Colorado Mountainside is a richly detailed studio acrylic landscape that marked a significant turning point in Don Yaun’s painting journey, emphasizing fine brushwork, individual tree and bush clumps, and thoughtful composition. This 36″ × 24″ work on MDF board was created in 2021 from photos taken on a vacation to Colorado in 2019 to visit his son. The trip (also inspiring “Colorado Landscape“) provided stunning reference material from the Rocky Mountains’ dramatic terrain, inspiring Don to push beyond his usual loose impressionism toward more precise rendering while retaining expressive energy.
The painting draws the viewer along a winding path that ascends past an old, leaning dead tree—a deliberate focal point where the eye must decide which direction to explore. The scene is alive with intention: subtle blues, purples, and violets fade the distant peaks and ridges into atmospheric depth, while warm light subtly illuminates the left side of the far mountain. Individual foreground elements are finely detailed, yet the overall effect remains inviting and immersive. Even distant white-trunked trees at the mountain base and soft, understated clouds in the upper sky are carefully placed to avoid overpowering the composition. The result lures the viewer in, rewarding close observation with layers of discovery.
This painting holds special family significance. It bears a vague resemblance to a landscape that hung over the couch in his childhood home. To keep it “in the family,” Don gave it to his brother Robert, where it remains in his private collection.
