Impression Evergreen

Beauty of snow Deprived of sunlight, January is a dark month defined by brown meadows, black forests and gray brush. This forbidding time of year is exacerbated by isolation, solitude and endless waves of bad weather. The storms come steamrolling down from the divide, dumping incredible amounts snow in a short amount of time. The wind-driven event shrouds the valley in a ghostly rampart that erases everything from view. The next morning as cloud cover dissipates, warmer air is released into the atmosphere allowing an arctic chill to settle over the frozen foothills. The glistening, fresh powder instantly transforms the dreary landscape into a winter wonderland. Pure, white snow brightens the area’s muddy palette as the trees appear greener, the grasses more yellow and the bushes more violet. The sparkling sky is a smooth gradient blended from cerulean to cobalt blue. The forest is decorated with laced pine whose needle clumps collect drifts of plastered snow. The limber wa...

First Snow On an early October morn, the first snow in the golden foothills could only be described in a soft monochrome. Rooted into a rocky hillside, an elegant forest of lodgepole pine was distinguished by a silvery tone. The soft-spoken storm snuck onto the scene and enveloped our area with dreary weather for quite some time. At the beginning, most of the moisture mixed with warm air and soaked into the parched ground. After dark when the temperatures went down, a couple of inches of wet snow accumulated on the grass, bushes and branches. By the next day, the meadow was glistening with termination dust in a picture reminiscent of winter. A soft monochrome An elegant forest Dreary weather The parched ground was soaked Snow on the grass and bushes Reminiscent of winter

A cluster of backlit pine On a tranquil autumn evening, the entry into Elk Meadow is ablaze with a carpet of fiery grasses. A cluster of backlit pine clings to a rocky hillside while broken clouds stream across the powder blue. Sprawling below the surreal sky, an orange countryside rises steadily to the fringe of a dark behemoth named Bergen Peak. Further up the rocky trail and a patch of aspen makes its last stand before winter as its leaves are just now starting to turn. From the shallow recess of a secluded hollow, a solitary pine extends its tangled branches in a wooded embrace. On the brink of a broad ridge there’s a lofty overlook where you can watch the last of the day’s light disappear and our colorful season come to an end. Ablaze with fiery grasses Bergen Peak is a dark behemoth Patch of turning aspen A secluded hollow The evening's last light disappears

"Berthoud Pass" Colored Pencil While wandering below Berthoud Pass on a warm summer evening, the wilderness scenery was a sight to behold. It was Classic Colorado as a blue creek, born in the big peaks beyond, came crashing down through a thicket of tangled willows. A giant, yellow fir captured my attention and led my eyes back up to the snowy mountains whereupon the ribbon of cold water carried my gaze back down. This complex arrangement occurred in a narrow valley enclosed by a forest of dark pine, forming a visual barrier that precluded retreat. That carefully observed composition has become the centerpiece for a new colored pencil workshop I’ll begin teaching this fall. The two day, ten hour clinic will start with warmup exercises, progress to a simple step-by-step and then finish with the main demonstration - drawing the mountain landscape above. My friend and fellow artist, Ann Kullberg, is internationally know for her exceptional portrait workshops. Her cla...

American Robin The American Robin has become so common that his classical beauty is often overlooked and his mere presence taken for granted. By the end of February, males of this species show up here looking to establish territory. The identity of this Proclaimer of Spring is unmistakable with his bursting, brick-red chest, gray-brown back, charcoal head and pale throat with dark streaks. The bird’s sharp eyes are ringed with white and the yellow bill is tipped with black. He prefers to nest up high in the bough of a healthy ponderosa pine but he spends most of his day scampering about the meadow searching for insects and earthworms. While on the ground, he’s ever cautious as he keeps a wary eye out for any approaching birds of prey. He is an industrious bird that is first to rise in the morning and last to roost in the evening all the while singing a cheerful song. During the summer, his nightly lullaby serenades the forest dwellers with a peaceful melody. There are a f...

"La Plata Peak" Watercolor At this time of year during the dark days of winter, dreams are filled with idyllic images of the picturesque high country. The presence of a monochrome landscape is replaced by a sleepy vision of vibrant color. Majestic, purple peaks are robed in slopes of fresh green and they loom above a sliver of shimmering, blue lake. Stretched across the page, an indigo forest of fragrant pine is a beautiful buffer zone. The immediate foreground is an alpine meadow filled with an absolute riot of dazzling wildflowers. It’s hard to imagine now but in just a few months, this impossibly-summery scene will become a virtual reality.

Winter's arrival After a month of unseasonably warm weather, a ferocious blizzard last Sunday proclaimed winter’s arrival. The snow fell as fast as the temperature dropped, coating the shocked landscape in sparkling crystals. A misty atmosphere shrouded the mountains in a palette of monochrome color. With the absence of light, aerial perspective was exaggerated as scattered pine trees seemed to recede and disappear into the distance. The morning after, clear skies sent bitterly cold air seeping into aching bones. Breaking trail through deep drifts while trudging through the frozen wilderness was an almost impossible endeavor. The worst part about being out during that frigid sunrise was the howling wind that unleashed a ruthless beatdown. A tremendous gale force was funneled down into the valley taking your breath away. Granules of powdered snow sprinkled across the meadow were shaped in writhing patterns that resembled the shifting sands of a great, white desert. Shar...