So often, I am working fast to capture a place in paint that I forget to get that location shot! Sometimes, I forget to photograph the painting, too! I've sold two in the last month that I never got an image of. I didn't even realize it until I tried to find it days later! This ink drawing was done very quickly with a Pitt pen, followed by fresh, loose watercolor. I barely had enough time to get color in all the masses before we left the area! This place is somewhere in Colorado between Steamboat Springs and Denver, along the highway through the mountains. I didn't have cell service to tell me the location, but it is now immortalized in paint! Painting number 1675 in 1675 days.
I could hardly stop drawing during our mountain drive! One right after the other, I drew the unfolding scenes before me as fast as I could, barely finished as the scene disappeared in the rearview mirror. Nothing bumps up my painting speed like a fast moving car! The one draw back is that I couldn't get a single photo of my drawing with the landscape behind it - it was gone before I could get the shot! What a great way to spend that time - REALLY looking at the scene. I had 11 of these painted before we left the mountains behind us! Painting number 1620 in 1620 days :)
Venturing out along a dirt path through the wildflowers behind our hotel, I soon heard the rushing of water. I couldn't see water through the trees and tall grass until I was nearly upon it! What a surprise! The river twisted and turned, and I followed it deep into a brushy area (this was before I knew to be wary of bears and to carry jingling keys)! When the path finally reached a road, I recognized it and took the civilized way back. There are a hundred paintings along that path - river, mountains, woods, waterfalls and a bluff rising up along the back side of that river! This quick color sketch hardly does the place justice. I will have to do it in oils! Painting number 1619 in 1619 days.
The Yampa River Core Trail was the closest to our hotel, and the first one Michaela and I explored for a morning run. Advised to dangle our keys to let the bears know we were coming, we ventured out! The views are amazing at every turn, and the evidence of bear tracks were all over the trail. This trail parallels the main thoroughfare in town, and leads out the other side. Passing several other runners, I felt sure the bears weren't hungry. They surely would choose juicier morsels than us! I've gotten so fast at pen and ink sketches, I can do them on the fly with just a short pause in activity. It really is remarkable how skills can improve with daily dedication. Now, if only the watercolors were this fast for me. I think they can be, I just need to devote more time to them. Painting number 1618 in 1618 days.
Hiking trails can be found everywhere in Colorado. Simply start walking in the direction of the mountains, and before I know it, the trail becomes rather remote! A couple of times I found myself backtracking, a little wary of running into bears on my own. If you are ever in Colorado Springs, you must drive up to Pike's Peak! The views are breathtaking all the way up the mountain, and once you're at the top there is a gift shop and cafe to enjoy - and get you out of the snow and 50mph winds! It's amazing how dramatically different the weather is from the bottom to the top! There just isn't enough time to paint my fill in this place. Painting number 1617 in 1617 days.
