The Art of the Mountains

With more time at home, I had time to sort my drawings and started thinking on what I will do with them. Some of them  I don’t have anymore, as they were gifts for certain people. I do need to put them in frames, but at certain time I was producing way too many of them- this was when I was going to drawing school once a week, and I have never come to do it, as it was a bit pricey.

Some alpine ibex posing in front of the Matterhorn. pastels.
Some alpine ibex posing in front of the Matterhorn. pastels.

I’ve started drawing ski posters, as I have always loved them, but I found them a bit too expensive as to splash on them. Obviously the ski posters are much prettier than my attempts in doing some drawings copying them. And I start copying them, but as I cannot deal with perspective, with where the things are on the canvas or paper, so I finish adapting the drawing to my advantage….nobody has to see the original next to mine!

Charcoal - skier in St Moritz. Mountain Art.
Charcoal – skier in St Moritz. The Art of the Mountains.

I did a course of different drawing techniques and materials with Simon Willems at the Conservatoire in Blackheath, SE London, UK, and what I’ve realised is that I like the charcoal and pastels the most.

The Art of the Mountains- Pastel of train from Chamonix to Montenvers- Mer de Glace.
The Art of the Mountains- Pastel of train from Chamonix to Montenvers- Mer de Glace.

Even though maybe the oil has the best finishings, I have not done so much with oil, and I find it that it takes too long to wait it to dry and keep on going…. I like to do a drawing possibly in one go and finish it.

St Anton's Valluga. Oil Pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
St Anton’s Valluga. Oil Pastels. The Art of the Mountains.

There are some that took me two or three goes to finish, and that was mostly because I have not liked the outcome and kept on going and adding more colour to see if I could fix them.

Conca di Pila, watercolour- one of my first attempts. I find them tricky, as you need to plan the whites in advance... I am not too much for planning. The Art of the Mountains.
Conca di Pila, watercolour- one of my first attempts. I find them tricky, as you need to plan the whites in advance… I am not too much for planning. The Art of the Mountains.
Second work on Acrylics, I like the material, is easy to clean and you don't need to use smelly products as in oil. Oil looks better, but for people that are more artistic than me. The Art of the Mountains.
Second work on Acrylics, I like the material, is easy to clean and you don’t need to use smelly products as in oil. Oil looks better, but for people that are more artistic than me. The Art of the Mountains.
Charcoal, waiting for the train. The Art of the Mountains.
Charcoal, waiting for the train. The Art of the Mountains.
Somewhere in the Tyrol. Pastels. Typical churches you find in Austria. The Art of the Mountains.
Somewhere in the Tyrol. Pastels. Typical churches you find in Austria. The Art of the Mountains.
Goache, this is a weird material for me, a bit chalky, but I have not done it again, maybe I should give it another try. The Art of the Mountains.
Goache, this is a weird material for me, a bit chalky, but I have not done it again, maybe I should give it another try. The Art of the Mountains.
The monastery of the Grand St Bernard Pass between Switzerland and Italy. Watercolour. The Art of the Mountains.
The monastery of the Grand St Bernard Pass between Switzerland and Italy. Watercolour. The Art of the Mountains.
The old cabins of the Mar de Glace, between Aiguille du Midi and Punta Helbronner. Oil Pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
The old cabins of the Mar de Glace, between Aiguille du Midi and Punta Helbronner. Oil Pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
An experiment with coloured ink. The Art of the Mountains.
An experiment with coloured ink. The Art of the Mountains.

Many times I’ve drawn on top and tried to paint on my errors and start again…

Winter Sports in Davos. Soft Pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
Winter Sports in Davos. Soft Pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
Speed in skiing in ink. The straight lines is something I cannot deal with... but it looks as the skier is coming down fast. The art of the mountains.
Speed in skiing in ink. The straight lines is something I cannot deal with… but it looks as the skier is coming down fast. The art of the mountains.
Soft pastels, a ride to the slopes in Telluride. The Art of the Mountains.
Soft pastels, a ride to the slopes in Telluride. The Art of the Mountains.
Chamonix skier. Soft pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
Chamonix skier. Soft pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
This one was one of my first soft pastels, that I was not sure how to use them that much. The base at Aspen Mountain (AJAX). The Art of the Mountains.
This one was one of my first soft pastels, that I was not sure how to use them that much. The base at Aspen Mountain (AJAX). The Art of the Mountains.
Oil pastels of the cablecar in Champery. The Art of the Mountains.
Oil pastels of the cablecar in Champery. The Art of the Mountains.
The Dent de Geant, seen from the top of the Skyway Monte Bianco. Soft Pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
The Dent de Geant, seen from the top of the Skyway Monte Bianco. Soft Pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
Soft Pastels- A girl riding a lift in Madonna di Campiglio. The Art of the Mountains.
Soft Pastels- A girl riding a lift in Madonna di Campiglio. The Art of the Mountains.
A girl with the Dolomites in the backdrop in Canazei. Soft Pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
A girl with the Dolomites in the backdrop in Canazei. Soft Pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
A Cervinia poster that has lost a bit its colour, maybe I did not fix it well, I can always paint on top again. The Art of the Mountains.
A Cervinia poster that has lost a bit its colour, maybe I did not fix it well, I can always paint on top again. The Art of the Mountains.
First work with two tones in acrylics - was not sure what it was going to come out. The Art of the Mountains.
First work with two tones in acrylics – was not sure what it was going to come out. The Art of the Mountains.
Another work on pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
Another work on pastels. The Art of the Mountains.
An old advertisement - copied in charcoal. The skis were a tad too long. The Art of the Mountains.
An old advertisement – copied in charcoal. The skis were a tad too long. The Art of the Mountains.
A poster of the French Alps in charcoal. The Art of the Mountains.
A poster of the French Alps in charcoal. The Art of the Mountains.
My first charcoal with a ski theme. The Art of the mountains.
My first charcoal with a ski theme. The Art of the mountains.
Second oil effort. Stowe. The Art of the Mountains.
Second oil effort. Stowe. The Art of the Mountains.
Oil pastel- Chamonix- they are the crayons for adults. The Art of the Mountains.
Oil pastel- Chamonix- they are the crayons for adults. The Art of the Mountains.
A charcoal picture of St Gervais-les-Bains. The Art of the Mountains.
A charcoal picture of St Gervais-les-Bains. The Art of the Mountains.
Another oil pastels poster- Adelboden. The Art of the Mountains.
Another oil pastels poster- Adelboden. The Art of the Mountains.
This is a present I did for my mother. A poster of Austria. The Art of the Mountains.
This is a present I did for my mother. A poster of Austria. The Art of the Mountains.

Hope you enjoy them, ask me if interested in purchasing one or asking one on demand… leave me a comment below if interested.

You can search for your own accommodation in the snow for your next ski holiday through our Accommodation Search tabOr if looking to stay in the heart of the Mont Blanc Valley in the Aosta Valley, check Il Coure della Valdigne review here. This is our own family home in the mountains, that I am renting out when not using, you can always write me a private message if interested to info@the-ski-guru.com

Il Cuore della Valdigne. Stay at the Heart of the Valdigne to ski in Courmayeur, La Thuile and Pila/Aosta.
Il Cuore della Valdigne. Stay at the Heart of the Valdigne to ski in Courmayeur, La Thuile and Pila/Aosta.

You can book directly through Airbnb  through this link

If you have some questions, contact us at info@the-ski-guru.com for more information.

If you want to take your family skiing and you don’t know where to start, read here. And search for your ski transfers from all airports to the Mountains here. And for those that are like me, that are lazy to cook, you can get your food, even gourmet mountain food delivered to your home with Huski.

If renting equipment (skis or snowboards)  check our agreement with Skiset– you can get up to 50% off ski or snowboard rental rates. I have been using them for years every year when I go to America  and Europe and they are great!

You can start thinking about your trip, by reading the articles on the Planning your Ski Trip tab.  Or how to pack for your family ski trip.  If taking your furry friend abroad to the continent, read about the new Pet Travel Scheme update from DEFRA. Self-drive skiers also need to plan for Brexit. Check out our tips for driving to the mountains.  If flying and renting a car in Europe, beware of the extra charges they will pass to you if you want winter tyres, snow chains or ski racks. If driving, check the winter tyres news for Europe and North America. You can see how our last family ski holiday was not as expected, even though one plans it to be a success, but how we could do the most of it. If you want to get better before getting to your next ski holiday, here is a quick guide to indoor skiing and dry slopes in the UK. You can also read our week in the mountains during our summer holidays in Courmayeur.

 

Featured Image: The Art of the Mountains – Chamonix poster with pastels. 

Please follow and like us: