‘Longhorn’

UK artist Steve Dennis captures a majestic bighorn ram, drawing inspiration from his travels through the rugged terrain of Palm Desert. Based in Eastbourne, Dennis is known for his dynamic, expressionist style, which is on full display here through his heavy use of the palette knife technique. This method allows him to apply thick, "buttery" layers of oil paint, creating a rich impasto texture that gives the desert landscape a tactile, three-dimensional energy. The contrast between the ram's golden-hued coat and the fiery red hills of the Coachella Valley captures the "raw energy and light" the artist experienced during his American Southwest journeys.