Lupine and Columbine in a Crested Butte Meadow

Flowers in the mountains of Colorado. Up in the high country, away from the crowds and hustle of the city. A place of solitude in God’s country to rest and get lost in the beauty that few get to experience. Imagine the delicate beauty of the columbines at your feet. The sweet smell of mountain air and lupines everywhere. Once again, you know if you follow me, that my wife has requested paintings that include flowers. I started with a canvas with the base colors of the mountains, the meadow and the purples of the flowers. Then I carved in the shadow of the mountains to create the ruggedness of the distant mountains. The challenging part is always to take time with the details of the columbines. They are an exquisite beauty of the high country. The light purple and blue hues against the white petals were a slow process to satisfy my desire to make these lifelike and appealing…and make sure my wife loved them before I completed the painting.