Thursday, July 29, 2010

Painting Mount Hayden

Mount Hayden- Grand Canyon North Rim
Mount Hayden was backlit after an hour or so

Last Friday afternoon we went to Point Imperial on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I hiked out about a half mile to a vantage point where I could see Mount Hayden (named after the Arizona Pioneer Charles T. Hayden) which is the most distinctive formation on the point. The weather was threatening rain, so I opted for watercolor instead of oil since I figured I could make a quicker bolt for the car if the weather turned dicey.


Mount Hayden - watercolor 6" x 9"

It turned out that the rain held off but the shifting light from the scattered clouds presented a real challenge. In the end, I went for the first impression I had with the peak lit and background in shadow, though I have reference now to also paint the complete opposite. The result was not quite what I hoped for (is it ever?), but I had a great time painting the view.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Nice hat :P I like the watercolor you did. I didn't know watercolor was something you did much of. It turned out lovely. It sounds like the GC was a lot of fun. How is illustration going? I am attempting to implement things learned from Professional practices, but the portfolio has to be built up more. It's all really coming in handy, though. Looks like you are having fun!