These paintings are part of a studio process. None were painted from life, but I hope insights gained from painting outdoors have made this group of paintings a success. By viewing the peaks on Google Earth from directly above, it is possible to identify which side of a mountain is likely to appear most dramatic. Longer shadows are often cast off the north face of these mountains. I think the most precipitous side is also on the north. Using the Google Earth app,  a viewpoint of the mountain is chosen. Small changes in the position of this viewpoint can make a difference in the appeal of the mountain’ s background.  The virtual altitude of most of these paintings is very close to 14,000 feet.

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Once a viewpoint is chosen I begin replicating historical imagery of the same viewpoint into layers. These historical images provide different shadows, different times of day, different snow cover and vegetation color. I use information from all the different layers to create a final sketch of the watercolor painting I plan to do. 

The sketch is where the real creativity of this process occurs. Doing the painting depends a lot on my skill with a brush. It is still satisfying to get one done. The painting is usually better than the sketch.

Successfully completing the 14er’s series has been satisfying, but now I am glad to get back outside to paint.