Yellowstone's many moods...

You can’t beat the variety of choices I have when I go into Yellowstone to plein air paint. In the late spring and throughout the summer, I go in to paint just about every morning, so I like to mix it up. It keeps things interesting – and me learning! Here’s a tour of my last couple mornings….

North Twin Lake
6" x 6" oil
by Shirl Ireland

Wednesday morning was a foggy one at North Twin Lake. When I first arrived I couldn't see much at all. But I knew it would lift and I love to capture those subtle color shifts when it does.

My easel set up at the edge of the lake as the sun starts to peak through.

Some beautiful Trout Lilies at the edge of the lake. Sometimes called Glacier Lily, Fawn Lily, Dog Tooth Violet or Adder's Tongue. Grizzly bears dig up the edible bulbs.

My 'morning commute' isn't bad - just a couple bison on the roads at this time of day....

This morning, I was off to Norris Geyser Basin. It was a 'flat light' morning, but I knew where to go to find some glorious colors...

Cistern Spring
6" x 6" oil
by Shirl Ireland

Cistern Spring’s colors are species of visible algae and bacteria, that each require a different temperature environment. There's a handy walking trail with a deck above, so I had a perfect perch to paint from.

Steamboat Geyser - along the trail to Cistern Spring.

I'm always in awe of Norris Geyser Basin, so I thought I'd throw in a little 'geyser trivia'...

When Steamboat Geyser erupts, it can rocket a column of scalding water two to three times the average height of Old Faithful. Steam roars for 24 hours after. But unlike Old Faithful, Steamboat’s eruptions are very unpredictable, occurring 4 days to 50 years apart. When Steamboat Geyser has a major eruption, the deep pool of nearby Cistern Spring drains almost completely.  Gradually, within a day or two after Steamboat’s eruption, Cistern begins to refill.