Howdy Stranger! I’d like to introduce my latest painting…
You can experience a version of this beautiful sign at the top of Teton Pass. Another once graced the Jackson Hole Airport exit… alas, the times, they are a’changin.
Would you like to see the entire painting come together in one minute? Fantastic! Do read on for a detailed, step-by-step process analysis.
As always, I like to begin with two basic forms… the sign, and the background. Cadmium red? You bet.
Orange all around… and now, it’s time to spend three days drawing.
Back to the paint… shadows first… nailing down the letters, wood slats, and establishing the foreground.
As a bonafide gaper, I enjoy throwing around dated ski/snowboard terminology… such is the case, I wanted to capture a “blue bird day”… hence, the subtle blue gradient.
With the foreground bathed in a deep green gradient, I began chipping away at the background… beginning with the most distant mountains.
My strategy continued with each set of mountains, and right into the valley.
Here, I wanted to nail down the shadows and knots on the sign… so I did. The middle-ground trees also received a spot of Bob Ross action.
With each tone, I focused on creating additional distance and perspective. I also painted the base wood tone on the sign… this afforded me the ability to establish tonal balance throughout.
I’ve never spent so much time painting grass. Turns out, it’s a rather cathartic process, particularly while watching Hell on Wheels and imagining a gentle breeze. The valley received some treatment… now all that remained was the sign.
The goal was to make the sign feel new… to capture the right tones, I mixed paint to match the wood in my windowframes during mid-day light. And voila! The painting has been completed. Thank you Susan and Nick — it was a pleasure working with you — I hope you love it!ß
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