Impression Evergreen

"Red Pyramid" Colored Pencil Constructed miraculously by the powerful forces of nature, the Red Pyramid is an extraordinary edifice rising above a remote, desert plateau. The sacred structure embodies magnificence as its eternal grandeur has survived the flow of immeasurable time. A symbol of rural culture, the perfectly shaped monolith is a meaningful monument venerated by the region’s local inhabitants. Majestic and complex, the mysterious peak is a unique source of intellectual and social power. Steeped in divine superstition, the supernatural landscape is inextricably linked with the celestial. Echoing dignity and inspiring awe, the spiritual summit is a magical place to worship the unreachable mountain gods.

"Red Alpenglow" Colored Pencil Down in southern Colorado a string of snow-covered mountains looms over a broad, ranchland valley. It’s just before dawn and the sun’s rays are streaming into the atmosphere where the light is reflected onto the peaks, creating a red alpenglow. The drawing’s obscure foreground is still frozen in a state of mystic shadow. A stand of dark trees stretches across the page as the strange silhouette is outlined in blue, emphasizing the scene’s surreal essence. The snowy pasture gradually gives way to the rosy cordillera where the shapes are defined by passages of delicate shading. Devoid of all detail, the white summits melt into a bleached sky, confirming the mountains’ sacred connection with heaven. Rather than race to faithfully record the fleeting nature of a transitory sunrise, it seems like there must be something much deeper. An expressionistic approach releases the artist to pursue a more personal interpretation that depends on a certain ...

"Sprague Lake Winter" Colored Pencil “Through art we can change the world.” ~ #twitterartexhibit It’s a rough day in the Rocky Mountains but some of the prettiest hues on the planet can be seen at lonely Sprague Lake. A breaking storm gradually reveals a dynamic landscape distinguished by rugged beauty. Concealed in a remote corner of Glacier Gorge, the reservoir is graced with coarse grandeur. During a tenacious winter, arctic weather crashes through the valley creating a callous environment. A relentless force of frigid cold has infiltrated the turquoise tarn, freezing it solid. Casualties of an immortal west wind, the remains of fallen timber are strewn along the obscure shoreline. Applied with a single layer of pure pigment, an icy palette of predominately blue emphasizes the already melancholy mood. The broken trees are angled in such a way as to exaggerate perspective lines, producing the illusion of deep space. The solemn wilderness is topped by primordial pe...

"Guardians of Snow" Colored Pencil It’s the morning after a potent storm and Bergen Peak is a silvery citadel commanding a sparkling valley. Sprawled out below a turquoise sky, the backcountry landscape is blanketed by an encumbrance of fresh powder. A ridge of supple conifers forms an impenetrable maze protecting the secluded kingdom from the busy world beyond. The Guardians of Snow glitter in the pristine surroundings, creating a vibrant mosaic of dark shadows and white highlights. Up close, the forest is an abstract arrangement of nebulous shapes filled with a combination of flat and shaded hues. Blue, violet and gray are stippled across the page in free-flowing passages of pure pigment, exaggerating winter’s icy palette. The somber color scheme betrays the glorious mood evoked from trudging through deep drifts just after dawn. Not even the frigid cold that grips the foothills can dampen the festive mood permeating a coming new year.

"Canyon of Fire" Colored Pencil It’s summer on the desert plateau and an acid-green river slices through a blazing gorge. The ecosystem is an unbearable furnace where frustrated flora somehow survives the fierce environment. A sweeping arrangement of enigmatic shapes is smudged into the picture’s foreground. The intentional smear inspires experimental effects that become contagious to the rest of the composition. A garish-yellow sky radiates sour light that flashes through the infernal chasm. The sulfur peaks in the distance are softened by a subtle wash of smoky-violet haze. Engraved into sandstone, the Canyon of Fire can only be conjured by a violent color fusion of ochre, mineral and tuscan. The Devil’s Abode dares the visitor to venture ever deeper into dangerous territory. This rugged Ravine of No Return is riddled with a hostile array of yucca, cholla and prickly pear. Trapped in a boiling abyss of vertical walls, a steep slide of saffron offers a glimmer of hope...

"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.

"Blue Bergen Peak" Colored Pencil Below a blue Bergen Peak, the late winter landscape is a clash of complementary colors, changing seasons and converging perspectives. The spirited mood is heightened by stylized shapes, gradual shading and the application of dense pigment. Burning under a bright sun, the fiery field in the foreground blazes across the picture plane from crimson red to Spanish orange. The confusion of excessive detail has succumbed to a smooth gradient of analogous colors. A stubborn remnant from a recent storm, a drift of deep snow lingers in the shadows of a troublesome gulch. Patches of still more snow are scattered across the vermillion grassland that recedes into the distance. A remarkable pine tree explodes into the composition from the right, dwarfing the other elements during its desperate call for attention. It’s vibrant foliage is an organic swirl of light and shadow that is splayed out into the air. The sky is broken into two tiers of differ...

"Golden Hawk" Colored Pencil Perched on a high throne decorated with a wreath of autumn leaves, a golden hawk gazes over a vast empire. The royal color scheme of blue and gold is applied in patches of similar value, resulting in a posterized portrait. Highlights and shadows are downplayed as the abstract contours exaggerate the drawing’s obvious two-dimensionality. The resplendent creature is static and solid suggesting a timeless permanence that symbolizes confidence, power and freedom. This piece does not portray a specific individual but it is more of a generic representation of a dazzling species that is so often overlooked. The monarch’s feathers are barely insinuated and the tail stripes are reduced to a simple pattern. The long, dark wing is devoid of detail, the ochre bib promotes a sand-colored chest and the yellow feet, equipped with sharp talons, melt into the mosaic of foliage. Cut out of a powder-blue sky, the noble profile of a bronze head is adorned ...