I just finished this one this morning. This is my painting of the area below Mather Pass, on the Pacific Crest Trail:
Amazed, 20″ x 24″ acrylic on canvas, copyright © Kathryn Beals
I paint a lot of night scenes, because night skies are one of the most amazing parts of backpacking trips, but the hardest to photograph.
I have an emotional connection to this pass from our experience hiking the high Sierra section of the PCT several years ago. I’m somewhat prone to altitude sickness, and this spot was our highest campsite on the trail at just over 11,000 feet.
That night however, I slept better than I had in months. In my dream, I found myself going underground, entering a room and finding everything I had ever lost. I know that many others have drawn strength from this trail, and the feeling lasts long after the exhaustion and bug bites are gone.
I took progress photos throughout the painting, and I’ll do a technique post soon. I just added this image to my Etsy store as a photo print and canvas print. The original is for sale through my website.
