Good Morning Majesty

 

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Along with most of the rest of the country, Montana was hit by an arctic blast recently. The temps hovered right around zero, and the snow just accumulated. And so I have been extra motivated to browse back through my photos from the summer and pick out scenes to paint from warmer weather. This is from the Butte area - about 140 miles SE of us. We were so very grateful to have been able to go out and camp then, while still socially distanced. And we're looking forward to doing it again, as soon as the weather allows.

Homeland

 

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My folks met at the University of Texas in Austin when they were students there. They married quickly and struck out north for adventure. They ended up in Montana for 10 years, southeast of Butte, where my sister and I were born. We moved (back) to Texas when I was 2, so I have no memories of Montana, but I have enjoyed exploring the area as an adult. This is a scene from around where I was born, up in the hills, overlooking the valley and the mountains on the other side. 

I didn't paint Texas nearly as much. And I'm not saying Montana is more beautiful ... aww heck, yes I am.

Clouds Rising

 

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This is from a photo I took back in summer. Our Montana winter has been really beautiful as well, but we haven't ventured out nearly as much. I'm sure I will get braver with time. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to the great hiking opportunities summer brings!

More Cloud than Mountain

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This is from one of my gazillion Sierra references. I get totally different composition ideas from my photos than I did from being there in person. Not better necessarily - just different.

Just Around the Lake

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Four times now, over the years, I have hiked way up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and painted with friends, for a week each time. There are no words to describe how wonderful each and every trip has been. I've taken lots of photos, and have been poring over them lately because ... I'm not going this year. : (

The reference for this particular painting was taken on a day when I was painting by myself on the opposite side of the lake from camp. The clouds were spectacular, so I clicked away, but I also quickly realized that the clouds were getting darker. So I hoofed it around the lake just in time to dive into my tent. My nap lasted just as long as the rain, and then I was out and painting again. BTW, This is my biggest gouache painting yet! Woo!

3 tries at one scene, 2 mediums

Click Here to Bid: TOP (gouache, 3x8in.), BOTTOM (oil, 2.75x8in.)

For this month's Daily Paintworks Challenge, I proposed painting a single scene in 2 mediums (more for extra credit!). I posted the photo for this scene as an idea (but you can use anything you like). It took me a while to do it myself, but this is it, and I learned a LOT!

The top one is gouache. I did that one first. I cut a panel for #2 (oil - middle painting) the exact same size, and was really frustrated in painting it. I took a break after, and came back having decided to try one more time, on a slightly shorter panel that was leftover from cutting the other one (bottom painting). I experimented quite a bit with the whole thing - tried to approach each part a little (or a lot) differently. While the result probably looks very similar, I am much happier with the third one, and this is really where I learned. 

For example after doing the second one I realized that the ground I put down tinted the whole thing kind of pink (ugh). So for #3 I didn't use a ground, and the colors came out cleaner. Also for #3 I blocked in the whole thing first and this really helped me get all the relationships working from the start without having to make big changes later. I have found in general blocking in is helpful with landscapes, since the relationships (especially value, but also color & temperature) are so critical and often subtle.

Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend doing this!! And if you do, please post what you painted to our challenge (you don't have to be a member). Happy painting!

Arise Mountains

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The last one I posted was from just before sunset, and this one is from just after sunrise. Both are from the same area, near Toll Mountain here in Montana. One cool thing about gouache is that there are a bunch of different ways to apply it. You can add a whole bunch of water and use it almost like watercolor. Or you can put it on thick. Or you can layer it with a dry brush, like I did here for the foreground grass. I'm really enjoying experimenting with this new (for me) medium!

Bitterroot Valley

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If you drive south of Missoula, on 12, you are basically in the Bitterroot Valley, with mountains on either side, and breathtaking views every other minute. It's especially spectacular when there is still snow on the mountains (it's mostly all melted now), but it's always gorgeous. When I'm on my own I stop often on the side of the road to snap pictures. This is from one of those stops.

Dammed Creek

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This is a scene we found a few weeks ago on a camping trip. We hiked up Bass Creek for about an hour until it opened up into this. I love hikes with a payoff.