Impression Evergreen

"Spirit of Winter" Colored Pencil This time of year, a never ending cycle of storms sweeps down from the mountains burying the foothills in a frozen tomb. The ice cold essence seeps into your aching bones and the chill doesn’t thaw until late spring. Despite the season’s harshness, the artist is lured into an attempt to capture the mysterious poetry evoked by such an austere landscape. In defiance of the somber setting, a palette of unexpected hues is required to accomplish the task. Interred in eternal snow, a woodland valley is hauntingly diffused with the spirit of winter. Jutting out of the ground, dark menhirs are scattered across the meadow, making the composition’s structure seem monumental. The deserted cabin is evidence of a recurring saga about the struggle between this area’s inhabitants and the environment. A phantom peak, pyramidal in shape, complements the strict geometry of the shelter. The faltering shack is gradually being reclaimed by the land so its

Ushering in Spring A classic seasonal storm swept across the foothills, lengthening an unending stretch of cold and wet. Dawn broke gray and murky as a thick vapor of fog permeated the pine forest, evoking an eerie atmosphere. The illusion of great depth was exaggerated as trees in the distance were placid silhouettes while the nearer rocks revealed a rough texture. An abandoned homestead was barely visible as it melded into the haunted hillside. When the turbulent episode finally hit, the snow came pouring down in sheets of freezing rain transforming the local wetlands into a white valley. Evergreen Lake with its black water, icy shoreline and invisible horizon looked like an Arctic landscape. The only inhabitants to be found on that frigid evening were a few geese whose silent wake shattered the serene reflections. Although a shock to the system, the winter-like weather is not unusual for this time of year. By the morning after, powder blue skies began to reappear and th