Yosemite Backcountry Painting

Ten miles, 42 pound backpack, 85 degree heat. Grueling to get to this location to say the least. There were many times along the way that I questioned bringing an extra 10 pounds of painting equipment with me. Will it be worth it? Can I really paint en plein air during a backpacking trip? Will I spill the brush cleaner before I even begin? Can I achieve a successful painting out here? All running through my head whilst I struggled up the steep inclines.

Smiling as my bag crushes me.

 

Then this lake appeared, and I couldn't wait to at least attempt to capture this light! It was  a bit late and I was too beat to start painting right then, so we set up camp and cozied in for the night, ready for an early start tomorrow.

 

Setting up my new pochade box from Alla Prima Pochade  box in this incredible location felt phenomenal. I was bursting with inspiration.

 

I started the painting the way I always do, with a sketch to lay out the composition. This led to a 6 x 8 in color study to practice the scene. I use pages from a kraft paper journal I got from Adventures of Painting. Oil paint dries quickly on this surface, so storage isn't an issue, however blending can be a bit tough. I felt like the composition worked, so I moved on to the real painting.

 

More sketching with Burnt Sienna paint ensued on my 11 x 14 in canvas panel. This part is really fun, because it's easy to move elements around and keep it loose in this step. I tried to get a good sense of the values, or how light or dark each section needed to be in this step. As you can see, I wanted a real glow around the foreground backlit trees.

 

Next is color. The goal is to cover the canvas and lay the ground work for more details later. I call this the "ugly phase" and it can really get in my head if I let it. But if I keep going it always gets better.

Now the really fun part, adding shape and detail. It's easy to get lost in the weeds here too, but going over the canvas once more with thicker paint and deliberate modeling will create the depth and shapes. 

After several hours in the heat and with the sun going down, I had to call it a day on this one. I'm so happy with the feeling of light that comes off this work, even though this painting is far from finished. The fun part about painting outside is the time limitations, but if you can't return to ta spot, then the finishing touches have to be added back at the studio. I can't wait to get stuck into this one again! Sign up to get an email when this painting is finished and becomes available!