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Cat. no. 2003-13

A Cumulus Cloud Bulding over 4th of July Peak

Date: Jul-03
Item Type: Painting
Support: Honeycomb Fiberglass
Dimensions: 36 X 60
Agent / Institution: Matteucci Gallery Santa Fe


A Cumulus Cloud Building over Fourth of July Peak. 36 x 60.

I love the way the sky tells us about itself. Here is a storm cloud
south of Belen growing over the Manzano Mountains. The sun has heated
the surface of the land to where the air over the top of the valley
floor is so hot it is showing the color of the sky at the horizon.
We can see from the flat bottom of the cloud that the atmosphere has
cooled and can no longer carry moisture. So by looking up we can see
where the dew point is. About half way up the cloud there is a thin
veil acting as a prism showing wispy rainbow colors across its
surface. This prismatic effect is caused by ice crystals, so we know
where the freezing level is, and up on the very top of the cloud we
see its shape turning flat with a kind of smoky edge. It is very cold
at this point, about -30 degrees, and the warm cloud is flattening out
beneath the stratosphere. This is the way the sky reveals its secrets
all the time.

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