This is a time-lapse view of the work on my painting of Twin Lakes, near Independence Pass in Colorado. I started this 30" x 40" painting on December 3, 2017. (tap on photo to view)

Yes, the sky really is that blue in the mountains. For me, the most interesting aspect of this view are the shadows of the clouds on the rugged terrain. The sky is always changing in the upper elevations, and a storm can brew at any moment. There is that sense of beauty with just a twinge of stormy peril that makes a mountain view like this so gratifying. Dean told me that this area of Colorado is often very windy, so to capture a calm moment on the lake is extraordinary. 

This work turned out to be much more involved and photographic than I had originally intended—at first I thought a painterly, impressionist approach would be more interesting. However, when I got into it, I was really intrigued by the reflection on the lake, and the shadows of the clouds. Also, I knew that this place held a special memory for Dean and Deb, the couple who commissioned the piece. Those ideas guided me towards this more realistic rendition.