Alpine Woods

Abstract

The painting shows two worlds, a view from the sheltered woods looking at the valley floor thousands of feet below. Theses are some of the last trees you see heading up the Grand Teton on the way to Disappointment Peak--there is great light here. The composition is unusual--the trees are broken up and the rock helps lead you through the piece on the diagonal; there is a direct contrast with the foreground. There are negative shapes and the right side is softer for atmospheric perspective.The contrast between the mountains and open valley floor offers an unusual view that gives a different perspective, A poem by Hans Kleiber accompanies this image in Joe Arnold's book, "Mountaineer's Dawn: An Artist's Ascent of the Teton Range.