Tags: Durango, Colorado - original artwork - landscape painting - Engineer Mountain - soft pastel.
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Living in Durango, I had to do a series of Engineer(s). Engineer Peak is one of those iconic landmarks of the area that everyone knows. I've taken so many pictures of it from various hikes and Hwy 550 that I had no trouble choosing 8 images to work with (four will be in landscape format later).
I've mentioned before that Engineer looks great from all sides, at all times, in all seasons. My hope is that these paintings give a glimpse into why Engineer is such an enduring (and endearing) fixture for the Durango area.
Engineer #1 - summer flowers
9x3 inches
black Colorfix
Taken along a section of the Crater Lake trail during our summer '09 visit, we were treated to both alpine wildflowers and a monsoon storm.
Engineer #2 - from the Colorado Trail
9x3 inches
This doesn't read like I wanted, but this is a view from the Colorado Trail looking across a valley and the slanted strata of the slopes that make up the area. Aspen (some in fall color) and fir/spruce form almost orderly lines along the slope.
Engineer #3 - Late Fall
9x3
A late fall image, also taken from the Crater Lake trail, but a few miles higher and south. The trail was covered with golden grasses with scattered spruce and fir.
Engineer #4 - Winter
9x3 inches
Taken this winter on one of our snowshoeing trips, this is the view from near Andrews Lake (also the location of the Crater Lake trailhead).
Very cool series. I favor the second one, but what works well for all four is the aerial perspective is well developed.
ReplyDeleteThese make me want to develop the mountain theme.
Thanks, Casey. The hardest part in these was trying to create the range of colors to depict the tree-covered slopes in front of the peak with my existing pastels...I don't have the blue-green-gray colors that actually make up those receding evergreen slopes.
ReplyDeleteMountains are always a good theme for artists.
Wow, Sonya, I LOVE these!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jala! They were a fun way to share my secret (oops!) obsession with this mountain.
ReplyDeleteHi Sonya, How exciting! I love the format of a 1 to 3 it really changes everything! Similar to the Japanese woodcuts they control the eye movement in a different way- up and down. cool.
ReplyDeleteHi Loriann - thanks so much for stopping by! I find working in this format exciting because it really does change one's way of (literally) looking at things.
ReplyDelete