Impression Evergreen

"Theo in the Wilderness" Colored Pencil Theo is caught during a momentary respite while hiking in Utah’s rugged wilderness. Brimming with confidence and full of a youthful spirit, he eagerly answers the mountain’s call to keep climbing. It’s a long and winding trail through unforgiving terrain that leads to those spectacular white peaks. It will be an exciting adventure filled with unforgettable memories, earned experience and great peril. Influenced by Pop Art, this full-length portrait is a modern snapshot highlighting everyday life in the American West. To create interest, it combines black outlines and bold, flat color with some soft shading and distinct texture. The artist’s son is seen standing in a statuesque pose while dressed in athletic apparel and a weathered ball cap. His person is realized in a raw gesture rather than a photographic likeness. The young man’s face is distinguished by a full beard that expresses a maturity that masks his true age in years. Tall and...

The stormy summit of Courthouse Rock Rising prominently out of the low prairie, Courthouse and Jail Rocks are historical landmarks that, once upon a time, guided wagon trains across western Nebraska. Today, the twin towers still loom over the Great Plains and after all these years, they’ve evolved into a formidable challenge to all free climbers. As Jail’s sheer rock wall is virtually impossible to ascend, we attempted to scale Court on a stormy, Saturday morning this past summer. A careful approach to the base of the beast was necessary because it traversed a rugged grassland rife with deadly rattlesnakes. We negotiated the lower sections of the imposing ziggurat without much concern as the sticky sandstone offered generous hand and foot holds. To reach the top, the crux of the climb was just below the final tier where we had to overcome the fear and physics of an unimaginable overhang. While we rested on the slender summit, we enjoyed a panoramic view that ranged from the ...

The Bay Window House Animas Forks is a rickety ghost town teetering high in the San Juan Mountains just east of Silverton, Colorado. It used to be a bustling community during the silver boom of the late 1800s but today only the miner’s spirit permeates the cool, mountain air. Pictured above is the best preserved building, an impressive residence known as The Bay Window House . Broken down and beaten after enduring years of nasty weather, the resilient structure rises defiantly out of a dense thicket of green willows. I can’t imagine how people lived up here all year long, extracting precious minerals from the generous earth. There’s no debate that they enjoyed breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks but struggling to survive the harsh winters must have been absolutely brutal. Cool mountain air The best preserved building An impressive residence Rising out of the willows High in the San Juan Mountains A miner's spirit A rickety ghost to...

Beaver Brook On a steamy autumn day, the casual descent into a deep gorge was suddenly transformed into a lesson about underestimation. It began along a pine studded rim, towering above the mysterious depths of a jagged ravine. Carved by a fast-flowing creek called Beaver Brook, the narrow gulch was a fantastical place where sea serpents swam. The farthest reaches of this Front Range wilderness felt just as remote, rugged and awe-inspiring as any piece of land in Colorado. Down at the extreme bottom, a series of twenty footbridges criss-crossed the blue stream while transporting the hemmed in hiker through a picturesque portal. Down there the problems began because the thrilling scenery and ease of passage were short-lived. The steep escape from such a fiery dungeon was a heart-pounding misadventure that was as brutal as climbing any fourteener. The way out was littered with thin ledges, vast drop offs and rock-cut stairwells. A more thoughtful approach was required in ord...

Houston during a monsoon Mid-April, we flew to the nation’s fourth largest city for a hoops tournament and survived a truly treacherous travel experience. We departed Denver during a blizzard and landed in Houston during a monsoon. H-town is a polished metropolis distinguished by sweltering heat, high humidity, heavy rain and unexpected u-turns. Punctuated by a profusion of palm trees, the spring greenery seemed especially exotic. A network of elevated highways weaves its way through the glittering domain of glass and steel. While I don’t have anything against the urbane and sophisticated, I just feel more at home in the high country. The basketball jamboree was a dream come true for my son who played against some of the best players in the nation. Getting out of town on Monday was a nightmare as bad weather forced the cancellation of our pre-dawn flight. We frantically scrambled to find a way back and after a long day filled with worry, we luckily managed to board a plane...

Reflections April was even more difficult than I could imagine as it was marked by snow, the A to Z Challenge, limited artwork and a travel adventure in Houston, Texas. I wasn’t able to get much drawing done but my hand is still sore from all of the writing. My theme was travel photography so most of the posts were about places we’ve already been but I had to use GPS to find Xenia’s location. X always seems to present problems as we made a special trip in order to truthfully document the abandoned townsite. Posting every day is difficult enough but keeping up with the commenting is a struggle so that’s something I’m still trying to finish. All in all, it was another great experience because I met lots of creative people and discovered some inspiring blogs. Formatted below is a list of my favorite sites from the last month. If you get the chance, please check them out: Courtney Turner Maui Jungalow Giving real information for people who live on Maui or people who are curi...

Longs Peak, Colorado Longs Peak is a monstrous beast brooding over the northern Front Range near Estes Park. The sheer, east face is a diamond-faced dilemma forcing most climbers to take a grueling detour around the backside of the mountain. Making it just to the Boulderfield is no easy task, where the tundra environment looks like something from another planet. Passing through the unique Keyhole formation delivers the determined to a new dimension named Glacier Gorge. A quick traverse ends at the bottom of the Trough, a steep, rocky slot leading towards the crest of an exposed ledge. After negotiating the frightening tightrope known as the Narrows, the final push up the Ramp is a piece of cake. From the flat, football-field-sized summit, there is a celebration of spectacular scenery that rewards your strenuous effort. That exhilarating sense of accomplishment you feel after earning the top is what mountain climbing is all about.