Summer Vibes Finale
Some good things must come to an end. The temperatures are still on the warm side where I live in Colorado, but the calendar has officially switched from summer to fall. If you take a drive into the mountains, you would think that winter is already close behind. I started musing on the idea of a summer project back in May when a busy summer season was looming and I was concerned about maintaining consistency with my art practice. Nearly four months later, a full season, I’m incredibly happy with how the project went. I received some truly beautiful reference photos from friends and family and generous and thoughtful encouragement along the way. Here are the last paintings for this year’s Summer Vibes project. If you need to catch up on the project make sure to check out the past updates:
Havasu Falls I and Havasu Falls II | 5 x7
Havasu Falls is a unique destination on the Havasupai Indian Reservation in a side canyon of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I actually haven't had the pleasure of visiting this location, but I was given some reference photos by a friend who was lucky enough to go recently on a backpacking trip. In order to visit this location, you need a permit and the stamina to complete the 24 mile out and back trail (according to AllTrails). The biggest challenge to paint this scene was trying to make each section of the painting stand out. I wanted the waterfall and the color of the water to be the focus of both pieces, but I wanted you to also feel like you had to spend time really looking at the paintings to take it all in. For Havasu Falls I, I tried to stay true to the reference photo. For Havasu Falls II, I wanted to simplify the overall composition by removing some elements and having some sections with very limited detail. I go back and forth between which one I like more.
Havasu Falls I
Havasu Falls II
Kalymnos | 5x7
Climbing is a big part of Vasya and my world, and we have been very blessed to have found a climbing community here in Colorado. The reference photo for this painting was submitted by the family of one of the kids that Vasya coaches. All I can say is that these kids are impressive and truly gifted. This is a shot from Kalymnos, Greece, known for its amazing climbing. This painting required a lot of trial and error. I knew that the biggest challenge was going to be how to paint the bright sunlight that the photo captured. I used a whole sheet of watercolor paper just experimenting. Then my first attempt at the full painting left a lot to be desired. I was happy with a couple parts, but definitely not the lighting. So I tried again. Improving my skills means creating a lot of paintings I consider to be duds, or paintings where I might like one tiny part, but not the piece overall. It took some experimentation, but I eventually got it where I wanted it.
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Navajo Arch | 5 x 7
This may be my favorite painting I have painted to date, which quite honestly surprised me because I thought the photo was a bit bland. Vasya or I took this photo when we visited Arches National Park a few years ago when we were hiking along the Devils Garden Trail, which begins and ends at Landscape Arch. What I wanted to experiment with in this painting was how to capture light. I wanted the tree to be the focal point and to almost glow when viewed through the dark arch. I eliminated almost everything else in the original reference photo. I also spent a lot of time working on the arch to get the right level of shadows. Honestly, I just love it. It might be one of the few paintings I have completed recently that I might actually frame and hang up.
Wheeler Peak | 5 x 7
In August, Vasya and I headed to a new place, Red River, New Mexico. It was supposed to be the town hosting my century bike ride, but unfortunately the ride was canceled due to severe road construction. Vasya and I decided to keep the trip on the calendar and so off we went. In a tiny town about forty-five minutes northwest of Taos, you would have thought that we were back in the mountains of Colorado. Our plan for the weekend, instead of my toiling away on a bicycle, was to sleep, relax and get in some hikes. This painting is inspired by a photograph I took while on the descent of Wheeler Peak, which is New Mexico’s highest point at 13,161 feet. We had the perfect day for a hike, relatively clear skies, no wind, and we were down at the base and home by the time the afternoon storms rolled in. My favorite part of this whole painting is the bottom right quadrant where the rocks are peeking out behind the grass. I spent a lot of time on this painting, trying to determine the best way to convey the shadows of the rocks while ensuring that the grass was still defined. I took this photo during our descent and I couldn’t help but think about how sometimes we forget to take a moment to take stock of where we have been and what we have accomplished.
Concluding Thoughts
Over the course of my Summer Vibes project, I completed 20 finished pieces between June and September. My primary medium was watercolor, but I added in a few pen and ink studies along the way. This project was a great way to focus my attention during a busy time. I think it could have been easy for me to stop painting because there was just too much going on, but I tried to keep in mind my word for 2023: consistency. I did not tell myself that I needed to paint every day because I knew that would be an easy way for me to get discouraged and to stop altogether. Instead, I tried to give myself a bit more grace and try to paint 3-5 days a week. I tried to let go of the idea that I had to paint for hours in order to be accomplished and I found that I made more progress on the days when I only sat down to paint for 20 or 30 minutes. I also tried to keep in mind an idea I think I got from Cory Huff’s How to Sell Your Art Online: just keep doing the work in front of you. At the start of the summer, I gathered a set of reference photos, some from past travels, some that were submitted by followers and my community, and some I took over the course of the summer. When I would finish a painting, I would just start on the next one. The purpose of the summer was consistency, practice, and play. Not all of the paintings are my favorite, but some of them are absolute gems.
As the seasons are about to change, I am feeling optimistic about the fall. Vasya and I have one big trip coming up soon, but then (hopefully) our schedules will calm down as we head into the holiday season. I have some new ideas marinating and some investments I am hoping to make in my creative future. I hope you stay tuned for those!