Cougar Peak #365

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Illustration Board

It is done.....WOW! Last year at this time I was sitting in the studio contemplating on how I should celebrate the new year......and it evolved into this crazy idea of painting Cougar Peak everyday for one year. Coming from a background in animation, I decided to paint the exact same scene, with the idea being that at the end of the year I could animate it all together and watch the seasons come and go in a cool little movie...which will be coming soon.

This project has been an immense joy, and an experience that I shall ever remember. Also it has been a challenge, so much that at times I wasn't sure I had it in me to endure until the end.....but for those of you who have followed along on the journey, your comments and support have made it possible and all the more worth while. Thank you!

And as before here is the month in review, as well as the year in review.

Cougar Peak #364

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Illustration Board

Snow...It won't be long before this land is filled with snow. Again today snow covered the mountain in a blanket of cold white chill. For this painting I first started out by spraying my board with water, and then painting directly upon that. Once I had some shapes blocked in how I wanted....I then misted it again with the spray bottle. Finally coming back in with my brush, I lightly went over the areas I sprayed, pulling off the paint, leaving a nice "snowflake" texture.

Tomorrow will be the BIG one. The final image of this long project.....hard to imagine that it will be coming to an end, but to an end it will come. Until tomorrow.

Cougar Peak #363

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Today I was once again greeted by the mountain, and a fresh blanket of white snow that had covered the valley. For this painting I did an initial wash of a medium cool gray to cover up the white of the board......from there I built up my snow with my lighter values, and then went the other way darkening my values to bring out individual trees etc, shadows, etc.....

Cougar Peak #362

4.75" 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

A flurry of white fell from the sky while I was doing this painting, creating this great sense of atmosphere. For this painting I had to start out with a much lighter value when painting the mountain, since looking through all of that snow really lightens things up. I then came back in over the top with my snow flakes, as well as the details/highlights.

Cougar Peak #361

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Once again we find the mountain held in the grip of icy winter. The cloud level was just low enough to engulf the top of the mountain, as the bottom was bare to reveal it's cold icy body. For this painting I started out by working up a quick sketch with a liner brush. I then came back in with a larger flat blocking in some of my major shapes, and then going back to the liner, to bring in details, highlights, etc......

Cougar Peak #360

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

This morning I was once again greeted by a layer of fresh snow as it covered the mountainside like a blanket of white wool. I first started out by working up a quick sketch with my paints, blocking in my shapes until I had them just how I liked them. After that was completed, I started to lay in some of my clouds, as well as building up some of the details. Finally I came back in and added highlights, snow, barn, tree, etc....

Cougar Peak #359

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Merry Christmas to all! The mountain had a nice color palette this morning of dark blues and bits of ocher from the valley floor. The snowfall that we received yesterday receeded a bit allowing part of the dead grass of the field to show through.....so it was nice having all that blue set against the that warmer hue.

Cougar Peak #358

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Flakes of fluffy white were falling and twirling on their long decent to the valley floor this morning as I tackled the mountain once again. There is something wonderfully peaceful about falling snow. Always a nice gift to get such beauty on Christmas Eve.

Cougar Peak #357

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Winter attacks today with a furry of fresh snow, and cold temperatures. I love the blues and grays that snow brings, and for this painting I worked a bit trying to capture some of the many different hues of blue that accompany such winter weather.....as well as a little bit of that icy chill.

Cougar Peak #356

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Today marks the first official day of winter for this year. I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise as I had brush in hand, ready to tackle the mountain once again. Warmer temperatures, and the recent onslaught of rain have eroded once again some of the snow from the base of the mountain. This painting captures a wider range of hues from the warm colors of the sunrise, to the browns at the base of the mountain, and the blues from the cold snow at the top of the peak.

Cougar Peak #355

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Today.....another brisk chilly day as the rain and fog have finally lifted and colder temperatures have settled in. It is nice once again to be able to see the sun, as well as the top of the mountain. This image marks the last painting of fall and the begining of winter, and what will be the final ten paintings for Cougar Peak-A-Boo.

Cougar Peak #354

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Once again the mountain was enveloped in a thick layer of clouds that obscured the peak of the mountain. There was a bit more green showing as some of the snow on the valley floor has begun to melt away....but as you climb higher up the mountain you still get more blue and grays because of the snow.

Cougar Peak #353

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Today the valley was pummeled with freezing rain, the snow that was on the mountain is becoming saturated like a heavy wet sponge, and the mountain is enveloped in a fog of haze...and a haze of fog. For this painting I tried to purposefully keep most of my lines vertical, especially in the area of the clouds to help sell the look and feel or rain or some type of falling moisture.

Cougar Peak #352

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

This morning we were greeted once again to another dusting of fresh snow. The mountain itself was mostly enveloped in a thick layer of clouds and the fresh snow quickly turned to rain as the morning progressed. I started the image by doing a quick sketch in blue pencil and then first concentrating on my darker values and shapes, lightening up and concentrating on details towards the end.

Cougar Peak #351

4.75" x 6.75" Pastel on Paper

Decided to try a bit of pastel for this painting. I enjoy using NuPastel made by Prismacolor because they are neither too hard, nor too soft......just right. Plus that have a nice vivid bold color, as well as coming in a square stick that can be used to create sharp edges if need be.

Cougar Peak #350

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

The temperature warmed up significantly today, melting off a great deal of the snow that had accumulated on the mountainside. There was an intersting color palette consisting of dark greens on the bottom of the mountain transitioning to blues and grays.... culminating in a bright white at the top of the peak.

Cougar Peak #349

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

The snow from the heavens continues to fall upon the face of the earth and pile up on the slopes of the mountain. On this painting I started out by working up a very loose pencil sketch. I then came in back over the top of my sketch with my oils, first concentrating on my darker values and then working up from there.

Cougar Peak #348

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

More snow, snow, snow!! I started painting today as the snow flakes were falling down, down, down upon the mountainside. The falling snowflakes create a great atmosphere by which to paint and they end up simplifying things down to just a few values. I concentrated on getting the values just how I wanted...and then came back in over the top with final highlights and textures.

Cougar Peak #347

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

Today there was another furry of snow that swept across the valley. On this painting I started out by laying in an average medium value which was the base for the falling snow. I then went darker in value to bring out the mountain and then lighter in value to illustrate the texture of the falling snow.

Cougar Peak #346

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

Today another blanket of fresh snow spread wide across the valley and laid upon the mountainside. Switching back over to gouache, I tried to let the white of the paper do a lot of the talking for me, but there were also parts of the painting that I wanted to use some opaque white to bring some of the texture of the snow....as well as help give the feeling that the snow was laying on top of the mountain.

Cougar Peak #345

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

Another cold chilly day today as the tip of the peak was being protected by a blanket of clouds. This painting ended up having a slightly different look and feel as opposed to some of my other paintings. On this image I tried to be very conscious of blending my paints as I went along, instead of the often quick sharp strokes that I usually paint with.

Cougar Peak #344

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

The day started out once again with a bit of fresh snow dusting the valley. I started right in with my oils, first laying in my main shapes and blocking in some of my major values. After that I concentrated on getting the thick layer of clouds textured how I wanted it.....finally coming and and adding in the final details and highlights.

Cougar Peak #343

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

Today there was a wild blizzard of snow that moved through the valley and obscured the mountain. I decided to switch over to my oil paints, again to mix things up. Keeping my paints a bit stiff I started to build of layers of falling snow. Once I had my values worked out on my painting, I came back in and laying my brush on it's side, built up a nice quick snow flake texture......and walllaaa.

Cougar Peak #342

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

On today's painting I started out doing a quick sketch in blue pencil. Once my quick sketch was completed I came in back over the top with NuPastel, building up some quick values. I then sealed the image with an acrylic medium and painted over the top of my sketch with acrylics, letting the sketch work in my favor where I could and enhancing the sketch in other areas.

Cougar Peak #341

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

This morning was nice and crisp as the fog lifted during the night leaving the valley covered in a layer of frost. Finally again we have a clear unobstructed view of the mountain as the first rays of morning light lay bright golden rays of light upon the peak.

Cougar Peak #340

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Once again this morning I was greeted by a thick layer of fog. With my brush and paints in hand, I was able to slice through a bit of it a revealing part of the mountain. Keeping my paints someone thin, I started building up layers of paint gradually darkening my values as I went along

Cougar Peak #339

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

There was a bit of blue sky that was able to make an appearance today, taking away from the gloom of the heavy rains the last few days. For this image I started building up my darker values starting out at the base of the mountain and then working my way up. Finally I came in with my highlights and brighter areas of snow to tie the whole piece together.

Cougar Peak #338

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

The fierce battle of rain has ended and all that is left is the hazy fog of battle. The mountain was almost completely obscured this morning as I began to paint, and I tried to give a sense of it as it loomed behind all of that rising moisture.

Cougar Peak #337

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Wet, stormy, and wet, wet, wet. Today the area was bombarded by warm rain that melted off a great portion of the new snow that had accumulated, as well as creating a soggy mess of what was left. On this painting on wanted to capture that rain and those heavy wet clouds as they surrounded Cougar Peak and laid siege to it.

Cougar Peak #336

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

Today the valley and the mountain got blanketed with more fresh snow. One of the most beautiful sites to see is are those white flakes spiraling down out of heavens. For this image I attacked it similar as I did with yesterday's painting by first starting out painting over my paper with a medium gray value. After that I came in and built up the mountain and then finally coming in at the end adding in snow, highlights etc......

Cougar Peak #335

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

So we finally begin the month of December and are greeted by falling snow. Sort of a proper way to bring in the month I think. For this painting I quickly covered my entire surface in a medium gray value and then came back over the top either darkening or lightening my values. Finally I came back in and added the highlights and bits of falling snow.

Cougar Peak #334

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

I love the wild chaotic design that often comes with storms, and weather in general. I especially enjoy it during the winter months. Everything is affected by it, and the whole landscape shifts in color and value so dramatically that hardly nothing escapes it's grip.

Also this once again marks the end to another month........one more to go!

Cougar Peak #333

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

The mountain stands blanketed in more fresh snow, set against the backdrop of blue sky. For this painting I tried to be conscious letting the white of the paper show through for as many areas of snow as I could. Attacking it similar to a water color painting, I started out working in the the values for the trees and sides of the mountain, as well as the barn, tree, and sky. Finally I came in with just a bit of white adding a few touches here and there.

Cougar Peak #332

4.75" x 6.75" Pastel on Paper

Time to changes things up a bit and switch media. The mountain was dappled and sponged with a pile of fresh snow, and something about it just screamed out pastel! For this painting I built up my darker value to begin with lightening them up gradually until I was coming back in with highlights.

Cougar Peak #331

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Yesterday we had the calm before the storm, today we have the mountain being pummeled by falling projectiles of white. For this painting I started out working really fast and loose and ended up getting something that I was happy with really quickly. So from then on it was a challenge not to "overwork" the painting.

Cougar Peak #330

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

This image represents a nice calm before the storm, as large flurry of snow is on it's way to blanket the valley in white. Again for this image I tried to capture the mountain as the top half has this cold winter feeling, and the bottom half still maintains sort of a look of fall.

Cougar Peak #329

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

The snow on the mountain melts off a bit and then as little mini storms move through more will be added onto the top of the peak. For this image I tackeled it basically as I normally do, but then in the end I spent a bit more time adding in little bits of snow here and there to try and capture the look that was on the mountain.

Cougar Peak #328

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

For today's painting I started out the image doing a quick sketch with a fine point sharpie marker. After the sketch was completed I came in and blocked out all of my main shapes, starting first with the sky. I then came in back over the top with a smaller brush pushing and pulling my values a bit and organizing the clouds and final details.

Cougar Peak #327

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

A bit of the snow on the bottom of the valley has started to melt away, and there was a big patch of low hanging clouds keeping the other snow at bay. On this painting I started out with a bit of blue for the base trees, and then gradated it up a bit from there, bringing in some of the ochers of the dead grass. Finally I came back in over the top with some thick white paint and added in texture on the clouds and mountain.

Cougar Peak #326

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Happy Thanksgiving!......The mountain was rather beautiful as those first rays of sunlight danced across the snowy tip of the mountain top, lighting it up on hues of orange and pink. For this image tried to stay conscious of all of the subtle color changes from lavender, blue, orange, etc....

Cougar Peak #325

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

The mountain was rather beautiful today covered in cold hues of brilliant blue. I wanted to try and capture a bit of that cold and the wonderful chaos as the clouds drifted through leaving their icy chill. I decided to leave the mountain in blue and gray the clouds up a bit just to heighten the blue a bit more.

Cougar Peak #324

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

Mountain of white, painter's delight. It's nice once again to wake up and have snow covering the mountain. For this painting I came in with a diluted gouache and carved in all of the areas of the mountain that weren't covered by snow. Once that was completed I came in with a smaller brush and added in the details, also bringing in some opaque white gouache adding extra highlights and texture.

Cougar Peak #323

4.75" x 6.75" Watercolor on Paper

Snow......beautiful snow that once again blankets everything in a layer of white. It was rather nice waking up this morning to see snow covering the valley. For this painting I used a bit of watercolor on a smooth plate type of bristol board. I usually paint on the other side of the paper that has more of a cold press finish, but it was fun to play around letting the paint dance on top of the paper.

Cougar Peak #322

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Nilly Willy my it's chilly!......as you can tell another cold and rainy day with snow on the way.....we will see. I worked pretty much monochromatic for this piece, other than the foreground field which has just a touch of green in it. On this painting I concentrate basically on getting the values I wanted and trying to give the appearance of the mountain being attacked by sheets of rain.

Cougar Peak #321

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

On today's painting I started out by blocking in all of the mountain in a single value of color. After that was completed I came back in over the top with a value for the parts of the mountain that are bare on not covered by trees. Finally I added in the low hanging clouds, concentrating on giving them a stylized "sharp" look to give the painting just a slightly different look.

Cougar Peak #320

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

I busted out the gouache again this morning as the mountain was once again socked in by heavy wet rain clouds. For this painting I kept my paints real soupy and let the paint bleed and puddle across the paper. Later I came back in with a smaller detail brush and added in the tree, barn, final touches, etc......

Cougar Peak #319

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

The drizzles were back today, bringing more clouds and rain, rain, rain. On this painting I mixed the base of the mountain in a slightly green tint, and then gradated it up into more blue and finally gray instead of a more monochromatic piece. It ends up making a nice separation between the trees and the onslaught of the storm.

Cougar Peak #318

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

A beautiful crisp November morning, as the temperature dipped down below 20 degrees. I was able to catch the mountain just as the first few rays of direct sunlight laid upon the mountain peak. On this painting I blocked out the silhouette of the mountain with a quick value wash and then proceeded to add in the form changes, highlights, fog, etc.

Cougar Peak #317

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Things cleared up a bit today bringing an even colder chill to the air. After the wind and rain last night, the mountain presented itself with a bit of fresh snow. For this painting I wanted to capture some of that freshness that the snow presented. I purposefully kept my strokes quick, hardly letting my brush pick up from the paper, so as to not give my self an opportunity to think.....but to just paint by instinct.

Cougar Peak #316

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

A rather rainy and wet day with a chill wind blowing in an oncoming furry of snow. I started this image out with a quick loose sketch in pencil and then came back over the top of it with paint, keeping my strokes loose and random until the cloud shapes took on a character of their own.

Cougar Peak #315

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

It is nice to have a bit of fresh snow on the mountain peak.....something about having snow on a mountain always makes it seem a little bit more grand or awe inspiring. In a way it is sort of like a proper crown on a king. Hopefully the weather will persist to allow the mountain to be clothed in a garment of white.

Cougar Peak #314

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

The mountain was rather spectacular this evening as the sun went down. The sky finally cleared just enough to let a bit of sunlight shine through and lay upon the mountain in a fiery magenta, showing off a bit fresh snow that is starting to take hold.

Cougar Peak #313

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Down low hung the fog today, pushing on the mountain with a weight of water. On this image I immediatly started blocking in my darker values on the parts of the mountain that were showing. After that was done I laid in the clouds and fog and then proceeded to soften the transition between the two. Finally I came in and added in all the little details, barn, tree, etc....

Cougar Peak #312

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Again today the mountain took on a rather blue look as the clouds and the rain worked their way in blotting out the sun. For this painting I quickly blocked in the mountain keeping my strokes fast and loose. After that was done I came back in over the top with a darker value adding in a lot of the detail. Finally I came in adding the sky, tree and barn, as well as a bit of the fall colors that were showing through.

Cougar Peak #311

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

There was a bit of rain today moving through the valley and it covered the mountain in blankets of fog and water.....or water and fog.....or just water. This painting I kept my strokes real loose, concentrating on trying to get the feel of the all of that cloud cover and falling rain.

Cougar Peak #310

4.75" x 6.75" Digital

There was a thick layer of fog today that covered the valley leaving the mountain totally obliterated by it's opaque screen. For this image I decided to work digitally in Photoshop and capture a bit of that blanket of white. I started the painting out by working on my tree and barn first and then coming back in over the top building up my layers of fog.

Cougar Peak #309

4.75" x 6.75" Digital

I decided to trade in my gouache today for a bit of digital paint. I started the image working on a medium value blue and proceeded to sketch out and then block in my main shapes. After this was done I added in the sky and concentrated on bringing out the different forms and fall colors.

Cougar Peak #308

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

The mountain had a slightly colder look to it today, partly I think because of some of the overcast clouds. Also it tends to bring out a bit more of the fall colors that are hiding in the mountain as they contrast against those blues.

Cougar Peak #307

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

For this painting I again wanted to concentrate on capturing those fall colors, especially some of the Western Larch which are so beautiful this time of the year. Also I enjoy playing off the ochres with a bit of blue for the shadow of the canyon, transitioning it with some of warmer greens and grays.

Cougar Peak #306

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

As we get deeper and deeper into fall, the oranges and yellows continue to blaze like tongues of fire. I grabbed a bit of gouache, mixing in within it a bit of watercolor. I first worked up a quick sketch, then coming in over the top laying in some of the bigger shapes, finally adding details and working in some of those fall hues.

Cougar Peak #305

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Illustration Board

Today's painting tries to capture that beautiful morning light as it crested up over the distant mountains and cut through the layers of clouds. The mountain had this cold dark feeling to it, and I contrasted it against the sunlight as it starts to cover the peak in it's warm rays.

Cougar Peak #304

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Illustration Board

So today marks the end of October, and what a beautiful ending to the month it is. For this painting I grabbed a chunk of some of the new board I have been trying out and attempted to capture some of those dazzling fall colors that the mountain is showing off. I am excited to see what the month of November will have in store....we will see.

Once again, here is the set of thumbnails reviewing the whole month of October as a set.

Cougar Peak #303

4.75" x 6.75" Pastel on Paper

I tried to capture a bit the those overcast clouds and their wild random energy. For this image I started out doing a quick sketch, blocking in all of my main shapes, After I had my sketch, I came back in over the top with my pastels, trying to keep them wild and work quickly, to pin down a bit of that beautiful chaos on paper.

Cougar Peak #302

4.75" x 6.75" Pastel on Paper

For this painting I again wanted to play off a bit more of those wonderful fall ochres, so I purposefully intensified it on the side of the mountain that is catching the light and left the cold blues to occupy the canyon. One of the nice things about pastel is that it can give you these nice intense colors that is sometimes hard to achieve with other paints.

Cougar Peak #301

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Illustration Board

Again the mountain continues to change, as fall tightens it stranglehold upon the mountain and the once green trees give to hues in yellow and gold. For this painting I played off a bit of warmer reds and yellows as the sun hit the mountain, lighting up those autumn leaves

Cougar Peak #300

4.75" x 6.75" Pastel on Paper

WOW.....300. There were times when I first started out that I wondered if I would ever see this number, but here it is, and another big landmark on the project for me. For this image I decided to play with a bit of pastel adding in a bit of those fall colors and mixing them in with some bright cold blues that the rain and the snow end up bringing to the mountain.

Cougar Peak #299

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Illustration Board

One of the fun things about gouache is having the ability to go back over areas of the painting and blend back a certain area just by re-wetting the paint again. Sometimes I end up with a spot that is a little harsh and a blending that area with a wet brush can help at times to knock it back and even lighten up the value a bit. I remember loathing gouache when I first started using it....but now I love it.

Cougar Peak #298

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Paper

Again another painting in gouache as I am enjoying getting back to a bit more detail. I have found myself undulating throughout the series as I tighten up, loosen up, go on stints of oil, acrylic, pastel, etc.......all to keep the project interesting, and to allow me to explore the mountain through a variety of techniques and mediums. Each day brings something a little bit different.

Cougar Peak #297

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Illustration Board

I decided to switch back to a bit of gouache, going in a little bit tighter than I have been and rendering out more of the individual trees on the mountain. There is a lot of Western Larch mixed in throughout the mountain and these are turning bright yellow at the moment as their needles change before losing them for the winter.

Cougar Peak #296

4.75" x 6.75" Digital

For this painting I decided to again switch over to a bit of painting in Photoshop. I wanted again to try and capture that feeling of fall, so for this painting I purposefully left the painting covered in a very sepia like mixture of oranges and browns.

Cougar Peak #295

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Illustration Board

This painting ended up having a different look as some of my other paintings, almost a bit more impressionistic. I had been studying some of the works by the early impressionists a few days before, so perhaps some of that rubbed off in my work. The clouds especially ended up having that feeling, and the even reminding me a bit of some of the work by the fantastic Taos artist Ernest Blumenschein.

Cougar Peak #294

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Illustration Board

Another cold blustery day as the snow moved down even lower upon the mountain. Some days the clouds move in and cover the top of the peak in a constantly changing blanket of mist, while underneath a snow, rain, hail and all kinds of cold things are being dumped upon her face.

Cougar Peak #293

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Illustration Board

The mountain was rather lovely this evening as I started to paint. There was a blast of sun breaking through the overcast sky that lit it up the mountain as if hope was kindled, where all recollection of it had been lost to ruin. I started this painting out laying in the sunlit patches and then came in and laid in the darker values, sky etc.....which is pretty much backward from the way I usually do things, but for this I wanted to make sure and capture that light hitting the mountain before it failed.

Cougar Peak #292

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Illustration Board

The mountain was foggy and gray today as rain and a bit of snow attacked the peak once again. For this painting I kept my palette pretty limited, first starting on the canyon and darkening my values as I came forward then. To finish it off I added in the tree, barn and finally the clouds up above.

Cougar Peak #291

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Illustration Board

The mountain had a wonderful look this morning being all encapsulated in clouds and fog. With my gouache I wanted to capture in as few strokes as possible, that look and feel of the mountain, as it is being hemmed in on the top and bottom, allowing just a bit in the middle to show through.

Cougar Peak #290

4.75" x 6.75" Digital

Decided to push around a few pixels today in Photoshop. I was wanting to capture a bit of those fall colors, and really accentuate them. So I decide to keep my palette limited to the ochres, grays, warmer greens and browns.

Cougar Peak #289

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Illustration Board

I've been enjoying getting back to a bit of gouache lately, and trying out some new illustration board that I purchased. On this image I started out rather loosely with a large brush, laying in big swaths of color, letting there be the creation of some happy accidents. After that I came in with a smaller brush slowing down a bit and concentrating on the details to pull it all together.

Cougar Peak #288

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper.

There was a bit of smoke and haze in the sky today, so the mountain ended up taking on a little bit different look. While I was painting I started to think about the way Jeff Jones approached his canvas, and from what I've heard he attacked it to where the brush almost pushed through the canvas.....so I tried to really dig into the paper and push my oils around with a bit of vigor.

Cougar Peak #287

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

Another beautiful fall day today. A person almost wishes they could stop time, just so you would have time to capture on paint a bit of this loveliness that fades so quickly. I kept my oils this for this piece, trying to capture a bit of that orange glow that you get at the end of the day, as I pushed and pulled around my oils like frosting on a cake.

Cougar Peak #286

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Illustration Board

I was able to capture the mountain this morning on a bit of gouache. I always love the look of the mountain as the sun climbs up in the sky and bathes the canyon with that fresh morning light. One these last couple of paintings I have been using some new illustration board...and it is always fun to paint on something different, seeing how your paint will react with that surface.

Cougar Peak #285

4.75" x 6.75" Gouache on Illustration Board

Today I decided to switch back over to a bit of gouache since it had been a while since I had rendered the mountain in that oh so wonderful medium. I did this painting towards the end of the day, and I wanted to capture a bit of that red glow that the mountain and clouds take on as the sun begins to set over the horizon.

Cougar Peak #284

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

Today I started painting with my oils, and was really enjoying a laying down my strokes, that I ended up getting to a certain point where I liked what I had even though it was not finished, or what I consider finished usually. The painting has bigger chunks of white showing through from underneath which is had for me to do with oils, and it never looks very good in my opinion especially on canvas, but on the paper I liked it for some reason and decided to leave as is.

Cougar Peak #283

4.75" x 6.75" Pastel on Chipboard

Slowly but surely the mountain is coming aglow in a mix of fall colors. The Tamarack (Western Larch) trees are beginning to change their color to a vibrant yellow, as well as the Aspens, and Cottonwoods. Though their affect is hard to see from a distance and difficult to translate on paper, still the affect is noticeable.

Cougar Peak #282

4.75" x 6.75" Pastel on Paper

Today it cleared up a bit and the rain disappeared giving us once again a full view of the mountain as it begins to shed it's summer greens and prepare for winter. On this piece I purposefully left bits of the white paper, as it tended to give the image a lighter feeling that was reminiscent of today, as opposed to the heavy feeling from all of the rain lately.

Cougar Peak #281

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Chipboard

I painted this image today after the sun had set behind the mountain and the mountain was all cloaked in shadow. As you can see nothing is really highlighted on the mountain, and it has taken on a dark and somber tone to it, plush chilly too.

Cougar Peak #280

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

Cold blues and grays once again dominated the color palette of the mountain, and you could feel those colors leech down into the depths of your bones. For this image I worked with my oils, keeping my paints thick and creamy, smearing, blending, scraping, and pushing my paint until I was able to come up with an impression of the chilly mass towering in front of me.

Cougar Peak #279

4.75" x 6.75" Oil/Pastel on Paper

The falling rain broke apart, and the sky cleared turning the clouds into a blanket of pink fluffy beauty. I started this image out with my pastels, laying down colors and working up a more refined image. Once I was done with my pastels I sealed the image and the painted over the top of it with my oils, working in among the clouds and sky a bit more and darkening up some of the foreground elements.

Cougar Peak #278

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

The valley was getting hammered today by rain, and the mountain itself was wrapped in layers of clouds and mist. Behind all of the cloud cover as it moved and undulated you could catch a glimpse of the every creeping snowfall. I decide to paint this one with my oils, keeping my paints thick and chewy as I smeared it and moved it among my panel.

Cougar Peak #277

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Paper

Farther down the hill it goes, white if falls, and cold it flows. This morning the snow on the mountain had sunk even farther down the mountain. Down in the bottom of the valley it was raining and there was a nice mixture of clouds undulating and moving among the mountain.

Cougar Peak #276

4.75" x 6.75" Oil on Chipboard

A bit farther down the snow keeps descending on the mountainside. For this painting I had a nice piece of thick chipboard that I wanted to work on. I like the chipboard because it has a nice medium value to work off of, and the oil tends to soak up into the chipboard giving it a nice effect.

Cougar Peak #275

4.75" x 6.75" Acrylic on Paper

Again the top of the peak is obscured by clouds, but underneath it's shadowing blanket of haze is hiding a white brilliant snow. I started this image out doing a quick sketch and then painted laid in my mountain, canyon and bottom field. Finally I painted in the clouds that covered the peak, and added in all of the little details.

Cougar Peak #274

4.75" x 6.75" Digital

Now we enter the month of October, which should hopefully prove to be one of the more exciting months. October can really have a little bit of everything from sunny hot days, to rain, snow, and of course all of those beautiful fall colors. The mountain as I was painting today was overshadowed by rain clouds, except for a tiny patch that was being lit up by the sun....very cool.