Late Summer Blooms

Late Summer Blooms attempts to capture the brief but beautiful period when Alaska’s fireweed reaches its peak. Set against the rugged slopes of Pioneer Peak, the vibrant pink blossoms stand in contrast to the green fields and distant treeline. The scene captures a familiar sight to those that live in Palmer and it’s a quiet and colorful reminder that our short Alaskan summer is soon coming to an end and winter is right around the corner.

The Alaskan fireweed is a subject I find myself returning to time after time. Whether it’s a solitary pair of blooms, like in this painting, or fields on the way to Homer or slopes in Hatcher Pass, fireweed adds such a wonderful splash of color to the landscape that it’s hard to resist not to paint these scenes.

This particular painting only even exists because of an unplanned early evening run to the grocery story. While on my way home, I spotted a few fireweed at the side of the road and immediately noticed that their position put them right in front of Pioneer Peak. I pulled over, took a few photos to add to my collection of reference photos and continued home. Incidentally, it took me almost another whole year to get back around to this photo and paint the scene. I completed it almost a year after I took the original photo, just as the se