Step by Step Demonstration of  “Teton Marvel”

Palette:  Alizarin Crimson, Cad. orange, yellow ochre, cobalt blue, Indian yellow, Burnt sienna, burnt umber, prussian blue, cad red, and white.

 Cuadro de texto: This is the original photo used to create this painting. This is one of the rare cases where a ready-to-paint photo can be used with very few changes. The only thing I felt it needed was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, a mountain in the background. What interested me was the play of warm colors in the foliage in contrast to the blues in the water. Also there was a nice movement of  visual paths to the background.  

 Step 1. Drawing.

Cuadro de texto: I did a general outline of the shapes visualizing them wrapped in Saran paper and drawing around those shapes. Detail in oils in not important.  

Step2. Sky development.

Cuadro de texto: Since there are so many warm oranges in the trees, I decided to paint a rather warm sky to help keep the color harmony and balance. Some cool blues are needed for relief. Here I had to be careful not to have 50% orange, 50% blue.

Sky: Cad orange, yellow ochre, cobalt blue

Step 3. Mountain outline.

Cuadro de texto: I painted in the background mountain. I variegated between oranges and ochres. The shadow side is a mixture of cobalt blue, alizarin crimson and burnt sienna (to gray it). I let some of the alizarin show thru so it wouldn't be a monotonous mauve look. When I finished I didn't like the similarity of the two triangle shapes. I made a mental note to correct that later. I left the snow out because the paint was wet. Once it dries I will add the snow highlights and shadows.

Cobalt blue, cad orange, alizarin crimson, yellow ochre

 

Cuadro de texto: Finished detail with snow. I somewhat eliminated the similar triangle shapes depicted in the mountains.  

Snow highlights white, cad orange, yellow ochre

Snow shadows, cobalt blue, white, touch of cad orange to gray

Cuadro de texto: The photo didn't contain the mass of evergreens. I added them for more interest. It was important that they had different colors and sizes. Some evergreens were mauve, others reddish, and others brownish. The values were slightly darker in value than the mountain. I reserved the darks for the closer evergreens.  The grass was done by intermixing yellow ochre with touches of green to indicate some areas had dry grass. I made sure they were cooled with mauve, again reserving the warmer colors for the foreground.

 

Evergreens. Alizarin crimson, cobalt blue, burnt sienna.

Cuadro de texto: Now the evergreens were getting closer so I added green and more burnt sienna subtracting the blues but not entirely- The values were also darkened to separate them from the background. The tree foliage was done by intermixing all the yellows and oranges.

Step 4.

   

Close up

                 

Step 5.

Cuadro de texto: The river was done following the sky format and colors. I made sure the orange light area of the river was near the background keeping the blue up front. I just suggested a few reflections only because the water is in movement.

Step 6

Cuadro de texto: I developed the center of interest with the intense changing colors. The left side of the painting was kept darker to show progression.

Cuadro de texto: The water had minimal movement indicated with only a few lines to indicate small swells. Just a few touches of foam to depict the water crashing into the stones. ( white plus a touch of cad orange)  

Step 7.

Cuadro de texto: After painting in the grass area behind the foreground trees I worked on the foreground. I purposely removed detail from this area to provide a rest area. I noticed the foreground competed with the center of interest because of the reds and oranges contrasting with the dark greens, I made a mental note of this to correct it later. The brush strokes were done very loosely and fast. Detail was not important, just the feeling of foliage. The viewer will be looking beyond the foreground. This way I force the spectator to look for something more detailed.

Finished painting