Painting the Swiss Alps
The Swiss alps have enticed many landscape artists before me inspiring works, which in some cases have spanned throughout a painters whole life time. Switzerland and it’s stunning landscapes has produced many good landscape painters including Segantini and Ferdinand Holder. So now it’s my turn to follow in their snowy footsteps while I prepare for my next solo exhibition in Nyon next to Lake Geneva.
(for exhibtion details please see end of blog post)
It takes some time to paint a landscape painting, and that is when there are no mountains to navigate. Finding the spots which inspire one to paint don’t always come easy and some days are spent skiing around with a sketchbook in hand trying to find that perfect spot with the light that makes the scene stand out. On this blog I’ve made a few fun little videos to show you what is involved in painting en plein air in the mountains, so you can meet the people I meet, see the places I paint and next time you see a landscape painting in a gallery maybe you will see it slightly differently.
Day 1:
Here’s a quick clip to give you an idea of how I transport all my gear and set up to paint using the ski equipment.
Day 2:
I was out painting yesterday when Michel, who own a small hunters cabin up the mountain (which I happen to be painting) came out and said hello and we had a chat. Next thing I know he came out again with a beer for me, then proceeded with a Coffee, then again with some delicious ‘Abbricotine au miel‘. (swiss family made schnapps) Then to top it off, invited me to eat a hunting meal with them the following day. So a huge thanks to Michel, Julot and Christophe for inviting me in!
Fashion over function, or in this case probably the opposite….
Painting at Sundown is probably one of the biggest challenges when it comes to plein air painting. The temptation to keep chasing the ever changing colours as they redden more and more is so tempting. After numerous struggles with this problem I now note down the time on the back of each canvas so that I know exactly the moment of the of the sunset or the sunrise I preferred. So when I head back to finish the painting this really helps get rid of any doubt about colouring. I must also say that after two weeks of constant testing my Sorel expedition boots have really done their job. Even when it’s -10 Celsius and I’m just standing around in the deep snow my feet are quite toasty.
Below you can find all the details of my upcoming exhibition in Nyon, Switzerland. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email me directly through the ‘contact‘ page
