Mt Washington

Mt Washinton, stained glass mosaic on board, 9" x 5 5/8", 2011   ~SOLD

 The above piece has been brewing and stirring in my head for nearly a year ever since last February, when along with a group of friends I took a mountaineering course in the incredible White Mountains in New Hampshire. We graduated by ascending the mighty Mt Washington, home to some of the worst weather on earth and the fastest wind speed ever recorded.

Peak of Mt Washington in the distance

To the left is a photo I took during the climb up, just as the peak of Washington started coming into view.  At this point I was completely exhausted and this became the most physically and mentally challenging but also most rewarding experience I've ever had in the outdoors.  We were above the clouds on a perfect, sunny and crisp winter day.  The white snow was glistening in the sun light and I felt like I just dived into a National Geographic photo.  It was one of the best days of my life.

Photo of a me and a friend in front of a ravine 

In the photo above, in the background is an incredible ravine.  I included this photo because the shapes in the ravine inspired me to break up the glass of the big white shape in my Mt Washington mosaic.  I was so pleased with the above that after looking at it for long enough I had to make one more. I used some of the composition I really liked from the first piece but I changed the mountain to be pink like how I saw it before we began our ascend in the morning.  This is what I imagine some of the mountaineers who set out with the rising sun.  Some of the mountain was still in shadow but the very peak was already kissed by the sun and turned pink.

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Mt Washington II, stained glass mosaic on board, 3" x 6", 2011   ~SOLD

Photo I took during the sunrise before the ascend.