Wilderness Winter Sunset on the Edge

In winter 2021, I backpack/snowshoed about 9 miles out to the rim of Yosemite Valley for two nights of solo camping and painting in solitude far above the crazy crowds on the valley floor. Although I spent much of the day melting snow into drinking water and working to keep it from refreezing, I managed to paint a few plein air paintings and studies. One of those studies served as the reference for this studio piece depicting the setting sun over Yosemite Valley as Horsetail Fall lights up with its firefall-like effect on the shoulder of El Capitan.