My partner and I woke up at 4 in the morning to make the two hour drive from Los Alamos to Albuquerque for the International Balloon Fiesta. I wanted to find a scenic location overlooking the Sandia Mountains where I could paint the balloons during the mass ascension. Since I needed time to set up my supplies and begin painting, I chose my composition before knowing exactly where the balloons would travel. Unfortunately, the winds carried them south, away from my location. A few balloons rose in the distance, but none entered my view.

As I worked, I noticed a yellow glow toward the left side of the mountains. I had assumed the sun had already risen somewhere beyond the ridge, especially since some of the balloons were already illuminated. About twenty minutes before the sun appeared, I began to realize my mistake. The sun was going to rise directly in front of me, and I knew that would be a problem!

Soon, brilliant rays of sunlight began appearing over the mountain peaks. When the sun finally cleared the ridge, I was looking almost directly into it. The landscape changed in an instant, and I could barely see anything except the brightly illuminated grasses in the foreground. Much of what I had already painted no longer resembled the scene in front of me.

I considered what to do next because I really liked the painting I had started. Rather than abandon it, I erased a large section where the sun had appeared and incorporated the sunrise into the composition. Although the sudden change in lighting was challenging, it was still a beautiful moment that I wanted to capture.

The title, Late for the Fiesta, came from a realization I had while painting. We had woken up at 4 in the morning and driven two hours just to get there, yet I was only now watching the sun rise over the mountains. If someone were arriving at the Balloon Fiesta at that moment, they would already be terribly late for the mass ascension! It made me appreciate just how early everyone gets up for this event.

I never did get the balloons I had hoped to paint, but I came away with an unexpected sunrise and a story I won't soon forget.