Sierra Nevada

"Above Donner Lake," oil on Bristol board, 11x14

This painting grew out of a railroad adventure. A couple of years back my wife and I traveled to Seattle and back by rail, through the Rockies and Sierra Nevada in the western states, then north via Sacramento. The route took us past Donner Lake, named for the tragic party of migrants who were trapped nearby during the winter of 1846-47. The railroad tracks run along the route of the oiginal Transcontinental Railroad.

We were traveling in February, but traveling westward didn't reveal much snow. The return journey, on the other hand, was heavy with winter storms and snow. In a place or two in Oregon trains were delayed while the tracks were cleared.

As is sometimes the case, this painting simply happened without much thought or planning. One day in the studio, while thinking of the trip we had made, I picked up a piece of Bristol board lying about and made this picture. Bristol isn't my usual support (I prefer panels) but the paint went down smoothly and the image seemed to evolve on its own. 

Seems an appropriate image for the current times too.