Utah Inspired

I’ve been in Park City, Utah for the past two weeks and found it so inspirational.  I have hiked the mountains and valleys, all the time snapping away at the scenery with my camera.  Somehow the pictures never quite seem to capture the beauty I see with my own eyes.  I guess that is my mission as an artist, to communicate with the viewer and share the beauty that I see.  Here are a few photos that I found particularly inspiring.

I find the photo program on the computer is quite an interesting tool for selecting interesting compositions to paint.  I usually take many photos on a particular day and time; it is usually the light and colors that peak my interest.  When they are all laid out in thumbnail size next to each other on the computer, the most interesting compositions and colors practically leap off the screen and beg to be painted.  The hard part comes in trying to capture the true beauty that struck my senses and enhancing it for the viewer.

This was taken at Beaver Creek, just outside Kamas, Utah.   There are beautiful hiking trails that gently rise and fall along the side of the creek. I particularly liked the way the light and shadow play out in this one and will try to capture that in my painting.

Sunrise is beautiful in this town. The sun creeps over the horizon and creates a fantastic light show, hitting the tops of the mountains first in brilliant pinks and oranges, then fades to yellow and finally a very  bright white against a very blue sky.  It all happens in a matter of minutes.  This morning, in the time it took me to change the batteries in my camera, the brilliant pink/orange I wanted to capture had disappeared completely and only the yellow remains.  Still quite beautiful though.