Mountain Memories: Across the High Desert by Marilyn Wells

9” x 12”

watercolor mounted on basswood panel, 1.5” deep
From the Mountain Memories watercolor series

so hard to conquer
mountain’s majestic soaring
beyond our knowing

— mw, 5.28.26

The mountains live in memory as much as landscape. For those who have spent years beneath their changing light, they become more than distant forms on the horizon — they become companions, witnesses, and quiet presences in daily life.

In this watercolor, warm ochre and rust-colored ridges move in quiet conversation with deep blue mountain forms. The layered washes suggest distance, atmosphere, and the expansive feeling of looking across high desert toward mountains that seem both near and beyond reach.

This series is inspired by the spare strength of sumi-e brushwork and by my long devotion to teaching watercolor. Each painting reflects the meeting place between observation and memory, where color, water, and gesture suggest the enduring silence and majesty of the mountains.