Last year, I spent one day in Grand Teton National Park, most of it yelling and pointing at the mountains… So I had to go back, specifically to sit and enjoy and look and make art 🙂
Teewinot is the original Shoshone name for this range and translates to many pinnacles, which I find much more fitting than the French name.
I had vague plans, but let my art heart lead and followed the rising and setting sun. It was stunning. I felt a little like Thomas Moran, walking about doing artwork, though I had the luxury of a car and like… A nice, developed campsite. I also saw two bears and a double rainbow, so it was a very good weekend.
From the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram, which was a bit underwhelming and extremely windy, but there was a great view of the whole valley and I got to see Corbett’s Couloir (the one the pros do backflips off) and I was stunned. It’s much bigger than in videos. From Snake River Overlook, where Ansel Adams took his famous picture. The drama of this sunset lasted about thirty minutes and each moment was just as beautiful as the last. I liked the idea of using watercolor pencils and then maybe going back later with water, but I kind of like it just in pencil. This is also my first piece in my second sketchbook, since I finished the first one I bought in 2021! Not pictured: the lineup of photographers with fancy tripods that I was sitting next to.Bonus: sunset from Snake River Overlook.This one I tried using my watercolor pencils and then going back with pen. I liked it, though my pen didn’t mark over the pencil so well. Maybe the pigment is a bit hydrophobic? Little black and black-green watercolor from Jenny Lake. Plus some white watercolor pencil for the permanent snowfields. I liked the bold style of the watercolors without pen, but it was a bit nerve-wracking to put down so much color at once. One of my favorites of the trip, drawn as a postcard for a friend from Teton Glacier Turnout. I need to figure out how to draw trees in a way that doesn’t hurt my hand though. So. Many. Little. Lines. Not pictured: the couple that got engaged on the other side of the parking lot while I was doing this. From Schwabacher Landing. I kind of knew this as I was starting this piece, but this is the piece I set out to draw, and I spent the weekend working up to it. It took me about an hour as I waited for the sunset, which was pretty but not as dramatic as the other one. Not pictured: the couple who sat and chatted with me as we waited for the sunset.
Finch's Creative Endeavors 