Impression Evergreen

"High Country Clouds" Colored Pencil It’s a perfect, summer day in Colorado’s Front Range where soft clouds drift across a hard wilderness that’s constructed from wood, rock and water. The remote cirque is set below a string of jagged giants who don’t possess even a trace of snow. As is usual in the alpine environment, a dense thicket of verdant willows inhabit the outskirts of a pristine, glacial tarn. The surface of the ice-cold reservoir shimmers from a placid wind that rushes into the valley from the west. The high country clouds are beginning to gather and their choppy shapes reflect the rugged contour of the mountain peaks that occupy space far below. The naturalistic vision is portrayed in a more accurate, traditional manner concerning line, shading, perspective, composition and color. The subtle hues, observed in thin air, are a woven tapestry of the three primary colors, resulting in an endless gradation of gray. A delicate mix of ochre, pink and cerulean create...

Lake Minatare Built on the edge of Nebraska’s sandhills, Lake Minatare is a secluded oasis of clear water and dense woodland. More than a century old, the remote refuge is an irrigation reservoir supplying water to the North Platte Valley farmers. The great, blue aqua fir is encircled by a hedge of cottonwood trees that glow dazzling yellow in the fall. A terrible drought has shrunk the shoreline, exposing a wide gap of white sand and a narrow land bridge. Gazing out on the beach from within an exotic forest, gives the scene a strange, tropical feel. It’s hard to believe such a lush, riparian environment exists in the arid plains of the Great American Desert. Overlooking the horseshoe-shaped bay, a line of rugged buttes creates an incredible backdrop for the unique landscape. Towering above the point of a narrow peninsula, a full-sized lighthouse seems out of place as it shines over a landlocked prairie paradise. During a breezy autumn, big clouds are blown across the sky, creat...

Three Sisters Park Settled below the eastern slopes of Elephant Butte, there is a quiet quadrant in Three Sisters Park that features a rocky pathway which loops through a stark woodland. Earlier this summer, during a morning jaunt, the peace and tranquility of this lesser-known locale was readily apparent. On the move by daybreak, the sun’s deliberate diffusion of clear light gradually transformed the look of the lush landscape. Shadows and luminance flickered through the forest creating an effect that fostered delight. From the trail’s highest point, an open overlook offered unobstructed views of the landmark trio of rocky spires. Jutting into a powder-blue sky, the changing works of art are continually sculpted by wind, rain and ice. One of the most interesting aspects of the area was the existence of old structures symbolizing the spirit of the pioneer west. I’m certain the evidence confirms that this wilderness, chock-full of wildlife, history and solitude, has always been and...

Arkansas River Canyon Conceived in some of Colorado’s highest country, the Arkansas River rushes down through its namesake valley. Upon leaving the state, it continues an incredible journey across the southern plains until its confluence with the Mississippi River. Near Cañon City, at one of its most volatile sections, the Arkansas’ whitewater rapids are threaded through a chasm of devastating beauty. The timeless crevice is sliced out of red earth and its jagged, rock walls are defined by eternal shadows of violet-blue. While wandering up to the rim of this royal gorge, a satanic sun scorches the savage landscape. The devil’s domain is a vicious mixture of greasewood, cactus, yucca and sagebrush brewed in a cauldron of fire. Upon reaching the cliff edge, the true elevation becomes an awesome reality whose dizzying concept is difficult to comprehend. The tiny ribbon of blue, winding its way through a graveyard of broken spires and collapsed structures, seems so far away. Descend...

"Ghost Horse" Colored Pencil Floating out of an eerie windbreak, a white apparition confronts the viewer face-to-face. It’s a piercing dawn in the Sandhills as the ghost horse haunts a prairie hacienda. The pale wraith is peaceful and harmless as it drifts through a moat of tall grass. Trying to bridle him in, a rough-hewn stockade is suggested by an irregular grid of interlocking, geometric shapes. Defined by a steel-blue shadow, the phantom’s head is the portrait of simplicity. His shaggy, winter robe is conveyed by the purest of white with touches of cool gray smudged into the shape. With the rapid rise of technology, automation and manufacturing, we creep ever closer to becoming the ultimate, urban civilization. It’s heartening to come home to western Nebraska where vast tracts of ranch land scenery can still be found, summoning the resilient spirit of the Old West.

Helms Lake Ensconced in the granite bowl of a spectacular gorge, Helms Lake is an aqueous repository of visually stunning scenery. The soaring tarn lies tacitly above tree line but still far below a fortress of towering peaks. The difficult journey to this remarkable, alpine refuge begins in a forest of lodgepole pine and progresses through tremendous groves of radiant aspen. A cascade of icy snowmelt traces the trail and the comforting sound of rushing water placates the soul. It’s a dim aurora as the morning light yearns to infiltrate the dense interior of the primeval wilderness. The diverse geography is a succession of tiered plateaus creating a grand staircase that culminates in a basin of otherworldly beauty. While straining upward through different life zones, the tenacious trees gradually become more stunted and twisted before suddenly giving way to a glorious tundra. A maze of willows insulates the remote reservoir, creating a buffer between a rugged world and smooth wate...