Impression Evergreen

"Mount Evans Christmas" Watercolor It is a cold and windy day in a spectacular basin known as Upper Bear Creek. Buried under a blanket of fresh snow, Mount Evans is a lofty landmark that imposes it’s iron will on the local weather patterns. Tethered to the foreground, sturdy evergreens are built to withstand the brutal storms that wreak havoc on this hidden valley. Here, heavy snow clings to the blue spruce creating an intricate pattern of dark and light. This time of year, the landscape can only be expressed with mostly cool colors like blue and green. Surprisingly, there is also a few touches of pink and yellow scrubbed into this wintery composition. Such a difficult medium to work with, watercolor painting demands that you relinquish control. Most of the fluid brushstrokes are allowed to flow freely as they encourage you to let your imagination run wild. Strokes of pale color are washed across the smooth surface, giving a loose suggestion of the vast wonderlan

The Dedisse Bridge Hidden discreetly in Bear Creek Canyon, the Dedisse Park Bridge is an arched gateway into the remote shadowlands concealing the north face of the Three Sisters Peaks. The structure easily spans Bear Creek and its simplicity in form and color enable it to blend smoothly into the riparian environment. Despite its close proximity to the crowded Evergreen Lake, the quiet swale remains relatively unknown to most local citizens. During the summer, bright sunlight streams through the abode and explodes into shattered bits of color, reflecting the excitement and energy found in a vibrant forest. Wintertime is a much different story as the chilly atmosphere is expressed by a scheme of blues and grays. Big storms stall out over the mountains and fill the narrow gorge with extraordinary amounts of snow. The lower, clear light still finds a way through the dense foliage creating irregular shadows that perfectly trace the deep, undulating drifts. Composed from a divers

Mtn Muhly Trail Starting in a quiet corner of Alderfer Park, Mtn Muhly Trail descends into a steep gulch gouged by a little stream called Coneflower Creek. A grove of aspen sparkles in the late light as its long shadows tumble over the embankment and disappear into a ribbon of black water. During winter, the cup-shaped valley is a barren landscape steeped in an aura of forbidding mystery. The confusion of branches and brush makes for a messy scene but there is a certain charm to be found in nature’s tangle of wild forms. The slim ravine stretches easily through a dense forest of fir and spruce where only the tips of the tallest trees are lit by the golden ambiance of a setting sun. Climbing up and out of the chasm isn’t too much of a problem as the path empties into a rugged stand of lodgepole pine. Weaving its way through a maze of old growth, a rocky route traverses the steep western slopes set below the Three Sister Peaks. Just as it begins to get dark, the ominous woodla

Big snowmelt In between winter storms, there are short periods of warm sunshine that result in big snowmelt. The snow slides down off of the tree branches dousing the wanderer with a shower of cold water. During these fleeting bursts of mild weather, treacherous trails into the lonely forest are packed with rocks and ice. If you dare to venture out during this muddy interlude, tread with caution and expect to get wet. It may not be the most beautiful time of the year but there is a certain elegance inherent to the dull color scheme. The ochres, browns and grays sparkle in the clear light, contrasting sharply with the morning’s dark shadows. The meadow has been swept clean by a strong, west wind blowing down from the highest peaks. It has been nice to receive a respite from the repeating cycle of historic storms because it gives us some time to document their impact and prepare for the ones still on the way. In between snowstorms Morning's dark shadows A fle

Winter Storms This year we have skipped fall and descended directly into the dark season as winter storms Aubrey, Bessie, Caleb, Dorothy and Ezekiel have already pounded the foothills with heavy snow. It is generally during the month of March that we receive most of our moisture but the amounts dumped this autumn have been historic. It is not just the excessive precipitation that is remarkable but also the arctic cold as the deep snow is piled into drifts of feathery powder. The mountains are cloaked in a robe of glittering gray while the limber pine are bent by the weight of thick frost, creating an arched pathway into the frozen, forest kingdom. When ploughing across the pale meadow, your footsteps make a distinct crunching sound that can only be heard when walking on soft snowpack. December is usually dry so it is unpredictable as to whether we will awaken to a classic Christmas Day but I know one thing for certain - dreams of a White November have already come true. We

Sheep Lakes A bitterly cold wind sweeps down through Fall River Canyon and the frigid air settles in a scenic gorge named Horseshoe Park. Scientists call this place a glacial outwash terrace, I call it a glorious gateway to one of the most beautiful areas in Colorado. Ensconced in Rocky Mountain National Park, the gorgeous meadow was sculpted by a 500-foot-thick glacier during the last ice age. That glacier crept down the valley and reached its maximum extent about 15,000 years ago. The powerful force of nature gradually retreated and as it did, the glacier released sizable chunks of ice and rubble. The dynamic combination of melting ice and strewn debris wreaked havoc on the thawed earth, creating cavities in the soft ground. When the deep depressions, resulting from the event’s epic aftermath, are filled with water - they are called kettle lakes. These ponds are special because they have no surface drainage and the land surrounding them has been transformed into a natural