QUILTED AMERICAN LANDSCAPES Smoky Mountains

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QUILTED AMERICAN LANDSCAPES

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SMOKY MOUNTAINS Clingmans Dome Tennessee

This composition explores the effects of light and shadow as the sun rises over the mountains. Fog caught in the folds of the ridges is pushed out by the morning breeze as rays of sunlight glance down into the valleys.

VARIATION 1

Dawn with clear weather at Clingmans Dome observation tower in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Sketch Concept for Clingmans Dome

Evolution

I thought it might be of interest to show the evolution of this design. My work sometimes goes through violent color and tone changes on the way the final outcome.

The Sorting Phase: What will the color palette and repeating motif be?

The basic design is set by finding and defining major tangents. Here, the quilt pattern I want to reference as a repeating shape is set and an analogous color system of yellow to orange is elaborated with emerging green/blue tones. The design remains symmetrical. A sudden experiment with deep rust red transforms the design as the mountain ridges appear.

Phase #2: Pushing the limits

Now, the wild gyrations in color harmonies as I explore possible alternate directions for the color palette. This is normal. I use a system of blend modes with overlapping shapes to test ideas. Anything is fair game at this point, although I do have an ultimate vision in mind.

I did seriously consider a night version with stars.

The Final Phase: The composition begins to come clear

At this point I am settling on two possible variations of this design. One in cool tones to show the wetness of the Smokies and another to show a brighter warmer aspect. The blue and green blend mode layers are gradually discarded as I build the warm version showing a sunrise on a clear dry morning. The blend layers remain partially intact for the cool version showing a rainy day.

Amazingly, the two works are separated by only a minimal number of adjustment layers. As I turned of certain layers I saw the potential in a cool blue tone version of this design.

DETAILS, DETAILS,

I always try to make every part of the composition interesting and capable of becoming a complete work in its own right. Some of the following sections are satisfying all by themselves.