Saturday, July 7, 2012

Painting Silver Lake and Thunder Mountain by Julie Trail

       Friday was a perfect day to paint Silver Lake, elevation 7500 ft. in the Sierra, with several painting buddies.  The subtle gradations of color in the distant forest was a considerable challenge.  As difficult as it was to interpret such a gorgeous mountain setting, the cool breeze, bright sunshine, refreshing water at my feet made such a challenge fun and exciting!



I turned around and was captivated by the afternoon sun glaring off brilliant granite outcroppings.  My friend added bright orange and red kayaks to his painting, but I ran out of time and left it pristine and quiet, a place I will return to again and again.

    Thunder Mountain is a mighty Sierra peak, and always a challenge to paint, as the sunlight moves quickly across the rugged face of this cliff.   How to show the monumental size of a mountain on a small square of canvas?  How to inform the viewer of the myriad colors and values playing across the landscape?  I'll be back again soon in my ongoing effort to show the beauty of Silver Lake.

2 comments:

  1. Julie...how in the world you got three such accomplished paintings done in our one day of painting is a mystery to me, but you sure did. Not only did you do three canvases, but you did them all just beautifully. Impressive work!

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