Jay Peak Week. Steps of a mountain watercolour.

Last week we were in Vermont skiing at Jay Peak. I (kind of) learned how to ski! They have a terrific run for beginners. You're deposited high on the mountain but it is a gentle, long run. Perfect after you've mastered the bunny hill. It was a great trip! But COLD. Like, bone-chilling cold. Even the locals were talking about it. The mountain was pretty empty because who would choose to ski on those days? But when you've booked in advance, you just dress for the weather and embrace. Which I did. To a degree ; ) I went out only two days because, well at the top of the mounatin, it was -45˚C (-49˚F) with wind chill. Not that I was a good enough skiier to go to the top of the mountain but my family was. I chose these days to sketch and paint.
So this week I'll post my work from the trip. I decided to have a go at watercolours. Here is my finished painting and my steps getting there.

Step 1. Finished sketch. I did this from the window of the conference center room. Someone who worked there saw me sketching in the lobby and asked if I wanted a *really* good view. He called the front desk and asked if the room was booked and when he found out it was free he brought me up there and let me stay and paint uninterrupted. Now that's nice!

Step 2. At this point I really loved how the hills were looking.

Step 3. The finished piece. Wasn't sure how to handle the tree block. This is where I need a bit more practice with the medium.

This is a bit hard to see but this was the sketch one of my kids did of the mountain. He tried his hand at watercolour too but wasn't happy with how the next stage looked. I thought it was good but I have to say, I really like how he saw the mountain! Nice lines.