It's been a few years since I've been on a hiking trip in the mountains. Whenever I travel, I bring my paints and sketchbooks so I can do some plein air painting. It's a long drive from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. When I can't get up there, I resort to painting from my own reference photos and from friends' trip photos.
This Grand Teton scene was painted from a friend's travel pictures. Gouache is a nice medium for small travel art paintings. I often use gouache as a plein air medium, so I can travel lightly. It dries quickly and I don't have to figure out how to travel home with a car full of wet oil paintings.
Here is a photo of me on a hiking trip in Cloudland Canyon State Park in northwest Georgia. It was a wonderful camping and hiking trip. I didn't get very much painting done, since I was going on long hikes with a friend, but I came back with some nice photos and lots of memories.
Here is a scene from the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts, where I grew up. I photographed a view from the road on the way up Mount Greylock. I was there during the early fall, but in this painting I imagined a spring scene. I still remember what the Berkshires look like during the four seasons, even though I've lived in Florida for 20 years now. Painting the Appalachian mountains is like going back home for me. I look forward to doing more trips into the hills and making some new mountain art.
