Aspens and Wildflowers

Watercolor Painting by Dennis Pendletone. When I moved from Columbus, Ohio to Steamboat Springs, Colorado I saw aspen trees for the first time and they have remained one of my favorite subjects to paint. They are such an iconic part of the mountain landscapes and I have painted them in all the different seasons of the year. This painting was actually done from memory in my studio in Denver. I used to hike and run on all the trails through the forests around Steamboat Springs and that was the inspiration for this painting.

Working from memory was a fun exercise because I developed my own design and composition. The captivating beauty of the wildflowers surrounding the trees is what I was after and I remembered that Mother Nature does not give us paintings but rather she gives us material that artists can use to create their own paintings. This gave me a real sense of freedom as I placed the trees where I wanted and added colors for flowers wherever it pleased me. First, I placed the aspen trees in what I considered an interesting arrangement. When they are growing close together, they tend to have similar markings so I kept that in mind. Cobalt violet and yellow ochre were used with an occasional bit of cerulean blue.

I remembered blue and violet flowers so I added some in the background along with some olive green plants. Perylene green and mineral violet are the darks that settled these flowers down. I thought it was important to have a few larger plants in the foreground to go along with the smaller wildflowers so I painted them with lemon yellow, cerulean blue and olive green. The white flowers are mostly unpainted white paper and I did add some with opaque white. For the yellow flowers I blocked in cadmium yellow then cut in with perylene green and mineral violet to shape the flowers. Next I added a few flowers with lemon and this worked because lemon can be opaque if you don't use much water. Blue and violet flowers were added along with more plants and leaves along with the same dark background. Finally, I added a blue violet wash over some of the aspens to move them back to create a sense of depth. Painting from memory can be a very rewarding experience and a nice addition to your studio work. Happy Painting! Dennis Pendleton