Impression Evergreen

Arches National Park Arches National Park is one of the most fascinating places on earth and exceedingly more spectacular than I had imagined. Upon ascending to the top of a high plateau, a gateway of rock towers welcomes you to a world of canyons, cliffs, valleys, mountains, gardens, caves, pinnacles, spires, hoodoos and arches. The diversity of scenery is staggering as the rugged terrain seems to transform at every turn. Discovering the Delicate Arch takes you off the main road but a grueling hike up to its secluded location is well worth the effort. From the rim of a lofty overlook, a fiery furnace of red crags has consolidated on a ridge, creating a sandy terrace of inhospitable textures. At the far, northern end of the park, there is a forbidding yet intriguing zone of arches known as The Devils Garden. An area called The Garden of Eden is an unbelievable section of formations that will take your breath away. With names like Balanced Rock, Window Arch, Turret Arch, Double Ar...

"Blue Inlet" Colored Pencil It is a late spring morning at Evergreen Lake and a potent storm has blanketed the foothills with wet snow. The only living creature bearing witness to the extraordinary landscape is a Canada goose, drifting quietly across the water’s rippled surface. The blue inlet is defined by the irregular contours of dark reflections that mirror the surrounding pine forest. This cold channel meanders through a snowy marsh painted white but dappled with squiggly, gray shadows. A mountainside’s choppy ridgeline descends into the narrow valley creating an effective backdrop for the stand of pale aspen trees. In the far background a jade-colored peak offers just a touch of warmth to the otherwise cool, color scheme. This wilderness expression is an enigmatic puzzle of interlocking shapes that vibrate from the contrast generated by passages of flat and shaded chroma. The solemn composition is crackled with facets of pigment that are layered, burnished and smu...

Delicate Arch The Delicate Arch is tucked away in an eroded, natural amphitheater that includes sweeping views across a vast expanse to the La Salle Mountains. Reaching Utah’s most iconic landmark requires strenuous effort as the two mile trek to the spectacular location is almost entirely uphill. With a shape more sturdy than delicate, the heavy set vault is truly a masterpiece of nature’s erosional engineering. The rigid, orange rock contrasts sharply with the soft, blue sky, creating artistic compositions from every available angle. Reaching the summit of this unique environment is worth the effort because the difficult journey through time instills appreciation for the desert’s beauty. Hordes of hikers stream through this area but not even the enthusiastic crowds can diminish the enlightenment achieved by attaining this Mecca on the Mesa. A strenuous effort A two mile trek A journey through time Desert beauty Mecca on the Mesa Erosional engineering A natural amphitheater Hordes o...

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

Snowstorm at Stagecoach Park After months of record breaking snowfall during March and April, the cold streak continues into the middle of May. The frigid beauty revealed in the aftermath of a freak snowstorm betrays the dreary weather experienced this spring. As usual dawn is shrouded in mist and you can see your own breath as glassy, white ice encases the shocked landscape. The trees are particularly hard hit but they display a defiant resolve to defeat the unexpected elements. Stagecoach Park is barely recognizable because of the low-lying clouds that cause reduced visibility. The field’s sturdy fence line seems to extend from an impressive pine all the way into absolute nothingness. After about a day of such nonsense the blue sky opened back up and an impatient sun went to work releasing winter’s almost unclench-able grip. Even the park’s iconic landmark, Bob the Dinosaur, has grown weary of this eternal, glacial event as it feels like we’re still in the last Ice Age. Freak sno...