Impression Evergreen

"Self-Portrait with Green Background" Colored Pencil A self-portrait more concerned with the possibilities of line and color and less preoccupied with character and psychology. The picture is merely a sheet of textured paper covered by drawn forms that are filled with pencil pigment. The head’s deep shadow sculpts the rigid structure of the face while an array of golden hues attempts to express a glowing inner-light. The pink nose, ruddy ear and indigo eyes add some allure to the numinous color scheme. Thick strands of dark hair curl across a high forehead while tufts of muted gray are streaked into the sideburn. Accentuating the intense glare, sharp line work represents the many wrinkles and weathered features. The biggest gamble is the verdant background that is quilted from a puzzle of interlocking shapes. The various shades of green contrast strongly with the earthen flesh, creating a vibration between the complementaries. Searching for stability, the intention is not to

Winter Storm Gage Right at the start of another decade, a named storm descended onto the foothills, dumping heavy amounts of more snowfall. Winter Storm Gage cruised down through the corridor, eliminating any hint of color while leaving behind a landscape converted to gray. Trudging up a steep hill was a struggle but I did witness white flakes falling against the black trees, creating a soft, artistic effect. There was so much contrast between the two values, I felt like I was walking through a pointillistic painting. A few snags and fallen logs were representative of the rough life endured by the trees and animals that survive on Elk Ridge. From a high overlook, most of the valley was visible but the horizon line was lost due to the dense atmosphere. Working my way back down was a bit dicey because the trail was broken by rock, slush and ice. Back down at the bottom, a miserable wind made everything cold and uncomfortable but despite the bad weather, I can’t think of a bett

"Trout Lake" Colored Pencil Recently, I had a conversation with my friend Adam Ziemba from Noble Portrait about art, paintings and drawings. Somehow, Adam was able to weave that information together and he published the results of our discussion in an interview format. It’s always gratifying when someone shows an interest in your creative work so I appreciate Adam’s inquisitive enthusiasm. If you’re interested in learning more about my philosophies of art, photography and nature, please check out Adam’s article. Prepared by Adam Ziemba Dan Miller, a top 100 colored-pencil artist , was kind enough to share his experiences with and passion for fine art on our pages of Noble Portrait . Born to an artistic family in western Nebraska, Dan quickly discovered his lifetime passion for fine arts. Ever since he began with a pencil as a child, he has developed expertise in photography, writing, and oil and acrylic painting . Dan searches and seeks for truth in the world.

Self-Portrait with Rita Recently, Evergreen Fine Art Gallery held an exhibit of work by American artist Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975). The outstanding collection consisted of sketches, studies, lithographs and small paintings. I’ve seen many of his more polished pieces hanging on museum walls in Missouri but the artwork shown in Colorado was more intimate. Here on paper, the artist’s search for a subject’s form was clearly evident. Born in Neosho, Missouri to a family of politicians, Thomas Hart Benton chose painting as his profession. Benton began studying at the Chicago Art Institute and continued his training in Paris where he met some of the leading artists of the day. After a stint in the Navy serving as an illustrator during World War I, Benton set up shop in New York City. His early paintings were influenced by the avant-garde but seem uncertain and confused. Benton eventually embraced his natural style and became inspired by the music, folk tales and working class

"Mount Moran" Colored Pencil On a sunny, summer morning in the Tetons, Mount Moran is a massive monolith that’s been exiled to the northern front. Isolated from the rest of the range, the remote mountain is extremely inaccessible and virtually unclimbable. The chilling buttress is violet by nature but on this day a golden light infuses the scene with an inviting warmth that tempts the viewer to linger. There are no foothills to soften the blow as the massif rises suddenly out of a decorative forest of pine. The placid peak deserves a dramatic portrait so crisp highlights and strong shadows define its chiseled features. Great glaciers have gouged its profile and relinquished eternal snowfields that glisten white all year long. The serene mountain is named after artist Thomas Moran, who accompanied survey expeditions into the Rockies during the 1800s. Moran documented the extraordinary landscape of the American West through drawings, paintings and prints. A discipl

"Early November: North Greenland" It was the summer of 1929 and a small sailing boat named Direction cruised into Karajak Fiord off the west coast of Greenland. When a sudden williwaw struck, the overmatched vessel foundered leaving its three-man crew shipwrecked. Artist Rockwell Kent packed his rucksack and set off into the wild. Kent hiked, climbed, scratched and clawed his way across the frozen tundra in a desperate search for help. After a three-day trek, Kent finally stumbled upon a lone kayaker fishing in the ocean. The native Greenlander guided Kent to a nearby village where the kindhearted locals rescued Direction and helped repair the damaged boat. Rockwell Kent was an experienced adventurer, architect, carpenter, lobsterman, sailor, printmaker, illustrator, writer, dairy farmer and political activist but mostly he was a painter searching for God in the most desolate places on earth. Rockwell Kent was born in 1882 in Tarrytown, New York and later studied

"Longs Peak, Colorado" Acrylic My childhood was spent roaming the sandhills of western Nebraska. We rode horses, swam the river and climbed Courthouse Rock. I come from a family of creative artists. Our little house on the prairie overflowed with color and creativity. Mom paints her garden with a floral palette while Dad is a Western artist and retired high school art teacher. There were no formal lessons for my two younger brothers and I, just an endless supply of paper, pencils and encouragement. We worked independently but sometimes we’d tape several sheets of parchment together and make gigantic murals of exotic animals, sports figures or Star Wars battles. Dad never led us down the path. Instead, we each struggled to find our own voice in a forest full of noise. After four years studying fine art in the whispering pines of Charon State, my wife and I grabbed the world by its tail and settled in Denver. Years passed as I worked commercially depicting American s

"Wheat Field with Cypresses after van Gogh" Colored Pencil It's a warm, sunny day in southern France. Boiling clouds drift across the turquoise sky and the indigo cypresses are windswept by the notorious mistral. The golden wheat field is ripe and ready for harvest. The picture is a magnificent expression of summer. It draws you in. I can almost feel the wind and the heat. In my head, I can hear the buzz of locusts announcing the change of seasons. This is one of my favorite paintings and I wanted to understand why. I decided to make a study after it but not an oil painting copy. I chose a different medium instead, colored pencil. "The study I have intended for you depicts a group of cypresses in the corner of a wheat field on a summer's day when the mistral is blowing. It is therefore the note of a certain blackness enveloped in blue moving in great circulating currents of air, and the vermilion of the poppies contrasts with the black note." ~ Vincen

Snowstorm at Evergreen Lake "My idea of travel is a downward travel really. Getting to know where you are better and exploring feelings that you know more deeply. I always think that 'knowing something by heart' gives you a depth of possibility which is more powerful than seeing new sights, however marvelous and exciting they are." ~ Lucian Freud One of the places near home that I have been exploring more deeply is Evergreen Lake. A summer's evening stroll near the water is delightful but trudging along the shoreline during a winter snowstorm is invigorating. Most people enjoy hiking on a warm, sunny day but I prefer being out in nature during a storm. The landscape becomes more interesting and trying to depict the weather effects convincingly becomes more challenging. First-hand knowledge of the subject clarifies the dramatic changes in line, color and perspective and it encourages the artist to create a more truthful expression of the scene. I've alw