Impression Evergreen

"Lake Isabelle" Colored Pencil "If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint." ~ Edward Hopper This range is distinguished by an indescribable beauty. Neither photos nor sentences can capture the scale and grandeur of such a special place. An exquisite legacy from the last ice age, Lake Isabelle is as elegant as her name would suggest. In the heart of the Indian Peaks Wilderness, it's calm before the storm. Bound by the purple sky, thunder rumbles in the background. Rising out of the summer's greenery, the ridge line appears violet while a cobblestone pathway is closed by cascades of sliding snow. A wonderland in the winter, the warm weather has transformed the entire area into a watery world teeming with flowers and wildlife. The lake is rippled by drops of rain, serrating the surface into a surreal reflection while the moist atmosphere has washed the landscape clean. Only the essential shapes and colors are allowed to stay. T

Lake Isabelle About 600 years ago North America experienced a slight cooling that produced colder temperatures, longer winters and increased glaciation. During this Little Ice Age, Colorado's northern Front Range was blasted with precipitation. Year after year heavy snowfall filled the deep, east-facing cirques. Over time, the compressed snow transformed into ice which eventually began creeping down the valleys. The glaciers achieved their maximum extent by 1850, then the climate began warming again. The rebellious rivers of ice have been retreating back up into the mountains ever since, leaving rugged crags and turquoise tarns in their wake. There are only fourteen named glaciers left in Colorado today. Born from the melted ice of Isabelle Glacier, Lake Isabelle is a precious legacy from the Little Ice Age. The bowl of frigid water is contained by a steep-walled basin at the top of a spectacular, flower-infused valley. Jagged peaks are crowded around the shimmering jewel,