Category Archives: Seattle

Mountains from our Travels. – Part 1

Hi Everybody

Happy New Year to Everyone, and thanks for reading my Blog!

Let us hope that 2021 turns out better for us all than 2020. I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Alas I doesn’t seem that we will be travelling soon so some virtual travel will have to be the way forward for now.

I painted 116 watercolours during 2020 and I am not planning on stopping this trend for this year.

For many years when I was working I travelled extensively on business and went to Seattle many, many times working with Boeing of various  airplanes programmes, most notably the 777.  I usually stayed at Bellevue but whenever there was some free weekends I took the opportunity to travel to the coast and the islands or into the Cascade Mountains. The scenery of the Cascades is amazing but the one site that dominates all is that of Mount Rainier. Although 60 miles from Seattle it looms large and is a spectacular site even from a distance.

And so painted from some of  the many photos that I took in those days ( I rarely had a sketch book with me) I have any last painted a view of Mount Rainier. This painting shows haw due to it height Mount Rainier keeps a snow covered top all year. It is possible to drive right up to 6000 feet there but this watercolour is from one of the approach roads.

 

Mount Rainier in the Spring. Watercolour 18 inches by 11 on Arches 300gsm paper.          I hope those little people give it some scale! Mount Rainer is 14411 feet tall and is a very large and active Volcano!

 We have visited many mountains over the years and way back in 2003 I painted this sketch of Table Mountain at Capetown in South Africa.

This mountain dominates Capetown even more that Mount Rainier does in Seattle but it is a very amazing site from across the bay.

Table Mountain in South Africa. Watercolour sketch.

Also near  Capetown are the 12 Apostles Mountain range and here is a painting again from some years ago of these spectacular  mountains above Camps Bay in the evening.

The Twelve Apostle Mountains at Camps Bay in South Africa. Watercolour 14 by 10

Even further away from the UK is New Zealand with some of the most amazing scenery we have ever

Here are just three watercolours, the first of Mount Tongaringo in the North Island and the others from the South Island.

Mount Tongagingo in New Zealand Noth island. A massive dormant Volcano. Sketch 9 inches by 8

Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain. Sketch 10 by 8 inches.

 

The Amazing Milford Sound at Dawn in New Zealand. Watercolour 18 inches by 12.

I hope that you have enjoyed this first part of my Mountain Travel Post. I will be adding more on Part 2 

Stay safe and well

Brian