Birch mountain, Eastern Sierra, California

Birch mountain, Eastern Sierra, California
36 x 36"
Painted en plein air beneath the clear alpine skies of California’s Eastern Sierra, this work captures the quiet majesty of snow covered peaks rising above the expansive valley below. Broad planes of luminous white and cool violet shadow describe the powerful structure of the mountains, while warm earth tones in the foreground anchor the composition and emphasize the dramatic shift between elevation, light, and season.
 
Working directly from life allowed the changing atmosphere and crisp mountain air to guide each brushstroke, preserving the immediacy of the moment. The painting conveys the stillness and clarity unique to the Eastern Sierra, translating a fleeting encounter with light and landscape into a lasting sense of scale, solitude, and wonder.