This painting feels unfinished because there is no majestic tree framing the painting; no wind-rippled lake nestled in the mountain valley. It is the starkness and expanse of space with which I fell in love.

Only an hour outside of San Diego, CA sits the beautiful Cleveland National Forest. In that forest is seemingly, another world, called Laguna Mountains. It differs drastically in topography, climate and population than my downtown San Diego.

My friend and I love hiking in that area. When we rounded a bend from a strenuous hike and came upon this incredible view, I knew it had to be a painting. I am just starting to dabble in “Plein Air Painting” which is just a fancy French term for painting outside. This would have been so awesome to attempt to paint on-site, but by the time I could climb to this location, I would need to rest….and hurry back before dark sets in. Thus, this is another “Studio Painting”.

I used several photos to come up with this composition. Below shows the photo of the inspirational starting point . In order to pull the viewer’s eyes throughout the scene, I fabricated a trail leading into the mountains.

Anyway, I hope to be posting some Plein Air paintings soon. My class, (Yes, I’m taking an official fall term class at UCSD starting in Mid-October) will hopefully give me inspiration, technique, joy and maybe even make me a few new friends as I learn the adjustments needed to paint outside – alone, or with a Plein air group.