It was time to finish the last season of three ridges. I’d done summer, spring and fall.  I actually did do winter but with ice on top and clouds in the valley. It is also stunning in the snow.  The photo I did this from was actually from a few years ago.  Unfortunately, we weren’t in the mountains for the spectacular storm we had a few weeks ago.  It doesn’t matter though.  More than about a foot of snow (which happens fairly often) and the mountains become a winter wonderland.

This painting shows a beautiful clear, dark blue sky in contrast to the white, new fallen snow. The mountains in the distance have snow, but also the dormant trees making them an icy purple color.  The trees in the foreground were very red on the top – the color of the twigs, but the larger branches were covered in snow.

The fence on the right challenged my engineer’s brain. I worked hard to paint the shapes and colors, and not to focus on the thing it was supposed to be. I hated it while I was painting it, but the result was quite good.  It shows the shadows and light and captures the illusion of the deep snow.

I also had fun with the shadows and light in the foreground snow. The seedlings and grasses poking out from beneath the snow helped add to the interest of the scene.

This painting is 24×12 on canvas. Now the four seasons are complete. Does that mean I will stop painting Three Ridges? No way! It looks different in the color and the light of each new day.  I need to branch out more, but I will never tire of painting Three Ridges.