Golden Larch Season at Mount Assiniboine
Every year I plan at least one immersive painting trip on my own or with like minded artist friends to be inspired and to further my practice. So far, I’ve been to Glacier National Park, Jasper, Waterton, Lake O’Hara, Icefield’s Parkway, CMH Bugaboos, International Basin with the Alpine Club of Canada and several weekend painting trips to the Canadian Rockies.
Last January, I was ecstatic to be invited to go on a painting trip to Mount Assiniboine by my dear painting friend Stephanie Gauvin with Brent Lynch and Charlie Easton. Stephanie has come to know this area very well over the years and her paintings are featured throughout Assiniboine lodge. She has also been accredited with designing a coin for the Royal Canadian Mint landscape series featuring Mount Assiniboine! It was an incredibly inspiring experience painting alongside these highly accomplished and phenomenal landscape painters who I greatly admire for their skill and dedication.
We flew in by helicopter at the end of September and stayed for 5 nights in the historic Arnica log cabin. Timed perfectly for the height of golden larch season, the weather was very unpredictable, as it can be in the mountains and especially this time of year. We had everything from sun, wind and fog to rain, sleet and snow! That didn’t deter our group however from making the most of it. Dressed for the weather we ventured out everyday to paint this magnificent and serene landscape. Thankfully, we had our warm and cozy cabin to return to for a happy hour beverage and a recount of the days adventures. There is something special about this soulful camaraderie amongst landscape painters that we can be ourselves and talk about life and art for hours. I completed 12 oil sketches on the trip (excluding 4 of them which I wiped off in the field!), came home with 100’s of reference pics and memories to last a lifetime. I’d like to return to the area one day again soon to do more hiking, painting and exploring!
Check out my Instagram feed @melaniemacvoy to see more pics and a short reel from our trip.