Impression Evergreen

"Red Cloud Buttes" Colored Pencil Rising out of Nebraska’s northwest corner, Red Cloud Buttes is a noble promontory bordering the desolate northern plains. The rugged pine ridge is named after the legendary, Lakota chieftain - Red Cloud. The string of bluffs overlooks the White River Valley and historic Fort Robinson, an old military post that featured prominently in the annals of the “Wild West”. Today, the remote wilderness is known for its extreme solitude. Native Americans still revere this sacred rampart and during a sunrise trek, its interior is imbued with an arcane spirituality. The mystical experience is enhanced by birdsong, bison and extraordinary light. A central theme is the profusion of big-blue sagebrush that’s scattered across the burnt-orange grassland. The landscape’s natural color scheme is expressed with a startling combination of complementary colors. A brief shower of summer rain has just passed so the breaking clouds filter the soft morning light. Viewe...

"Escalante Valley - Colored Pencil Drawing" The Escalante Valley in Utah is a lonely arroyo hewn by a serpentine river that in the late fall can be easily forded in order to gain access to a labyrinth of arches, grottos and hidden glades. Unfamiliar with such a preternatural territory, it is a strange and mystical wilderness. Rising from a field of fiery grasses, the ancient rock formations tower above the desert floor, carving out a rugged skyline. The primordial beauty is enhanced by an explosion of autumn hues that can only be expressed with color from across the entire palette. The reddish buttes are sculpted from a progression of steep tiers and scarred by vertical striations. While defining the extraordinary shapes, the distinct shadows stay warm except for the deepest that trend towards purple. The desert ramparts are an exceptionally rugged borderland concealing the remote river chasm. Running along the base of the sheer walls, raw galleries preserve magnificent petro...

The Utah desert Eastern Utah’s vast desert country is a lonely landscape that appears to be devoid of any type of life. The treeless terrain is tinted yellow as the otherworldly environment of rock and dirt exhibits a certain stark beauty. Forming a rigid backdrop, a range of striated book cliffs punches into a boundless, blue sky. Anything but flat, the trails are a rollercoaster of ups and downs, offering panoramic views from the summits of sandy overlooks. Utah is an absolutely gorgeous state with some of its most spectaculars places preserved as National Parks. Passing through this arid backcountry may seem dull at first but if you look closely, there is an understated charm in the vast expanse of hazy buttes painted with colors of soft pastel. A lonely landscape Treeless terrain Panoramic views Stark beauty Understated charm