Impression Evergreen

"Teton Wildflowers" Watercolor During the dead of winter, I start yearning for the sound of birds and the scent of wildflowers. What better way to spend some down time than daydreaming about warmer weather while sketching with brushes and watercolor. The Tetons are an impenetrable domain of jagged alps straddling Wyoming’s western frontier. Filled with flora and fauna, this rugged wilderness erupts with surreal beauty during the fleeting summer. Blue trees cascade down into the forest meadows where fresh prairie grass is dotted with a profusion of Indian paintbrush. Looming above this American Arcadia, the spectacular peaks take on a tinge of pink during the peaceful mornings. The geography is situated at a unique geologic junction. An extraordinary place where the northern plains were folded, buckled and exploded, creating the youngest mountain range in the Rockies. There are no foothills as the outrageously steep pinnacles span over the surrounding landscape. I

"Mount Moran" Colored Pencil On a sunny, summer morning in the Tetons, Mount Moran is a massive monolith that’s been exiled to the northern front. Isolated from the rest of the range, the remote mountain is extremely inaccessible and virtually unclimbable. The chilling buttress is violet by nature but on this day a golden light infuses the scene with an inviting warmth that tempts the viewer to linger. There are no foothills to soften the blow as the massif rises suddenly out of a decorative forest of pine. The placid peak deserves a dramatic portrait so crisp highlights and strong shadows define its chiseled features. Great glaciers have gouged its profile and relinquished eternal snowfields that glisten white all year long. The serene mountain is named after artist Thomas Moran, who accompanied survey expeditions into the Rockies during the 1800s. Moran documented the extraordinary landscape of the American West through drawings, paintings and prints. A discipl