San Pete Snowstorm

Light conditions and weather can completely change a scene from boring to beautiful.

One day I was visiting my sister Christine, down at Snow College. I went with some friends to Palisade Lake, near Sterling, Utah. We hiked around the lake. The lake waters were a brilliant aqua, and the yellow orange rocks really looked brighter next to them. Looking out across the valley, we could see the indigo clouds hovering menacingly over the already whitening cliffs of the San Pitch range. It was gorgeous.

This painting is a watercolor of the scene looking across the valley. I have used a technique where the paper is sealed with a white glue and water solution. When it is dry, the paint goes on dark, and the lights are lifted off. It is different from most ways of working in watercolor, and is one of the coolest techniques I learned at Snow College.