Winter's Magic, El Capitan and Horsetail Fall

On Feb 21, 2019 high winds swept snow banners and Horsetail Fall across El Capitan and extended down almost the entire length of the cliff unlike anytime I had seen before.
That morning I was still at PDX airport thinking of flying into Saint George, UT to paint Zion. However, after checking a Yosemite weather forecast calling for sunshine and high winds I decided to make an impromptu trip to Yosemite to paint and photograph some potentially unique images of Horsetail Fall. The sun was setting at the perfect angle to create the phenomenon of Horsetail's Firefall-like effect of fiery color on the shadowed cliff of El Capitan. But the effect requires not just the handful of days at the right time of year, but also sufficient snow on the rim of the valley and warm enough temperatures and sun to melt the snow into an ephemeral stream which drops off the eastern shoulder of El Capitan. The skies need to be clear for the 5 minute window of time at sunset to create the dramatic color effects. It never happened this year. So it was a gamble but I knew the potential.
After flying into SMF, renting a car and driving to Yosemite and then snowshoeing several miles including a steep off trail climb up ice and waist deep snow, I found this perspective. I painted a 9x12 plein air piece that night but ice kept blowing into the paint and creating a texture of playodough. I still managed to get the colors, values for a studio work to convey the emotion, visual representation of a uniquely magical experience.