When faced with the austere grandeur or rolling silhouettes of these natural wonders, what landscape painter could not find kinship with the naturalist John Muir, who once proclaimed, “the mountains are calling, and I must go”? Lured by the same call of the wild, the artists featured here drew inspiration from a range of spectacular views — from snowy peaks and craggy sierras to verdant slopes and vibrant mesas.
Speaking of mountains – join us in Denver, Colorado for the 10th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo!
Charles Muench
2018, oil, 12 x 12 in.
Available from K. Nathan Gallery, La Jolla, CA
Plein air
Michele de Bragança
2018, oil, 11 x 14 in.
Collection the artist
Plein air
Susan Lynn
2017, watercolor, 16 x 20 in.
Collection the artist
Plein air
“The town of Telluride, Colorado, sits at the end of a box canyon with an iconic waterfall that feeds the river on the valley floor,” says Susan Lynn. “In the early morning, the rising mist from the river burns off very slowly as the sun rises beyond the mountains. I found it a wonderful challenge to stand on the valley floor and try to capture the suffusion of morning light along with the gradual revealing of the mountains.”
TJ Cunningham
2019, oil, 27 x 44 in.
Private collection
Studio from a plein air study
John Hughes
2020, oil, 9 x 12 in.
Available from artist
Plein air
Jacob Aguiar
2019, pastel, 18 x 24 in.
Available from Turner Fine Art, Jackson, WY
Studio from plein air study
[On Wednesday, June 1st at 2 p.m. (ET), Eric Rhoads is hosting top pastel artist Gail Sibley for a FREE special event! Join us then at FutureOfPastel.com!]
Larry DeGraff
2016, oil, 9 x 12 in.
Available from artist
Plein air
Jill Banks
2015, oil, 24 x 18 in.
Private collection
Plein air and studio
“I painted Mountain Time over two long afternoons in Telluride,” says Jill Banks. “In 2015, the town was still new to me, and the size and complexity of capturing all the moving parts on this large canvas was a bit too much for me to handle and completely finish on location. After spending the week there, I really started to absorb the rhythms and feel of the place. Everyone has a dog … probably more than one. Bikes are everywhere. At some point, the streets quiet and morph as people change gears and head to dinner or home after the day of activity. I understood that it was as important to include the pile of bikes, the man (Ira) walking his dogs, and the overall mood as it was to depict the mountain in order to really capture the feel of the place.”
Related: In “Landscape Studies: Mountains,” paint along with Bill Bayer as he demonstrates and explains how to use photographs to create beautiful landscapes with traditional, classic painting techniques that can also be used as plein air techniques.
Visit EricRhoads.com to find out all the amazing opportunities for artists through Streamline Publishing, including:
– Online art conferences such as Plein Air Live
– New video workshops for artists
– Incredible art retreats
– Educational and fun art conventions, and much more.
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