Summer plein air - Colorado Trail, pastel

I think I need a drink after this one...

Colorado Trail Shadows
12x12 inches - pastel on Strathmore Artagain
© 2012, S.Johnson

No kidding - I had to really work for this.  Looks deceptively simple, but I realized even when I was painting it back in July (it was the first of the two unfinished plein airs I did that day) that it was going to be tough.

It's a section of the Colorado Trail (CT) as it comes up through a stand of aspen before a really, really steep section starts around the corner, near Molas Lake and maybe 50 yards from Molas creek (where Wayne was trout fishing).

Biggest issue:  trying to mass the aspen leaf foliage in a way that was convincing by balancing busy masses of color with suggestions of leaf detail.  Detail:  I've sort of come to not like that word very much, and I fight with it constantly.  But, it was just everywhere in this scene, just trying to drive me nuts.

Anyway, when I realized that I wasn't going to finish this on location, I shot some photos to act as a guide later.  When I got home and downloaded them, I was stunned by how poor they were as a reference in comparison to what I was seeing while painting on location!   I only really used them for a reminder of where a few things were supposed to go and basic proportions/values, rather than color.

It's a reminder to me of how important it is to try and paint on location when possible, at least sometimes, if your goal is to capture something representational as far as colors and such go.  The photo itself would be just horrid to paint from.  I also realized that I have the tendency to paint the lighter values (like the trail) much darker on location than in the studio - I need an umbrella!

Oh yes - happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Winter landscape - A new studio piece...finally!

First Season's Snow
14x18 inches - pastel on Somerset Black Velvet paper with Golden pumice ground
© 2011, S.Johnson

After what seems like an eternity, I'm back.  I've actually not been gone per se - just out of touch with much of everything, for lack of a better explanation.  Actually, my attentions and creative energy have just been diverted to things not art, and probably of no interest to most readers.  So, I didn't bother to share them here.

This piece was done from a photo taken 11 days ago and actually started on the same day.  It's not even that I struggled with it, because I didn't; I actually had it almost half finished after the first session, and had fully expected to finish it the next day...but, that just didn't happen.

December is always a weird month for me, and my least favorite.  While most people are enjoying the build-up to the holidays and such, I have an overwhelming desire to head off to a remote backcountry cabin, armed with nothing but art supplies, food and books, and emerge again on Jan 2.  Then, life finally returns to normal and the days are getting longer.

But, the upside of Dec is that it usually provides the first decent snow of the season, both in town and up in the mountains, which begins snowshoeing season.

For me, a day out snowshoeing is the antidote to the noisy, frenetic and spend-spend-spend mentality of the Dec holiday season, which bothers my sensibilities on various levels.  The absolute stillness of the land covered in snow calms the mind and allows one to truly live in the moment.

The landscape takes on a Zen-like quality of simplicity...

 Things ordinary become extraordinary...

Water, transformed, for a moment in time...

Sometimes, the snow offers a most curious transformation...

And views otherwise never seen are seen...

Courtyard Window, plein air, pastel - 12x12 inches

As suggested in my last post, here's something different, subject-wise:

Courtyard Window

12x12 inches, pastel on black Strathmore

©2011 Sonya Johnson

This is my painting from Friday, painted in the courtyard of the historic Rochester Hotel in downtown Durango.  This was with the informal group of local plein air painters that meet on Fridays.  Plenty of views to choose from, but I decided on this view of the window of the adjacent Artesanos Design Collection - a fabulous place that carries furniture and arts from Mexico.  The storefront facades of the building have stucco atop the brick, but I really liked this window, as well as the brick colors and pattern, and the surrounding foliage, of this seldom seen side of the building.

The hardest part was trying to draw straight lines freehand.  Nature usually isn't linear, save for water horizon lines, so I never had to worry about it until now.  It's not perfectly plumb, but that's easy to fix when matting it.  The ever-changing shadows were also something to consider.

Unlike fellow artist and blogger Ruth, who does remarkably detailed pen and watercolor paintings of building entryways and facades, including every brick, I will never have that degree of patience.  So, the brick pattern is merely suggested here.  The lower part of the wall was adobe or painted concrete, and I liked the contrast of color and texture with the brick.  Painting the Chaco series gave me good practice for doing this wall!

Some subtle reflections from the adjacent foliage in the window, and a slight suggestion as to some inside items, and that was it for the window.  

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Here is a cool 2-part pano of yesterday afternoon's sky from the deck:  crepuscular rays from an edge-lit cloud.  Note the upward-cast shadows from the cloud itself:

Yesterday, we did a hike along the Colorado Trail starting from Molas Lake.  We were turned back by monsoon rain about 3/4 of a mile before we got to the Animas River, but it cleared up again, allowing us to take a spur trail to check out Molas Creek.  

Here are a few photos from that hike:

Snowdon Peak from the CT near the Molas trailhead

Trail through an aspen stand

Corralohiza maculata - native orchids!

Seeing these beautiful little flowers along the trail was possibly the highlight of the hike 

This particular species of orchid contains no chlorophyll, which explains the lack of any green pigment

Even deep in the forest along a hillside, lightning is always a danger during a storm

Waterfall along Molas Creek

seen from the spur trail off the CT coming back

With a ND filter, slower shutter speed and a tripod, this would make a killer shot

Ominous Skies

This was taken 23 minutes after the above photo, less than 1/2 mile from the car.  Conditions change quickly, and when you see skies like this and hear thunder, it's time to beat it back to the trailhead ASAP.  

Fading Light - pastel

Number three in the Impressions of Winter series was begun two days ago, but I decided to split it into two sessions.  While waiting for that to dry, I started this piece, in pastel, yesterday late afternoon and finished it up this morning...before our snowshoeing trip, so at least I'd have something to post today.

Unlike my Four Corners roadtrip series, which was purposely done in sequence, this series is not.  I started out with what I thought would be the simplest image to paint and have been choosing references based on what appeals to me at that moment.

Having been working in oils now for the past 3 1/2 months almost exclusively, returning to pastel seemed so...easy?  If not for the more detailed graphite drawing and alcohol wash underpainting, this would have come together even quicker than it did.

More fun with shadows here.  This piece reminded me of why I love pastels:  their immediacy and ability to layer without waiting for anything to dry.  And snow is really a blast to paint in pastels.

Fading Light

pastel on Wallis sanded paper - 9x12

Snow is really the magical transformer of the land and the elements within.  Its effect on mountains is, of course, stating the obvious.  But, it makes for a glorious addition to sandstone.

Another thing it does is distill and simplify.  Needless detail is eliminated.  Elements of the land emerge as abstract shapes, and there is more contrast of values.  I think this is one reason why winter scenes are so compelling and popular to paint; I am seeing them show up on so many blogs lately, and the work is just fantastic!

Speaking of simplification, here are a few photos from today's snowshoeing trip near Molas Lake, shot with W's new Nikon Coolpix that I commandeered as I decided to leave my D40 at home today.  We hiked the section of the Colorado Trail that passes through, and we did end up catching part of it today.  It's just amazing how the land is transformed, and is hardly recognizable in many ways.  

Embracing aspen and shadows

Aspen are one of the few trees that are simply beautiful no matter what the season.  I think I have an obsession with them...and the shadows they cast on snow.

The Grenadier Range to the east

Zen Tree

The essence of transformation.   The little critter tracks everywhere fascinate me.

Molas Creek

As seen near the section of the Colorado Trail, and looking back towards the rock outcropping where the second photo was taken.  

Winter comes to the San Juans

No painting today; instead, we took advantage of the mild weather (read: a sunny day with no wind and temps in the high 30's) to head up Hwy 550 to Molas Pass to snowshoe.

Winter, for me, is a contemplative time of the year.  Everything is subdued and at rest, and there is a sense of peace and tranquility that aren't present during the rest of the year.  As one who doesn't handle cold or short days particularly well, and loves being outdoors, winter is admittedly my least favorite season.   I found it particularly difficult when living in Connecticut, as the skies were often gray and the damp, bone-chilling cold and wind made it unpleasant to be outdoors at any time.   I found the landscape to be dreary and utterly depressing.

However, after our move to Durango, I found I wasn't dreading winter as I had while living in New England.  In addition to returning to a landscape that remains attractive in winter, I was excited to be able to resume winter recreational activities I'd enjoyed while living in northern AZ, namely snowshoeing.   I love the ability to head out into the backcountry and enjoy the solitude and quiet that come with snowshoeing, along with the ability to go virtually anywhere.  

As predicted, Molas Pass (~10,900') had plenty of snow from the recent storms that went through the area, and ideal conditions for snowshoeing and Nordic skiing.   We went along the road to Little Molas Lake and the Colorado Trail (CT).   The day and the scenery were just spectacular, and we were blessed that the area wasn't over-run with noisy, obtrusive snowmobilers.  

Here are a few photos from the day that I hope you'll enjoy:

 Sultan and Grand Turk Peaks

This is the view to the north just off of the road leading to the CT trailhead.  For a fun comparison, here are photos from the same trail taken during the late summer hike we did.

 Twilight Peak

A view to the south along the road shows Twilight (tallest) with Snowdon Peak to the left.

 Winter still life

Dried grasses emerge from the snow to cast delicate shadows in the low afternoon light.

 Little Molas Lake and Twilight

Another view of Twilight Peak, with LML in the left foreground, frozen, of course.  A couple was actually ice fishing on the edge of the lake.

Me with LML and the Grenadier range in the distance.

A rare photo, since I'm usually behind the lens.  I look like some sort of snow hippy with the vest and ear band, and it was warm enough that I didn't really need them.

Snow along the road here was less than 1', but  in other areas was over 2', making for slow going and a real workout.

 Crystalline abstract

While heading up a hill for a view of Engineer, I noticed these amazing and delicate ice crystals forming along the edges of the snow and in the shallow depressions.  I never miss a chance to find abstractions in nature, and this was a novelty for me.

Engineer Peak

Looking great, as always, in this view to the west.  

We are south of the CT here, which is also about 50-100' higher on the side of the ridge.  

 Criss-crossing

Tracks from an earlier snowmobile romp form a interesting shadow pattern against those of the evergreens.

I love colors formed by cast shadows on snow, and always spend a lot of time observing the subtleties in colors and values that are present.  In this case, my camera did a respectable job of capturing the range of blues.

Long shadows and tall clouds

More glorious shadows cast by the omnipresent evergreens back near the start of the road.  A lenticular type cloud adds some contrast via its curves and amorphous shape.

Go Take a Hike: CT from Little Molas lake

Colorado is the state for people who like to be outdoors.  Not only is the scenery spectacular wherever you go, but trails are everywhere.  And not the sad excuses for "trails" that continually disappointed me in CT, where they cross roads, playgrounds and pass right up against people's backyards, where traffic sounds and other human-caused noise were never far away and having to be concerned about loose dogs from someone's adjacent property chasing you was always an issue.  Plus, there was never a "destination" - it was just hiking through the same deciduous forests along trails with no view, to some other point that essentially looked the same.

Not so here in CO.  This state takes its recreational responsibilities seriously, as well as the importance of preserving land as "wilderness areas".  For those not familiar with what a wilderness area designation, it means:  1) no human development (buildings, roads, etc.);  2) no vehicles of any kind, including bicycles.  Hikers, equestrians, nordic skiing, snowshoeing - those are all good.  Two long trails traverse a good section of this state:  the Continental Divide trail, which goes from the Mexican to Canadian border across 5 states, and the Colorado Trail (CT), a more modest 500 mile trek going from Durango to Denver.

Plus, there are mountains, so the trails here almost always lead to a view, even if they start out in a pine or fir forest.  Sometimes, it's a bit of work to get to it, but it's always worth it.

Needless to say, after 3 1/2 years e wasted no time getting back into hiking after moving here.   In southwestern CO, the mountain range is the San Juans, which are part of the Rocky Mountains.  However, unlike the front range and northern Rockies, which were formed as a result of plate tectonics that occurred 45-70 million years ago during what is known as the Laramide orogenic event,  the San Juans are primarily volcanic in origin.  This makes for atypical shapes, erosion patterns and colors of the rock, and amazing views, even driving along the state highways.

This series of photos was taken along a section of the CT near Molas Pass, which is about a 45 min. drive north of Durango on Hwy 550, and heading in the direction towards Durango.  Some of these photos were taken with my Olympus p&s camera before I had the 18-70mm for my Nikon, so the limitations of its sensor are apparent by the limited dynamic range (aka "blown out skies").

Trail winding through spruce and fir approximately 1/2 mile from trailhead

A field of colorful fireweed is right off the trail, while a monsoon storm builds to the west.  Wildflowers were abundant on this hike, and included various Aster species (daisies), Western Paintbrush, Pearly Everlasting and other species I couldn't identify.

View back to the east shows Little Molas Lake (the same elevation as the trailhead), and a view of the Grenadier Range of the San Juans.  Despite what the photo shows, the skies were quite dark due to storms forming from the east and west.

The sculpted form of a long-dead tree makes up the foreground for this shot of a peak to the west.  Note the varying colors and forms of the strata that are visible.  

Cumulonimbus over Engineer Peak.  Engineer is one of those landmarks that everyone knows about.  On an earlier trip we made to Durango in '06, we hiked/climbed to within a few hundred feet of its summit (~12,900').

Pano shot of Sultan Mountain (center) and Grand Turk (right).  Not much further up the trail, we opted to turn around due to the impending thunderstorms; getting caught in a storm with lightning above timberline is a Bad Idea.

We ended up hiking about 5 miles, and got back to the car without getting caught in rain.  We drove to Silverton (~8 miles to the north) for some coffee, and that's when it began to rain.