Sealy Tarns Track in Aoraki, Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand

When there is something to be learned from a view, I can’t help but paint it. In this Mount Cook painting, I was chasing after the calmness of the water bodies, the vastness of the mountain range that perseveres and radiates strength and conviction as they remain unchanged by the shifting shadows from the clouds moving above them, and the brilliance of light in the blue sky, on the tops of the clouds and peaks, and the field below.

Sealy Tarns Track in Aoraki, Mount Cook National Park, New ZealandPhoto credit: Brian Asher — Sealy Tarns Track in Aoraki, Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand
Photo credit: Brian Asher

I was sent this photo from my world travelling hiking friends. They ventured from California to New Zealand for a week filled with intense hiking this past Dec ’16 /Jan ’17.

Visit Brian Asher’s travel blog to learn tips on how you too can get out and have life-shaping experiences no matter how long your vacation is or what your budget is.

The World Hiker visits New Zealand: http://www.theworldhiker.com/2017/01/new-zealands-perfect-hike/

Asher’s photo on Sealy Tarns Track spoke to me immediately. I enjoyed the movement of the bulk of the mountain range in the middle of the horizon tapering off on either side with two levels of water on the left and a large open field on the right.

I am painting from a photo of the Sealy Tarns Track in Aoraki Mt. Cook National Park, New Zealand.

Uploaded by Jodie Maurer on 2017-02-19.