Impression Evergreen

"Days of Glory" Colored Pencil Drawing It’s the early 1900s and Bridgeport, Nebraska is a fledgling community basking in the sunshine of its glory days. The town is known as “Trail City, USA” because it sits on or near many trails of the Old West including the Oregon, California, Mormon, Pony Express and Sidney-Black Hills trails. Back in 1876, Henry T. Clarke built a bridge across the North Platte River just three miles upstream from the current site of Bridgeport. This overpass improved the link between Sidney and the booming, gold-mining settlements in the Black Hills. The exchange of goods and precious metals between the two regions flourished for about a decade. During that time a loose-knit medley of early settlers established Camp Clarke, a small village located near the river. The actual town of Bridgeport was officially founded as a railway station by the Burlington Railroad in 1900. After the coming of the trains, the population increased dramatically and in 1

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Harpers Ferry, West Virginia is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Established in 1763, the town was a vital hub situated at the epicenter of American History concerning transportation, industry, slavery and the Civil War. Thomas Jefferson visited the area in 1783 and upon seeing the dramatic gap in the mountains, he declared “the passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature.” George Washington traveled there in 1794 and was impressed by the rugged beauty of the isolated outpost. Washington eventually chose Harpers Ferry as the site for a new national armory and by 1796 the U.S. military arsenal was established. Merchants, mechanics and immigrants flocked to the western Virginia township because of the commerce generated by the machine shops and rifle works factories. Probably the most famous event in the town’s rich history was aboli

Kittredge, Colorado Straddling Bear Creek, Kittredge is a small village tucked into the foothills between Morrison and Evergreen. Terraced into the mountainside, the picturesque community resembles something you’d see on a Christmas card. Integrated into the town’s edge, Lair O’ the Bear Park is an alluring canyon gouged by a winding, black waterway. Bordered by a forest of gnarled cottonwoods, the riparian landscape reveals color during all seasons. Blessed with beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife and a rural demeanor, the humble township is more than appealing. If you’re ever looking for someplace new to live, Kittredge would be the perfect place to put down roots.

"Mountains at Collioure after Derain" Watercolor This watercolor was painted as a study after the French artist, Andre Derain. The original was made in 1905 while he was working with Henri Matisse at the seaside village of Collioure, France. They had developed a startling new style that emphasized painterly qualities and vibrant color over representational depictions. It was a radical shift from the polished salon art that was currently in vogue at that time. Conservative art critics were outraged and labeled the loose group of Modern artists les Fauves (French for “wild beasts”). Fauvists believed the arbitrary use of pure color offered a more expressive way of depicting the subjects they loved to paint. Contemplating the picture above, we can sense Derain’s exuberant reaction to visiting beautiful Collioure. The picturesque fishing port is tucked away between the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees Mountains. The blades of grass are like sticks of dynamite that