Soaring Above Matanuska Peak

Alaska has a large concentration of planes, pilots and beautiful scenery that’s perfect to take in from the air. In fact, I live not far from the local airport and it’s not unusual to see dozens of small planes arrive and depart on a daily basis. Even better, from my vantage point, these planes almost always pass in front of Matanuska Peak during landing and take-off.

This painting is based on a photo that captured exactly such a moment. A clear, sunny day during winter with a single engine plane soaring through the air with Matanuska Peak as the backdrop. This painting attempts to capture this moment, as some unknown individual takes off into the skies on a journey to somewhere unknown. It could be a trip to a cabin, for hunting, sightseeing or may just touch and go’s around the airport. Regardless, I think there’s a sense of adventure in this painting, and a sense of anticipation: what awaits at the destination?