Impression Evergreen

Evergreen Lake summer During the summer, Evergreen Lake is a gleaming eden treasured by floating waterfowl, rainbow trout and the great blue heron. Below the dam, a bountiful garden of wildflowers bursts forth, displaying nature’s full color spectrum. The biggest draw is the plethora of birds that inhabit this area during the year’s warmest months. The lively reservoir is home to cormorants, geese, blackbirds, swallows, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks and bald eagles.   The region’s wildest weather is funneled through Bear Creek Canyon so some of the most surreal clouds can be seen reflected on the surface of the lake. The forest creeps down to the water creating interesting compositions with branches shaped to follow the contour of Bergen Peak. The popular park is a place that has something to offer everyone so the usage gets pretty heavy. That’s why summer isn’t necessarily my favorite season - I like this place in the winter, after a storm, when the only noise is the soun...

Winter in western Nebraska This season, the weather in Western Nebraska is absolutely wonderful. Wading through waist-deep snow, the stark Sandhills are a white oasis. Spread across the blank space, a humble homestead appears in the distance. A halo of soft light is a soothing beacon of hope, offering sanctuary from the frigid cold. After a week of severe weather, the entire region is transformed into a pristine snowscape. An arctic chill unique to this place, seeps into your aching bones. Cradled in the Great Plains, this fertile crescent is inhabited by hardy settlers and exotic animals. Surprisingly, the Garden of Eden is located here, near the banks of the mighty North Platte. Along the slippery edge of a brown creek, arched cottonwoods form an intricate corridor into a lush reserve. Golden rays of afternoon light permeate the frozen wilderness, warming an icy bog. The secluded marsh is home to timid species that are spooked by my unwelcome appearance. Flushed from h...

"Wasatch Mountains" Colored Pencil This drawing depicts a sweeping view of Utah's Wasatch Mountains on a sparkling, summer day. Bordered by great, salt flats, the gorgeous range rises inexplicably out of the dry, desert sand. Here, the Lower Bells Canyon is a lofty oasis providing respite from the lively lowlands. The foreground is filled with grasses of green and gold while stair-stepped through the rubble of smooth rocks, a shallow stream is a turquoise outlet. It's a place positioned at the mouth of a steep gorge where a murky reservoir is concealed by fresh greenery. The entire scene is backlit by mid-morning sun as demonstrated by the dark shadows defining the wavy, white clouds. The background features rugged peaks that descend into the distance while a row of blue brush forms a boundary between the forest and high plateau. A variety of lush vegetation occupies the wet valley where verdant shades of color are too numerous to decipher. Preceded by a re...