Tracy Arm (September 2024)

Location: Tracy Arm (Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska)

Video Time: 2 hrs 9 min (Bonus sections add one hour)  - Go to this lesson -

I am so excited to share one of my favorite paintings from the North Cascades. We explore a landscape of snow, rock, and ice floating in an alpine tarn.

Colors Used: The paintings in this lesson use a variety of colors, which are listed in the downloads for each painting. The main colors in the primary painting are sodalite, phthalo blue green shade, indanthrone blue, burnt sienna/transparent oxide, Quinacridone Gold, Burnt Umber, Cobalt Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Simplifying a very complex scene into more simple shape and color zones
• Creating patterns for rock and snow
• Wet next to wet techniques for painting rocks with beautiful patterns and color
• How to paint ice filled water
• Simplifying a jumbled icefall of a glacier

Icy Tarn (July 2024)

Location: Ptarmigan Ridge Trail, North Cascades

Video Time: 2 hrs 8 min   - Go to this lesson -

I am so excited to share one of my favorite paintings from the North Cascades. We explore a landscape of snow, rock, and ice floating in an alpine tarn.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Indanthrone Blue, Burnt Umber, Monte Amiata Natural Sienna, Sodalite, Indian Red, Quinacridone Gold, White Gouache (optional)

Primary Techniques:

•  Strategies for creating patterns of rock and snow
• Painting water with ice on it! 
• How to paint shadows on snow
• Painting haze and atmosphere in peaks and skies
• Using colors to create a subtle reflection 

Mt. Bachelor Ski & Paint Adventure (Apr. 2024)

Location: Mount Bachelor, Oregon

Video Time: 1 hr 50 min   - Go to this lesson -

This month we hop on skis to explore the expansive views from Mt. Bachelor in Oregon and paint the wintery shapes and shadows of  Broken Top Mountain and the Sisters. 

Colors Used: Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Indanthrone Blue, Quinacridone Rose, New Gamboge

Primary Techniques:

• Creating a 3D effect for mountains using shadow shapes
• Small trees as seen from far away (sewing-machine-hand method)
• Mixing lively greys
• Simplifying a mountain landscape

Mendenhall Glacier (Feb. 2024)

Location: Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau AK

Video Time: 1 hr 32 min   - Go to this lesson -

Paint the incredible patterns of ice in the Mendenhall Glacier. This class focuses on speed, hard vs. soft edges, and exploring abstraction as a tool for simplification

Colors Used: Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Ultramarine Blue, Quinacridone Rose (a red-pink), New Gamboge (a dark yellow)

Primary Techniques:

• How to create the patterns in glacial ice
• Using color shifts to create depth and distance
• Combining elements of abstraction with simplification to help convey the story of a place (and make it easier to paint!)
• Wet-in-wet blending, softening edges, and using blooms to convey ice and rock patterns

Gardner Meadows: Wildflowers & Simplified Mountains (Jan. 2024)

Location: Gardner Peak area, eastern Cascade Mountains outside Twisp

Video Time: 2 hr 20 min   - Go to this lesson -

Hike through an eerily beautiful burn zone and explore steep meadows filled with wildflowers, dynamic cloudy skies, and mountain ridges.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue,  Phthalo Blue Green Shade,  Indanthrone Blue, Burnt Umber, Rose or pink, Bright yellow (optional - white Gouache, and some others listed in the lesson)

Primary Techniques:

• Simplifying a complex mountain scene 
• Creating depth with layered mountains and color contrast
• How to sketch and paint pink Paintbrush flowers
• Using the natural blending abbillities of watercolor to create landscape patterns
• Strategies for painting dynamic clouds in one layer

Sahale Mountain: Snow, Shadows, and Summits (Nov. 2023)

Location: North Cascades National Park

Video Time: 2 hr 10 min   - Go to this lesson -

Explore the North Cascades and the patterns of Mount Forbidden and many impossibly jagged peaks dusted in snow as we paint some of the most spectacular mountain terrain I've ever seen

Colors Used: Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Cobalt Blue, Indanthrone Blue, Neutral Tint

Primary Techniques:

• Defining a scene and mountains with shadows as the primary focal element
• How to simplify an insanely complex range of mountains, especially with a fresh dusting of snow that highlights all the details
• Techniques for creating realistic but minimal rock, snow, and ice patterns

Lost Pass (Sept. 2023)

Location: Olympic National Park

Video Time: 2 hr 15 min   - Go to this lesson -

The Olympics painting adventure continues with a painting of a meadow filled with dancing white flowers glowing in the morning sun framed by backlit trees and layers of peaks

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Ultramarine Blue, New Gamboge, Hansa Yellow Medium, Sodalite (or black), optional - white gouache, quinacridone gold

Primary Techniques:

• Creating a backlit effect using transparent washes of color
• How to paint white wildflowers (two different methods!)
• Painting the patterns of silhouetted trees, quickly and eficiently
• Simplifying a scene 
• Using granulating colors to mimic complex mountain textures
• How to create a glowing green alpine meadow

Sentinel Peak (Aug. 2023)

Location: Olympic National Park, WA

Video Time: 2 hrs, including a bonus section on wildflowers   - Go to this lesson -

Sometimes we don't have much time and we have to paint quickly! Today we backpack to Sentinel Peak and speed paint the view with a bonus studio lesson on two small wildflowers. 

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Neutral Tint, Indian Red (or burnt sienna), Quinacridone gold, and white gouache (optional for the sky)

Primary Techniques:

• Strategies for working quickly!
• How to look for and paint patterns in a  ridgeline 
• Creating a sense of depth with shifts in color and value
• Letting the paint do the hard work for us with on-the-page mixing
• Creating a dynamic sky with clouds and patches of blue

Icefield (Jun. 2023)

Location: 8,500 feet in the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains, Yukon Territory

Video Time: 1 hr 45 min  - Go to this lesson -

Venture deep into the mountains of the Yukon with me on a small airplane, and then explore the incredible patterns of peaks surrounding an icefield from which two glaciers descend. 

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Neutral Tint, Rose, Gold/ yellow

Primary Techniques:

• Simplifying the immeasurably complex layers of distant mountains
• Creating the textures of distant rock and steep, craggy peaks
• Mimicking the patterns of snow with subtle washes of color
• Using shadows as a base layer to create form and shape in mountain landscapes 
• How to paint steep snowy peaks

Hazy Mountain Layers (Apr. 2023)

Location: North Cascades, WA

Video Time: 1.5 hrs   - Go to this lesson - 

Mountain layers that stretch to the horizon are a favorite landscape to see and paint. Today we will explore my favorite techniques for simplifying these layered landscapes. Sometimes, it is the "smaller" views that are the most fun and accessible to paint when we have limited time or energy. 

Colors Used: Quinacridone Gold, Indanthrone Blue, Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Indian Red (or burnt sienna, or really any red if you just use a little)

Primary Techniques:

• Creating the impression of depth and atmosphere 
• Adding color or clean water wet-in-wet to encourage blooming and interesting patterns
• Painting small trees on distant ridgelines
• Simplification and using value to create a feeling of depth

Glaciers, Tarns, & Trees at Mt. Baker (Mar. 2023)

Location: North Cascades, WA

Video Time: 3.5 hours   - Go to this lesson - 

Paint at an incredible alpine tarn reflecting the patterns of blue iced glaciers, alpine meadows, and the steep cliffs of Mt. Baker. This is our longest & most complex class, so if you are new to watercolor I recommend checking out a few prior lessons (such as the first Crater Lake or Thunder Mountain Lessons). 

Colors Used: Perylene Red, New Gamboge, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade (and red shade in the sky only)

Primary Techniques:

• Wet-in-wet techniques for creating impressionistic reflections 
• Layering colors to create three dimensional rocks
• Foliage layering
• Distant rocky cliffs and glacier patterns

Winter at Crater Lake (Jan. 2023)

Location: Crater Lake National Park

Video Time: 2 hours 20 min  - Go to this lesson - 

This month, we go back to Crater Lake for a wintery landscape of brilliant white snowfields and adorable pine trees framed by peaks perfectly reflected in the lake.

Colors Used: Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Indanthrone Blue, Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade

Primary Techniques:

• Using transparent layers of paint to build the delicate patterns of snow
• Painting foliage the easy way with a splayed brush
• Simplifying the very complex patterns of the crater rim and the reflections in the water

Thunder Lake: Ink & Watercolor (Dec. 2022)

Location: Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Video Time: 2 hours 30 min   - Go to this lesson -

In this very unique lesson we head to an incredible lake cradled between granite cliffs and header meadows. This class is unlike any others I've created so far because I invite you into the process of learning from a "failed" field painting and integrating that experience into a new painting. There is also an optional ink sketch, too! 

Colors Used: Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Burt Orange, Quinacridone Rose

Primary Techniques:

• Ink Sketching to study shapes
• Exploring what went wrong the first time, and how to fix it 
• Vibrant water, and how to use glazing to add more saturation 
• Creating rock patterns with pen and watercolor
• Simplifying a scene into a cohesive composition
• Layered foliage 

Mt. Stuart: Craggy Mountains & Snowline Patterns (Nov. 2022)

Location: Navaho Peak, Teanaway Mountains

Video Time: 2 hours   - Go to this lesson -

Head to the east side of the Cascades to paint magnificently craggy cliffs and the unusual colors of the Teanaway Mountains. The focal point of our painting is Mt. Stuart in the early summer when the lingering snow accentuates the amazingly steep peaks. 

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Cobalt Blue, Perylene Red, Quinacridone Gold, Monte Amiata Natural Sienna

Primary Techniques:

• Painting clouds with soft hazy edges
• Strategies for creating simplified but realistic patterns of snow and rock
• Wet-in-wet techniques for creating rocky ridges and impressions of treed valleys
• Small tree shapes
• Using white space and subtle shading to bring snow to life 

Ridgeline Layers & Distant Alpine Lakes (Sept. 2022)

Location: Mt. Daniel via Peggy's Pond, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Video Time: 1 hr 44 min   - Go to this lesson -

This two-part lesson explores how to create layers of ridgelines, alpine lakes glittering in the sun, and mountains that have depth and a sense of atmosphere. 

Colors Used: 

Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Hansa Yellow Medium, Neutral Tint, Perylene Red, Quinacridone Gold, A little Monte Amiata Sienna and Phthalo Blue Red Shade

Primary Techniques:

• Using color and value shifts to create depth
• Quick stretegies for making atmosphere in ridgelines
• How to let watercolor do the hard work for gradients
• Creating mountain patterns with blooms and subtle white spaces
• Painting wet-on-wet to facilitate unique patterns, color mixes, and textures

Mt. Rainier Reflections (August 2022)

Location: Mount Rainier (Tahoma) National Park, Washington.  

Video Time: 2 hours 15 minutes   - Go to this lesson -

After over a year of searching, I finally found a full mountain reflection for us to paint!! This class is all about mountain patterns and how to paint a complex reflection using sketching hacks, color shifts, and simplification.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue Red Shade, New Gamboge Yellow, Quinacridone Rose, Indian Red, and a tiny bit of Hansa Yellow Medium

Primary Techniques:

• Color mixing to create depth and the shifted hues of a reflection
• Mirroring topography and the directions of cast shadows to quickly create stunning mountain patterns
• Creating fog and soft edges
• Strategies for creating a reflection!!!

Crater Lake (May 2022)

Location: Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. 

Video Time: 2 hrs 20 min   - Go to this lesson -

Snowy peaks, watery reflections, and the most beautiful shadows. This lesson from Crater Lake is one of my absolute favorites, and I am so excited to paint it with you! 

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Burnt Umber

Primary Techniques:

• How to use angled lines in shadows and rock to convey curvature and steepness in a landscape
• Shadows in snow!
• Loose and expressive reflections in water
• Simplifying the textures/ patterns of rocks, trees, and shadows

Alpine Meadow: Goat Rocks Wilderness (Mar. 2022)

Location: Easton Glacier, Mount Baker. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 50 min   - Go to this lesson -

Venture up the icy slopes of Mt. Baker to paint the stunning patterns of the Easton Glacier icefall.

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Hansa Yellow Light (or Med), Quinacridone Rose, New Gamboge, Ultramarine Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Sketching thumbnails to help us find a good composition
• Zooming in on a landscape to make it easier to paint
• Ice colors and textures
• Blending / feathering of hard edges
• Color mixing with a focus on a beautiful variety of blues

Sunrise & Sunset in the Olympic Mountains (Dec. 2021)

Location: Marmot Pass, Olympic National Forest. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 40 min   - Go to this lesson -

Hike from a lush rainforest along the Upper Big Quilcene River to a ridgeline and paint the incredible colors of sunrise and sunset from alpine meadows at an elevation of 7,000 feet.

Colors Used: Hansa Yellow medium, Quinacridone Rose, Pyrrol Scarlet, Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Indanthrone Blue, Neutral Tint

Primary Techniques:

• Strategies for painting clouds (near and far away)
• Single-layer color gradients
• Silhouetted ridgelines
• Time-saving white line technique
• Shifting colors in hills/ mountains to create depth

Icefall (Oct. 2021)

Location: Easton Glacier, Mount Baker. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 50 min   - Go to this lesson -

Venture up the icy slopes of Mt. Baker to paint the stunning patterns of the Easton Glacier icefall.

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Hansa Yellow Light (or Med), Quinacridone Rose, New Gamboge, Ultramarine Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Sketching thumbnails to help us find a good composition
• Zooming in on a landscape to make it easier to paint
• Ice colors and textures
• Blending / feathering of hard edges
• Color mixing with a focus on a beautiful variety of blues

Alpenglow on Mt. Baker (Sept. 2021)

Location: Easton Glacier, Mount Baker. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 50 min   - Go to this lesson -

Venture up the icy slopes of Mt. Baker to paint the stunning patterns of the Easton Glacier icefall.

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Hansa Yellow Light (or Med), Quinacridone Rose, New Gamboge, Ultramarine Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Sketching thumbnails to help us find a good composition
• Zooming in on a landscape to make it easier to paint
• Ice colors and textures
• Blending / feathering of hard edges
• Color mixing with a focus on a beautiful variety of blues

Atmospheric Landscape (Aug. 2021)

Location: Bagley Lakes below Artist Point. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 26 min   - Go to this lesson -

Venture with me to an alpine lake tucked beneath snowy peaks and explore how to paint clouds and create the soft atmospheric effects that are uniquely suited for watercolor.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Indian Red, Neutral Tint

Primary Techniques:

• Hard vs. soft edges, and utilizing them to create atmosphere
• Strategies for creating depth
• Layering trees of variable value (also to create depth)
• Loose reflections in the lake
• The beauty of a limited palette and using a subtle range of grey tones to create a mood

Mt. Rainier Rock & Ice (Jul. 2021)

Location: Burroughs Mountain Trail, Mount Rainier. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 20 min   - Go to this lesson -

Wander a high alpine landscape with a skyline dominated by the 10,410 ft tall Mt. Rainier, and explore how to paint the craggy rocks and icy glaciers of Mount Rainer.  

Colors Used: Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Phthalo Blue Red Shade (only used in sky, could substitute cobalt or ultramarine), New Gamboge, Quinacridone Rose, Ultramarine Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Painting rock and ice
• Mixing greys using three primary colors
• Choosing a composition based on what is feasible and interesting to you
• Editing composition to serve your vision, and not being afraid to stray from an exact copy of the landscape

 Mountain Tarn: Painting an Expressive Landscape, Fast! (May 2021)

Location: Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 26 min   - Go to this lesson -

Hike with me to a remote alpine tarn and paint the landscape quickly, expressively and exploratively, with lots of colors & patterns. With bonus technique lessons in the studio.

Colors Used: Cobalt blue, ,Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Phthalo green, New Gamboge Yellow,, Quinacridone rose, Neutral Tint, Burnt Sienna

Primary Techniques:

• Abstracting a landscape with simple lines and expressive brush lines/ patterns
• Letting the paint and water do the hard work for you to create patterns
• Loose ink sketching to set the stage for a fast painting
• Using color banding to visualize how the whole painting will work together
• Tips for working with a water brush
• Loosely painted trees
• Relaxed brush strokes and mixing colors on our paper (instead of pre-mixing in a palette)

Alpine Lakes Wilderness (Feb. 2021)

Location: Waptus Lake, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Video Time: 1 hr 18 min   - Go to this lesson -

Our first outdoor adventure painting takes us to a huge alpine lake with cobalt blue water below snow dusted peaks and surrounded by groves of evergreen trees.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Quinacridone Gold, Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Neutral tint, Indian Red

Primary Techniques:

• Painting a sky quickly and in a single layer
• Far-away trees swathed in golden fall light
• Loose and energetic reflections in water
• Mountain patterns and shadows
• Shortcuts for painting tree-covered hillsides with watercolor blooms