Climb the mountain, enjoy the view

The Oil Painters of America held a competition in Colorado last month. I decided I wanted to paint Fishcreek Falls for my entry.  I had never painted a waterfall and wasn’t sure how to go about it.  But I knew I had to be higher than the falls if I was going to paint it.  And I would have to carry my equipment with me.  So I hoisted my old French Easel box on one shoulder and my canvas carrier on the other and climbed to the lookout spot to paint.  At the end of the day, truthfully I was not all that happy with what I had done.  So the next day I tried again. This time I had a better result.  Did I mention it  was warm?  Did I mention the air is quite thin in Steamboat Springs?  Nevertheless I perservered.  

     In the course of this adventure I was reminded of several things that are important to every plein air painter.  First, settle on a view and then be disciplined about where to place light and shadow. This helps build the form you want to see. Don’t “chase the light.” Second, be tenacious.  Don’t accept less than what you wanted to portray.  Your reward will be a painting of which you can be proud.  

      During those two days I was mostly alone, but I did meet several tourists, and a couple of other painters.  Everyone offered welcome critique and helped inform my thinking about the project.  The painters were kind and answered my questions generously.  And in the end my painting sold for my asking price.  It went to someone who raised a family in the area and knew the Fishcreek Falls well. She said her children would appreciate a well-done painting of a subject so important to their childhood.  This is the best result an artist can hope for! 

     As always, thank you for supporting my artistic adventures! You can find me most First Fridays of any month in Studio 273 at Mainframe Studios, from 5-8pm. And you can see the final version of Fishcreek Falls and some of my other art at MickeyCarlsonFineArt.com