On the Way Up the Mountain!
As most of my painting buddies know, one of my favorite places to go is “up the mountain” to Figueroa Mountain. There is something about the place that is so magical: the variety of wildflowers (when they are in season); the 360 degree views when you get to the fire watch; and the great wine-tasting rooms when you drive down.
This one was a challenge and frankly, I’m not sure if I would’ve done a large painting of this. One of the nice things about painting these small little pieces is that you give yourself room to experiment… to fail. The reason why I wouldn’t have done a large painting is there are no shadows. Paintings are more interesting if there are darks and lights. This one was probably taken about high noon so light floods from above – very little shadow. Not as many interesting patterns.
But… I still like the subject and still wanted to give this one a whirl.
This piece is 5″ x 5″ and painted on cradled board.