Snowfall

Another drawing from this summer holidays.
Actually the snowfall happened last March, but I did not feel like drawing this until last August. And once it was pencilled and inked, I did not find the will to colour it until yesterday.

Watercolour and Indian ink on paper, 24x33cm
(Click on image to enlarge)

A reason for this is that HP just replaced my scanner, which quite unfortunately had a faulty blu sensor and made everything yellow. With my bright, shiny new Scanjet handy I felt greatly inspired. In fact, this weekend alone I reached the production volume I usually make in a quarter:

1) water-coloured this drawing
2) sketch of Clara playing chess with Felicia (will become a ink+watercolor)
3) sketch of Felicia sleeping on the piano and first turpentine+burnt sienna draft on cardboard, ready for oil
4) sketch of Elena kicking a yokotobigeri (will become another Photoshop graffiti)
5) and many ideas for future pictures...

Footprints

Before moving up to Brengaz our house in Valtournenche was just in front of the lake of Maen, a shallow reservoir which holds the water from the Marmore river. We often took the kids for a walk around the lake, especially to reach a little playground on the opposite side.

This drawing is made after a picture I took some years ago. The children are really young, Alberto is even using a pacifier. And they are all concentrated in making marks and lines on the snow.

I always liked this picture because it shows the twins close to each other and doing the same thing (just like today), Clara engaged in the more difficult task of sketching with her finger, the crisp light of a sunny day, the bright, saturated colours of the jackets, the calm image of Cime Bianche in the background.

Watercolours and Indian Ink on paper, 24x33cm (Click on image to enlarge)

I fancied long-since about this subject but I could not decide what technique to use. Then last August I went for Indian ink and watercolours, which seems about right. Still I think that I should try also something different, maybe thick oil colours and knife? Or would it be too cheesy?

Col Roisetta

Good excursion today, we followed the trail #23 to the Roisetta Col, just below the top of mount Roisetta. Here the kids are standing at about 2,900 mts, in front of the southern face of Matterhorn, freshly covered from snow - the first snow of the season.



The heat wave this year was quite serious, with the thermal zero moving up to 4,500 mts. Two weeks ago the classic way to climb the Matterhorn from the Lion's Head was closed because of the danger of rock falls.

Now the weather is back to normality (although the Lion's crest will stay closed for a few more days, the TV news said), a perfect Feast of Assumption.

The forecast for the next 2 days is rainy, therefore I am planning to complete some drawing before going back to Milano. I took with me pencils, Indian ink and watercolors but so far I have been little productive, I fancied more walking or reading books on my balcony.

Edelweiss

Yesterday we were walking on the trail 107, the Great Balcony, a long trekking ring that goes around the valley of the Matterhorn.
We started from Cheneil, just above Valtournenche and took the direction to Salette, looking for the "Baracon dou Tene" where we often eat when we go skiing in winter.

On the way back we took a shortcut across the meadows, and quite unexpectedly we found a large patch of edelweiss.



This beautiful flower is not uncommon in these mountains, still finding a nice group like this one is always an experience.
I will probably try to paint them soon or later, this is a picture I took with my Nokia.

It's the art: trail #13 on the Matterhorn

The Normal Italian way to the Matterhorn starts from the hut Rifugio Duca d'Abruzzi, at 2,800 meters. The simplest way to reach this hut is the trail #13 starting from Cervinia, which is simple enough for a walk with the kids.

The trail is actually an unpaved road where meeting various brands of smelly SUVs and off-road vehicles conducted by city jerks is all but unfrequent. But it also provides a great view to the Matterhorn, the glacier of Plateau Rosa and the mountains surrounding Breuil.

(Click on image to enlarge)
Watercolor on paper, 24x33 cm

This watercolor is made after a picture taken in a sunny Sunday of September 2004.
I consider this the best time of the year for this trail, right after the holiday and just before the snow - that means perfect weather and not many SUVs around.