This painting is inspired by the vivid atmosphere of a colorfully rising sun in the mountains. From my experience, sunrises seem to be more often subtle so when I catch one that is so bright and magical I know its going to be a special day.
I painted this night sky painting for my sister Gosia. We wanted her to come along on a recent Tucson Road Trip with us but she couldn’t make it this time around. So in good spirit we brought her painting with us and it did some sightseeing for her, then we shipped it to her from Arizona.
For me its an extra treat to witness the brilliantly colored pinks and oranges creating a gentle gradient while a beaming, momentarily pink sun rises quickly from behind the mountains, creating this transient effect. I love that brief moment when the colors of the landscape become saturated with color after a long night – the mountains change seemingly having no color to having various shades of blue – it is such a lovely sight to see, as fleeting as it may be.
I strove to express the unique ambience of that brief magic hour when the colors of the landscape become more intense and vivid. Sometimes some hues seem to only last minutes, maybe less. But they sure make an impression that can often last a lifetime.
Right around the Summer Solstice, the weather warms up in the high country, the meadows green up and begin to be blanketed by colorful wildflowers. The surrounding mountains are lush and green and full of life.
This painting is inspired by a beaming, setting sun in the mountains. I love that brief magic hour when the colors of the landscape become more intense and vivid. The atmosphere is just right to intensify all the hues, not just in the sky but in the landscape itself.
The atmosphere is just right to intensify all the colors and momentarily make the landscape feel like its ablaze with warmth and color, creating a nearly unreal landscape. Yet those who spend a lot of time in the mountains may have been lucky enough to witness such a phenomenon. And if you have not seen a similar scene in person, I hope that it inspires you to seek it out.
This painting is inspired by a calm evening in the mountains. It is set in a mountain meadow where pink paintbrush flowers are abundant. Its magic hour time, the sun is just setting and the landscape is illuminated. The vivid colors in the sky beautifully compliment the colorful and abundant wildflower-field set against the glowing, purple mountains.
At the beginning of this year I began a new series of small paintings: 6″x8″, 6″x12″ and 8″x10″. These are the first 5 of the group. I plan to paint another 6-9 for this series. Then I’ll choose a group to display at a local gallery here in Pagosa Springs.
This painting was inspired by clear nights in remote mountain environments where the sky is filled with infinite stars.