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Rocky Mountain Monsoon

Rocky Mountain Monsoon Oil on panel 8x10 inches 2026 Available for purchase #nickbaxterart #pleinairpainting #rockymountainnationalpark #waterfallpainting When we arrived to the park entrance the day was hot and sunny. Wanting a mellow easy hike after climbing a mountain the previous day, I didn’t pack much gear, which would soon become hilarious. The hike started out great. The trail and the sights were beautiful. The chipmunks and squirrels were active and unafraid. They begged for food and yelled at us when we didn’t give it. Eventually we found a nice looking waterfall and I scrambled to the top of a large boulder to be off the trail and get a better viewpoint. The sun was shining and the day was calm. Soon after starting to paint, thunder started rumbling and dark clouds rolled in. I felt a few drops and kept painting. Within minutes the rain picked up. I made the decision just in time to climb off the rock and tuck into a tiny area underneath the cliff overhang, getting just barely out of the rainfall right as the skies opened up to a torrential monsoon downpour. Thunder crashed overhead and I kept painting as we waited out the rain, staying mostly unsoaked. After the rain I climbed back down to the trail and finished the initial study from a different vantage point. At home in the studio I made the decision to develop it into a more finished product that depicted the weather, with the hazy sense of motion and chaos of the rain coming down. Do you think I captured the effect?

A Realism nature piece by Nick Baxter at Nick Baxter in Austin, TX, posted on Jul 29, 2026.

by Nick Baxter

Studio

Nick Baxter

Austin, TX

Styles

Realism Watercolor

Subjects

Nature

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