The Lake 22 Painting

A few days ago I wrote about my hike to Lake 22. Today I will discuss the painting that resulted from the hike.

I had walked around the entire lake exploring and scoping out potential areas to paint from. Some areas were better than others for setting up my tripod though this was limited to a few spots along the lake. The board walk around parts of the lake was there for a reason. In these areas the ground was soaked from snow melt trickling into the lake. Other spots were really rocky or on a slope. Areas that were ideal for setting up didn't have any views I was crazy about. What I wanted was to include the mountain that rose above the lake.

I walked back around the lake and came to a spot I liked. It was about 10 meters off the trail going down towards the lake and involved carefully stepping over rocks. Mosquitoes were in this area but my insect repellant kept them at bay.

I stood there observing the scene before me. This is what I wanted to paint. During this time the clouds were drifting past the mountain, obscuring it and revealing it at times. I started to photograph the area to use later as reference photos.

I watched as the clouds exposed the mountain in various parts and I saw a waterfall cascading down a cliff to my left.

I was inspired by the scene before me and it kept getting better. As I watched the clouds drift I could see exposed areas of bright green vegetation on the mountain itself in places. This was a detail I could use in my painting.

The best part of observing the scene was when the clouds were illuminated, contrasting against the dark trees on the cliff to my left. This was where the waterfall was.

Suddenly the area at the top of the waterfall was glowing in light, the clouds illuminated by the late morning sun. I had the subject for my painting at this moment. It was going to be about the light coming through the clouds, hitting the cliff with waterfall. During this time a couple came and sat on a large rock to my left. I wondered if they were sitting there, awed by the scene as much as I was.

I decided not to paint because I felt it was time to head back. I had never painted a mountain scene from life and the scale of the mountain itself was intimidating. I was trying to figure out how I could put all this on my 9 x 12 panel. I knew I could shrink everything down, but if I wanted to include the top of the mountain in my painting I would doing a lot of looking up and down.

If I had a vantage point that was further away that would have been ideal. However in outdoor painting, situations and places to set up are seldom ideal. You just need to work with what nature provides you. I learned that it's best to paint something when you're on location, even though if it's not the vision you had been seeking. Now I carry a small sketchbook to help me study a scene in case if I don't paint.

The studio painting

I had a clear vision of the subject for my painting and how I was going to work out the composition. I decided on a smaller panel which measured 14 by 18. Working on this smaller scale would force me to fit everything in my composition onto the panel. This is what I'm trying to work on with my landscapes rather than make every large in my painting.

I did use photos as a reference, but I did not slavishly copy them. The photos helped me remember details of the scene such as the landscape itself. I worked from multiple photos, using them to put together my composition. Most of all I used memory and invention to help convey what photos can not. The photos I took do not accurately show the light I was awed by. Nor do they show the immense scale of the scene before me. In order create my painting I had to inject the drama, light, and awe that my photos do not show. This is the difference between a photo and a painting. A camera can capture a scene, though deficiently, but it can not express the feeling we had as if we were actually there.

On day one I began by toning the panel with a wash of French Raw Sienna which I wiped off leaving the ground stained. Then I drew my composition with a mixture of Ultramarine blue and Burnt Sienna. At this time I established my darks.

For the next few hours I began introducing local color as I developed the painting. This is what I had at the end of day one. As you can see I left a lot of the French Raw Sienna ground showing in places.

The end of Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

At some time after day Four I forgot to photograph my process. I started the painting on Monday June 27 and finished it Sunday July 3. During this time I also spent several evenings sketching and painting at Discovery Park. On Friday July 1 Cheryl, a friend of ours, and I hiked up to the water slides at Denny Creek.

Even though I had finished the painting a week before I went in a reworked a few areas, especially the clouds. The other day I decided it was done.

Clearing of the morning clouds at Lake 22, Oil on ACM Panel, 14" x 18"

As you can see I have people in my painting. A couple based on the couple I saw at Lake 22. In addition if you look at the path leading into the evergreens I have also included other hikers. I do this for several reasons. First is based on being inspired by the landscape painters I study. The Hudson River School painters included figures in their paintings who are dwarfed by the landscape they inhabit. Contemporary painter Erik Koeppel, whom I greatly admire, is also influenced by the Hudson River School and he includes figures in his landscapes. The figures help give a sense of scale as they relate to the landscape. 

Second the figures in my paintings share a connection with the landscape that surrounds them. We had hiked to Lake 22 because we appreciate the beauty that nature offers us. We can look at photos of these places, but being there in person is an experience that is extraordinary. These places are treasured whether it be Lake 22, Snoqualmie Pass, or Discovery Park. Similar experiences of awe and the appreciation of nature in America's West and beyond inspired 19th century artists like Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Edwin Church, and Thomas Moran. Through painting they were able to bring back their visions from remote places to their audiences back east.

Now that I have finished my first landscape studio painting of the summer, I am on to other ones. I will continue to paint and sketch outdoors, honing my skills. At the same time I will study the artists I admire. I have other hikes planned and paintings will be based on the landscapes I have observed.