Sunset in Utah ~~ finished!

I have been enjoying working on some small hand-quilted pieces lately. They take as much time as they take. There's no pressure to get anything a certain way because I just quilt it the way I put it together: improvisationally and intuitively what might be a straight line of stitching today, could be a curve tomorrow. Everything depends on the mood and moment of having the needle in hand.

While we were traipsing around the Midwest, we visited Salt Lake City, Utah, then moseyed down Hwy. 191, mostly homeward, with day breaks at Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Lots of beautiful scenery in those wild places, along with sand and cacti and sunsets. When I think of Utah, I fondly remember the pink and purple sunsets and wanted to capture that in a small quilt. Still drawing on my memories, this is my rendition. 

After I framed this piece, I hung it on the thread board (upside-down!) where I could see it and remember to take photos at some point. I liked the way it contrasts with the thread and decided to grab one picture here. It turns out that getting close-ups while it was hanging here was quite easy, so I clicked away.

The lines of stitching are meant to help move the eye and also to suggest the floating clouds and sky. Some lines follow the shapes defined by the colors. Others move in organic waves.

While I kept the thread colors true to the fabric colors--purple on purple, pink on pink--I didn't match the fabrics exactly. In fact, dark and light thread mingle and shift to mimic the movement of clouds.

I remember the colors starting out with the darkest pinks gliding above my head and gradually getting lighter as they turn into lavender purples. Streaks of rich, deep purple breaking through.

Of course, this is my sense of the natural beauty of the sky. If you were to look at a photograph of this precise moment, you would probably see something different. Although I took a photo, I can't find it. 

What do you think? Honestly, of course. Does this rendering feel like a desert sunset?