This particular entry is a long awaited one (just by me), about a painting I have been working on and off on for about three years now. This painting is titled Alpine Giants and is one of my very first studio paintings done based off a plein air study I did on location in Grindelwald, Switzerland. I have long wanted to become better and faster at producing larger works. And though I have not gotten faster (more on that later), I have since become more comfortable with a “larger” format. It is still a work in progress, but to have graduated from no larger than an 8”x10” painting to now a generous 16”x20”, I consider that an improvement! Prepare yourself for more large sized paintings from me in the future!

**The Inspiration**

This painting all started when we were visiting Switzerland in 2023. We planned a trip around taking my cousin to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, two of our very favorite places in that country! Our final stop was in the beautiful green valley, and while my cousin took herself on a paragliding excursion, we decided to take ourselves on a hike to do some painting. We chose a spot that had a beautiful view of the massive alps, the Eiger, Jungfrau, and the Mönch. But what struck me was a particular peak, though nowhere near as impressive and snow covered as the trio of giants above, it nevertheless held a certain independent quality that made it stand out despite its smaller size. Plus, its deep purple cliffs just contrasted beautifully with the snow capped glaciers behind it.

So the peak called interestingly Männlichen, meaning “man” in German, became the subject of my plein air study. It was a beautiful day, and the composition so incredibly inspiring, that when I finished, I knew I needed to expand it into something bigger.

*Screen grab of a reel I filmed for instagram while starting this painting.*

Painting Process

Fast forward, we are back home and I am in my studio and I decide to just start in on this painting, see what happens. Things go smoothly, I can see fairly well the composition I have in mind, I want the Männlichen peak in the front to feel dwarfed by the glacial Alps in the background, I want the colors to be fun and saturated, but mostly I want it to be as accurate to how I felt that day, painting the scene in person, as possible. I wanted Männlichen to be the representation of how I felt there, dwarfed by the incredible giants around me but still standing tall and important in the landscape.

*Alpine Giants exhibited for the first time in the Provo Library*

I work on it, then as is quite typical for me, I eventually lose steam and motivation and put the painting on a shelf so to speak, unfinished. Time goes on, I work on other projects and commissions, and I forget about this piece for a while. Then in October 2024 I hear about a local artist show at the Provo library. If you know me, you know I love the library, and so I decided I would try and finish this Grindelwald painting and enter it into the show. Commence the first round of finishing touches. The painting was exhibited in a beautiful group show in the attic of the historic library, along with many other beautiful pieces by many talented, local artists. After the show, it was again put on a shelf.

Fast forward again to summer 2025. I participated in the Midway plein air competition and decided I wanted to not only enter the plein air categories for the competition, but also the Studio category. This involves a painting completed outside the time constraint of the general Plein Air competition and so I chose to enter this Alpine painting again. I got some advice for some changes from some artist friends, and tried to accomplish them to the best of my ability. There were definitely some elements that I did not know how to do. Thus commenced final touches part 2. I still wasn’t very happy with it at this point either but I was on a deadline and so it had to be done as it was by the end of that week. After the competition, back on the shelf it went, once again.

Fast forward one last time to just about two months ago. I was feeling very stuck with my art and I thought that by finally finishing some of the projects I had laying around, I would find that lost sense of motivation. I decided to once again tackle the Männlichen, hopefully for the last time. and with some more in depth advice from artist friends, I commenced final touches part 3. I decided that a good deadline for me would be to enter it into the Spring Salon at the Springville Museum of Art.

And so I buckled down, worked up until the final moment, putting finishing touches on it the morning I was due to take it to the museum for judging (Hence why I don’t have a photo of the final completed painting, I forgot in my haste of cleaning brushes, framing a wet painting and running out the door). I brought the painting in, registered it, and waited to hear about the verdict, fully planning on going to pick it up again after getting rejected. But miracles happen, It was accepted! My first time ever in my time as an artist in Utah getting juried into the Spring Salon, arguably one of the most competitive art events in Utah.

*Picture from the opening reception of the Springville Museum of Art Spring Salon*

Needless to say, I am a little shocked. I have been so close to this painting for so long that I have no clear idea of how other people are going to perceive it. I think it still has some quirks that I would love to fix later, but I am happy that other people look at it and perceive it in a positive and professional light. I struggle deeply with imposter syndrome that I never expect anyone to see my work in the same way that I perceive many of the works of the artists around me. I spend so much time comparing my paintings to the art of others that I have a hard time seeing the potential in me. Even now, writing this, I feel like I am lying about it. But I really need to take a step back and remember just how much joy I felt that day, looking at those clear blue Alpine skies and beautiful peaks and remember that that is what I am trying to do with my work. Communicate the feelings I get when I am at one with the world and get to live in it. It is such a beautiful place and especially the Swiss mountains that I hope just by looking at this piece that I have put so much of myself into that you are transported there.

Painting Process: Alpine Giants

Artist Travels: Eastern Caribbean