Hello friends,

This is one of those few times where someone else showed me a gorgeous photo ... that I fell in love with... and I was compelled to paint it! My brother, his wife and my nephews live in Burlington, Vermont, which I love. I have photographed a number of spots and have painted at least 4 paintings from Burlington. Their sunsets are spectacular because they happen over Lake Champlain and the mountains in the distance of New York. I enjoy standing on their boardwalk near the boat building and watching as the boaters sit out on the water and watch as the sun sets... all summer! They can be so dynamic in colors!

For this photo, my nephew took a hike with friends and took photos. He sent me this amazing photo of them standing on top looking out over towards Canada in the distance. I loved it and immediately thought it was the perfect material for me to paint. 

I love the Hudson Valley painters works. Imagine them painting outside many times to gather as much information as possible through their sketches, or by painting plein air (outside).  I think they had to often reimagine the scene and adjust the lighting when back in their studios, depending on what time of day they wanted it to be, as we painters do every day. It's called 'poetic license' and we constantly do this to create the best composition and feeling in each piece.

In this painting for me, the photo was wider than the canvas I chose to paint on, but that was fine with me. I did not want this painting as wide, but taller was good for my idea. I paint in my studio and use oils, painting in layers as I go. I wish I was a faster painter!

What do you think? I call it "Summit Reached".

Linda