Elk Ridge Evergreen - Colored Pencil Drawing

"Elk Ridge Evergreen" Colored Pencil

“Through art we can change the world.” ~ #twitterartexhibit

It’s the morning after an early-winter storm and Evergreen’s Elk Ridge is dusted with a layer of fresh snow. Gloomy clouds have passed so the clear sky forms a bright-blue background.

The far foothills are expressed with graduated tones of cool gray that blend into the distance. Sparkling under a radiant sun, a row of silvery spruce is stretched along the steep hillside.

Up front, the dark pine is a rigid focal point that carries weight into the corner. Cast by the red tree, intricate shadows form an abstract pattern that’s spread across the snowy surface.

It’s fascinating how an idea born in the brain is nurtured in the heart and transmitted through an eager arm, resulting in an expressive piece of art that’s completely handmade.

Elk Ridge Evergreen is my contribution to the upcoming Twitter Art Exhibit: NYC. This unique event is an international exhibition of original postcard art benefiting Foster Pride’s “Handmade” Program, in which young women in foster care learn to create and market a unique line of goods.

The young women in HandMade create and market their own line of highly original crocheted goods under the HandMade by Foster Pride label, which is sold in New York boutiques, in Paris at Milk on the Rocks and online, at Etsy.

Students learn about design, marketing, and small business skills, and develop personal and interpersonal qualities such as motivation, collaboration, and sustained effort that will be valuable to these young women as they age out of the foster care system.

All proceeds from sales go to the talented teens who run this small business, and who also have the opportunity to secure internships with industry professionals.

Twitter Art Exhibit: NYC is the sixth installment of an open international exhibition of handmade postcard art for charity, donated by hundreds of participating artists from around the globe.

Social media plays a major role in Twitter Art Exhibit. It is their intention to tweet, share, seed and promote the artists to thank them for their participation, and to make this event a huge success.

For more information, please check out this link: #twitterartexhibit

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