Impression Evergreen

"Gore Range Wildflowers" Colored Pencil Drawn mostly from memory, this landscape depicts the vista from Ute Pass, looking across the Blue River Valley. The summery scene is an optimistic vision of a fruitful future. North out of Silverthorne, the gentle mountains turn jagged, purple and picturesque. As golden clouds glide overhead, the chaos of opposing angles creates an exciting composition. A bouquet of colorful wildflowers fills the foreground as the natural beauty is a garden of earthly delight. Delicate details of dark and light define this beautiful arrangement. Rising sharply out of the fertile plateau, the rugged range is still laced with an intricate pattern of white snow. Finally, the forms are intentionally simplified in order to better express the mystique of these heavenly peaks.

Wasatch Mountains, Utah The Wasatch Mountains are a verdant range of massive peaks that loom above Sandy, Utah. Rising out of the nearby desert, they form an impressive barrier insulating the secluded corridor from the rest of the world. The serene hillsides are laced with steep switchbacks that reward the tired traveler with shimmering, blue lakes. Tumbling down from above tree line, raging torrents form hidden waterfalls that are difficult to discover. Mornings are warm and peaceful with only the sound of birds singing in the brush. Up here, darkness doesn’t go down without a fight so seeing those first rays of light in the Wasatch are always an ethereal experience.

The Mantlepiece of Mountain Gods I heard the stories about a remote trailhead and a hidden pathway to a secret Shangri-la located high above the treeline. Ignored by serious climbers and unknown to tourists, the St. Vrain Mountain Trail is an epic journey to a world I thought existed only in mythology. Below, an ancient grove of aspen was a natural cathedral of air and light. Up, we followed a rocky creek and climbed a steep stairwell of endless switchbacks. The snow became a formidable obstacle and almost halted our expedition. With dogged determination, we pushed on and soon entered the land above the trees. As we crossed a shelf of tundra, a spectacular explosion of incredible mountain scenery was suddenly detonated. I'd never seen so many beautiful peaks crowded together in one frame. Stopped dead in our tracks, the landscape was mesmerizing. Each lofty summit and crooked ridge seemed to beg for the photographer's attention. Veiled in braids of white snow, the vi...