Since we moved to California, we have been to Yosemite National Park at least a dozen times. The majestic landscape is awe-inspiring. Over the years I have painted many on the spot landscapes there. I have camped all over the place, stayed in the big tents at the Curry Village, and as expensive as it was, stayed in the Awanee Hotel and painted the upper Yosemite fall from the parlor.

However, the inspiration for the Linear painting of Yosemite came from the wonderful paintings of the same subject by the Artist, Albert Bierstadt. He has done many paintings of the old west and Yosemite.  There are several paintings of the cowboys camping in the moonlight by those tall cliffs. The shimmering, cool moonlight and the full moon, contrasting with the warm orange glow from the campfire is the dramatic focal point of these paintings.  He had captured the place, the people and the spirit of his times, more than a hundred years ago.

That’s what moved me to do a large linear painting of the Yosemite Falls. I wanted to capture the Yosemite that I know and the times and the experiences I have had in the Yosemite Valley. I had done several sketches of the falls and had seen families enjoying at the campfires. All I had to do was to put all this together using Bierstadt’s formula in my linear style. That’s exactly what I did for this painting.