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The new year and a 60" wide canvas brought thoughts of the Rocky Mountains. We have family in Calgary which means that we can make opportunities to visit the magnificent Rockies, particularly Kananaskis and the Banff/Lake Louise area.  The first mountain I painted was well known Cascade Mountain in "Near Banff." I didn't know the name of the mountain at the time, but I knew that it was spectacular.  The client who bought "Near Banff" in 2016 recognized the mountain despite the abstraction I used in the composition.  

Our mountains provide endless opportunities for striking subject matter.  I love them! There are the dark darks of the forest shapes and the white whites of the snowcapped peaks. Whites can also be snow leftover from winter.  All of these and more can provide high value contrast which gives the composition power.  And mountains are powerful!

The current work is the result of hiking in the Sunshine Meadows near Banff. Don't you just love the name of the place? Sunshine Meadows. There is an entertaining gondola ride, especially exciting for the under 6 years crowd. This is followed by a chairlift ride further up to the meadows which spread  before you in all their inviting glory. Hiking the trails provides unending vistas from higher and lower vantage points. 

From a wooden platform, you can see three very pretty alpine lakes: Rock Isle Lake, Grizzly Lake, and Laryx Lake. 

On our second trip to Sunshine Meadows, we took the trail down to Rock Isle Lake. The area has been popular with painters since the 1940s. Illustrious Canadian painters including A.Y. Jackson and J.E.H. Macdonald came from the east and the west to paint plein-air at Rock Isle Lake. 

The current work is a view from along the path to Rock Isle Lake. 

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Here are a few pics from the hike-- ENJOY!