the California High Desert.  I captured the reference image at The Joshua Tree National Park at a time when the light was striking the landscape at a low angle from one side. It was almost towards the end of the day and the desert was alight with golden hues made even more vibrant by the quality of the sunlight. One side of the rockpile hill was completely in the shadow. It is the shadow that made the other side feel brighter. It is the shadow that inspired me to paint this piece. Without the shadow there is no value to the light.  Without the shadow there's no place to rest the eyesight.