09/10/2024
It’s been a long time since I painted out West. I think the last time was the trip to in the Winter of 2011 inspired by a photograph in a William Bradford book. I’ll share my experience in a couple of posts.
Flying in at the end of the day was pretty cool, the aircraft had to sweep around a storm, so the timing was perfect for dropping down through the setting sun cloud structure. iPhones simply do not do the tarmac view justice and coming from the East Coast where there is an over abundance of ambient light illuminating the night sky to the blackness of Wyoming was shocking.
This was my first trip to , although I had painted in multiple times something always interfered with getting to the Tetons. Luckily, my sister, joined me on the adventure, adding a very special and fun element. It was also helpful to have a second pair of eyes when looking for wildlife and she made it much easier for me to focus on painting in the field. While we didn’t see any bears, we did encounter a lot of fresh sign in the willows along the Snake River. Prompting us to choose a very visible ridge line above Willow Flats looking into the sun at Mount Moran for the first painting.
September sunlight is my favorite because I believe it’s the best light for en . Special light is always on my mind when considering a composition and Willow Flats did not disappoint. As the sun moved across the sky a sliver of lemon yellow popped off Jackson Lake, backlighting the willows and creating a dramatic transition of color. I found myself tempted to “chase the light”, it was so rich my eyes could taste it.
