Recent Work From the Sawtooths

Here are a couple of recent works from the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho.  I have been painting these a lot lately and can't seem to get enough of them.  The subject matter in them is truly endless.

 

"Standing Strong"  10 x 8 in. 

This painting was painted from a photo I took while doing my Goat Falls hike (See June 17th post).  Even though it was mid-June and seventy degrees out, there was still plenty of snow around and the willows were  in their winter colors.  What attracted me to this scene was the strong light on the little pine tree.  I also thought the rocks created a nice entry to the focal point.

"Bench Lake" 9 x 12 in.

This painting was painted after my return from Matt Smith's workshop (see last weeks post).  One of the things Matt helped me with was introducing me to some new colors for my palette.  This painting has a lot of Ultramarine Blue in it and it's a nice cool color that really works well in the shadows and helps a mass recede in the distance.  I also love the natural composition of this lake.  It's about a 9 mile hike round-trip to this lake and it's worth every mile!

"Sawtooth Solitude" 8 x 10 in.

This painting was painted on a hike to the Saddleback Lakes.  It is a painting just off the trail in Redfish Canyon.  The canyon runs behind Redfish Lake and was formed by glaciers from the last ice age.  I stood alone for a good hour or so and didn't see or hear a single person thus providing the perfect title.

Matt Smith Workshop

Matt finishing a demo for the class.

I recently had the good fortune to take a workshop with one of the best painters in America, Matt Smith.  Matt is one of the 3 best landscape painters in the country (Clyde Aspevig and Scott Christensen being the other).  So I was very excited to have the opportunity to learn from him.  

It has been many, many years since I took a workshop.  I do not like taking them because I often find they are overpriced or the instruction isn't individually geared.  While I did have some frustration with this workshop, it was well worth it.  Matt is truly a great painter and he is a very honest and demanding teacher.
 

 Matt's process of breaking a landscape down then rebuilding it.

Matt really hits the fundamentals hard.  He really stresses big shapes and breaking a landscape down.  I found that aspect interesting.  Matt compares a painting to building a house. Start with the frame and build on top of that.  He believes an artist should take a subject and build it backwards starting with simple masses and geometric shapes.  This isn't anything revolutionary but what I did find interesting was how purposeful he is in his start.  If his start is not perfect  he will not advance (since he's Matt Smith he never has a bad start).  

Example of Matt's color which is spot on!

Matt's color was the biggest surprise for me.  Matt is actually a very colorful painter who really pushes color!  When I would look at his work I figured he was a more reserved colorist like Scott Christensen but Matt is always trying to push color.  He uses a fairly large palette and he is very picky about what colors he uses and thinks students should use (this was the my biggest frustration because I, like Scott Christensen, strongly believe in a limited palette).   It's safe to say Matt hated my palette but a palette is a very personal thing and every ones palette is unique to the painter.  Anyhow, I did expand my palette for Matt and had a lot of difficulty controlling the colors.  I did actually change my palette a little and have incorporated Ultramarine Blue (I typically use Pthalo which Matt hated!!!!).  I have really been enjoying using Ultramarine and have pretty much switched over. 

 Example of Matt's brushwork which is simply better then anyone!

The main reason I took Matt's workshop was to learn about his brushwork. He is an absolute master with a paint brush.  Matt talked about the type of brush, the consistency of paint, how to load a brush, how much pressure to apply, and even the type of canvas to get certain effects.  It was breathtaking to watch him apply paint. It was like watching Tiger Woods hit a golf ball or Jimmy Hendrix playing guitar.  It was amazing. 

 

Example of Matt contrast in his work which to me was very surprising!

Matt also uses a lot of contrast (value range) in his work.  This is something I feel like I need to push a little more in my work and I have been working on this.  

Overall, I would highly, highly recommend Matt as a teacher.  Even though he is hard and demanding (he was hard on everyone) he was very honest and willing to go the extra mile (he gave me a personally critique which I will blog about at a later time).  I would definitely take a class from him again.