Impression Evergreen

Snowstorm at Stagecoach Park After months of record breaking snowfall during March and April, the cold streak continues into the middle of May. The frigid beauty revealed in the aftermath of a freak snowstorm betrays the dreary weather experienced this spring. As usual dawn is shrouded in mist and you can see your own breath as glassy, white ice encases the shocked landscape. The trees are particularly hard hit but they display a defiant resolve to defeat the unexpected elements. Stagecoach Park is barely recognizable because of the low-lying clouds that cause reduced visibility. The field’s sturdy fence line seems to extend from an impressive pine all the way into absolute nothingness. After about a day of such nonsense the blue sky opened back up and an impatient sun went to work releasing winter’s almost unclench-able grip. Even the park’s iconic landmark, Bob the Dinosaur, has grown weary of this eternal, glacial event as it feels like we’re still in the last Ice Age. Freak sno...

Big, big snow It’s the middle of March and nature has not unexpectedly unleashed a furious blizzard that has buried the foothills with big, big snow. A sparkling Bergen Peak overlooks the aftermath from its lofty position. The pyramid-shaped monolith dominates the landscape and becomes the center of interest in the Cezannesque composition. The pine trees are completely wrapped in cloaks of heavy, wet snow that cling to the conifers like glue. Shot from a different perspective, the peaks portrait is enhanced by a unique border of branches and laurel. The mostly monochrome mountains are quite dramatic but after a season of gray, I’m anxious to experience the first colors of a much needed spring. Middle of March A furious blizzard Bergen overlooks the aftermath Pine trees are wrapped in snow Bergen Peak dominates the landscape Buried in snow Anxious for Spring Season of gray A Cezannesque landscape

"Blue Bergen Peak" Colored Pencil Below a blue Bergen Peak, the late winter landscape is a clash of complementary colors, changing seasons and converging perspectives. The spirited mood is heightened by stylized shapes, gradual shading and the application of dense pigment. Burning under a bright sun, the fiery field in the foreground blazes across the picture plane from crimson red to Spanish orange. The confusion of excessive detail has succumbed to a smooth gradient of analogous colors. A stubborn remnant from a recent storm, a drift of deep snow lingers in the shadows of a troublesome gulch. Patches of still more snow are scattered across the vermillion grassland that recedes into the distance. A remarkable pine tree explodes into the composition from the right, dwarfing the other elements during its desperate call for attention. It’s vibrant foliage is an organic swirl of light and shadow that is splayed out into the air. The sky is broken into two tiers of differ...

Below Bergen Peak It is a brisk sunrise in the meadow below Bergen Peak where the solemn monarch presides over the forlorn foothills. Scattered haphazardly across the golden field, ponderosa pine are lonely sentinels overseeing any approach. After a month of mild weather, most of the snow has melted but there are a few drifts that still survive in the shadows. On this clear winter morning, wispy white clouds are blown across a cobalt blue sky. The muddy trail, set upon a tilted plain, is a gradual incline that is quite grueling to traverse. While the scenery on this day may not be so spectacular, the sleepy landscape affords some serenity in order to recharge the soul for another year. Snow drifts survive in the shadows Wispy white clouds A grueling traverse A sleepy landscape Serenity to recharge the soul A solemn monarch Lonely sentinels Ponderosa pine

"In the Forest, Fillius Ridge" Colored Pencil It is the middle of winter in the Colorado foothills and Fillius Ridge is the spiny crest of a steep, forested hillside. The rugged scene is another study in contrast involving opposing shapes, edges and values. The forest interior during the winter is one of the most austere places on earth erecting a severe barrier from the rock, ice and fallen lumber found in a forbidding wilderness. Life is a struggle on the lofty rim where plants, trees and animals struggle to survive this season of gloom. The flickering landscape makes a gradual transition towards abstraction as the indistinct edges of the lodgepole pine melt into the morning sky. The dark mood is alleviated by a trickle of pink light that gradually seeps through a web of tangled branches and needled foliage. It is a natural patchwork of analogous colors where white highlights streak across the cliff’s snowy surface. The sharp angles of the deep, blue shadows conv...

Winter Storms This year we have skipped fall and descended directly into the dark season as winter storms Aubrey, Bessie, Caleb, Dorothy and Ezekiel have already pounded the foothills with heavy snow. It is generally during the month of March that we receive most of our moisture but the amounts dumped this autumn have been historic. It is not just the excessive precipitation that is remarkable but also the arctic cold as the deep snow is piled into drifts of feathery powder. The mountains are cloaked in a robe of glittering gray while the limber pine are bent by the weight of thick frost, creating an arched pathway into the frozen, forest kingdom. When ploughing across the pale meadow, your footsteps make a distinct crunching sound that can only be heard when walking on soft snowpack. December is usually dry so it is unpredictable as to whether we will awaken to a classic Christmas Day but I know one thing for certain - dreams of a White November have already come true. We...

A fleeting utopia The morning after our first snow and the clearing storm revealed an absolutely pristine landscape. Glittering in the soft light, a pair of ponderosa pine were glazed with fresh, white powder, creating a pointillistic effect. The gathering of dense clouds dispersed, unveiling a cold mountain that was frosted from field to summit. Gradually the white peak came into focus, crowning the autumn landscape with a staggering beauty that can only be witnessed this time of year. Sprawling below a new-blue sky, snow-spackled trees were scattered across an orange grassland. The slow-moving system had finally dispersed leaving the colorful landscape in a state of fleeting utopia. A pristine landscape A pair of ponderosa pine Unveiling a cold mountain A staggering beauty Snow-spackled trees A colorful landscape