Bugaboo Spire and Cobalt Lake

I just returned from a 4 day hiking trip with my family in the Bugaboo's. We reached the summit of many peaks, hiked along rolling ridge tops and sat by glacier streams. The weather was fantastic, bluebird every day, and the stars in the evening were some of the most impressive I have ever seen.

This painting is of Bugaboo Spire with Cobalt lake at its base. It's a magical place, one of my favourite spots in the world.

Bugaboo Spire and Cobalt Lake

8" x 10.5" $200 Sold

I finish the painting with layers of blue for the water, detail the grasses with Burnt Sienna and create reflections of the grasses with the New Gamboge mix.

9 x 12 $200

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

A mixture of New Gamboge and Burnt Sienna is used to create the grassy areas in the foreground.

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

I paint the first layer of the water in the foreground, then add Sepia to the mix of blue and begin to layer in the trees.

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

With the addition of Ultramarine blue I then paint the darker mountains in the foreground.

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

The next step is to add Alizaron Crimson to my mix of blues. This changes the tone of the image and is used in the main mountain, Mt. Rundle.

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

To begin the process I create a mix of color with Ultramarine and Cobalt blue. I wet the sky area with water then add the mixtures of blue, placing more color in areas I want to be bolder.

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

I have been experimenting with painting watercolour on stretched canvas. You first need to paint on a Gesso liquid layer that allows the watercolour to sit on the canvas. It's an interesting process, but time consuming as it takes longer for the paint to dry.
I thought I would take you thru the process of how I create a painting.
First I choose a size, in this case 9 x 12. The I draw an outline of what I want to paint, usually no more than 5 lines. I either paint of sit or from a photo I have taken.