Almost finished

 Almost finished with the background. 

 

 

 

And the valleys

 What captured my interest in this Denali scene was the contrast between the mountain peaks and the valleys. I took plenty of reference photos of the top of the mountain on this wonderfully clear day. At this particular viewpoint I decided to snap a vertical photo. Once home and looking at the hundreds of photos of this mountain it was the vertical shot which has held my interest for many years.

 

Now that I finally decided to paint the mountain in a vertical format I'm glad I made it a large painting. 

 

 You can see that the "greens" become warmer in the foreground. I've also added splashes of oranges and reds denoting the turning tundra in this late August scene.

 

 

 This second photo probably doesn't seem much different than the one above it. Just a small section on the left side is painted. But, in those colors are soft teal blobs representing bushes cascading down a slope and lavenders for more autumn-turning tundra.

 

 

 

 

 

Mountain building

 

This mountain is not just defined by its peak but also by its valleys.

 

I know I should use a bigger brush than I am. However, this small flat 1/4" angled brush is giving me the control to capture the texture and detailed color variation I want.

 

Denali took millions of years to form. My painting will take less time, I hope.

 

 

 

Lots more mountain

 

Here's a quick phone photo of the entire gessoed panel for the painting.

At this point, as in most of my large (and complicated) pieces, I'm wondering what I was thinking in tackling a mountain. Here, literally. No wonder I have waited more than a decade to paint it.

 

 

 It looks like the background is almost half finished. But, the lower half is even more complicated.

It would be so much easier to just soft focus a bunch of areas. However, I wouldn't get the look that I want. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mountain continued

 

As you can see, this is a rather complicated mountain. It is the United States' tallest mountain, Denali.

With a peak at 20,310 feet it towers over the surrounding area.

 

I've been thinking about painting this mountain since 2014 when that visit was accompanied by clear skies. 

 

 

More Mountain

 

At this stage I am adding the sunlit snow. 

Notice how the shadowed snow in the foreground painted section is darker and more saturated than the shadowed snow in the far background. 

 

The image above is only the very top section of the painting.

 

 

 

Not finished yet. New painting

 If you have been following my lion painting, not done yet.

I've been tweaking the grass by adding extra blades and highlights. Even though my paintings are generally alla prima, sometimes the layers need to dry for effective highlights or glazing.

 

Waiting for paint to dry is honestly not as exciting as you might think.

 

 

 

In the meantime, I have started a new painting. This will be a complicated one and I hope you enjoy watching me "build" a mountain. 

 

I start at the top of the mountain of this large vertical piece. 

 

 

 

Subtle difference in color help make the illusion of receding peaks. I'll wait until I'm further along to add the snow and glaciers. Having the foundational bones of the mountains painted first helps me better see the relationship of each layer.