Impression Evergreen

"The Great Blue" Colored Pencil It’s late summer in the foothills and a great blue heron is hunting quietly along the shoreline of Evergreen Lake. The chaos generated by the passing storm from just minutes ago has receded and a peaceful calm has overtaken the watery habitat. The bird’s image is mirrored on the surface of the smooth reservoir just as the undulating landscape is a reflection of the billowy sky overhead. Above, a churning wave of bulbous clouds streams across the troubled firmament while below, a sea of tussled grasses rushes into the lower marshland. The meadow, lake, mountains, forest and sky are described similarly so as to unify these elements into a coherent whole. The shared color and soft shading transcends the harsh reality into a more pleasing aesthetic. The dim light knows no boundary so a certain murkiness pervades the entire atmosphere, narrowing the range of hue and contrast. The somber palette is relieved by a few flecks and passages of pure o...

Evergreen Summer After enduring one of the coldest and snowiest spring seasons on record, it’s only natural that the start of this summer has been cool and wet. The continuous monsoon has been somewhat of a blessing as the parched foothills have suffered from a terrible drought that has lasted for several years. Streaming down from snow packed summits, Bear Creek is running high and fast as it has filled Evergreen Lake to the brim. There isn’t a more picturesque place in the state when the reservoir is permeated by a mixture of drizzled moisture, breaking clouds and fading light. When not shrouded in mist, Bergen Peak glistens with a sheen of fresh color that seems to give the mountain a supernatural glow. Thriving from the rainy weather, the lush, green meadows have experienced a profusion of wildflowers, songbirds and hungry elk. Finally emerging from a frozen darkness, the Renaissance of good fortune has transformed the landscape into a lively ecosystem. One of the things I ad...

Summer light and shadows During this season, when the weather is warmer and the days are longer, the foothills landscape is defined by distinctive summer light and shadows. Evenings are particularly special because beams from the setting sun pilfer through cloud congregations, resulting in a rather dramatic effect. At dusk, the mountains turn blue and the trees in the meadow, before casting long shadows across the undulating field, are traced by a luminance that glows. Delicate wildflowers become translucent when their obscure niche is struck by the fading radiance. Sunsets at the lake are magnificent because now water, which reflects the glorious scenery, has been added into the equation, expanding your viewing pleasure. The peaceful ambiance becomes even more soothing when the rain settles in and, rather than induce melancholy, the muted atmosphere germinates solutions to perplexing problems. The blossom garden is bursting with optimism as the wind-blown flowers dance joyfully ...

Evergreen Lake after the Storm A solemn-gray Sunday morning started out with light showers and escalated into a severe thunderstorm that kept everyone shut in. Dark and cold, the slow moving system was characterized by heavy rain, marble-sized hail and scary lightning strikes. After a few hours, the dramatic weather drifted to the east and the broken clouds allowed shafts of low light to confirm the event’s conclusion. Under such unusual conditions Evergreen Lake was awash with a sheen of surreal color. After the storm everything was calm and quiet as the drenched landscape was completely devoid of another living soul. The mountain scenery was reflected, with stunning precision, across the water’s smooth surface. What made the evening so extraordinary was the impressive cloud formation that dwarfed the foothills landscape. The evening’s celestial dispersion eased the tension generated by earlier, threatening tones. A muddy trail led to the wooden boardwalk that skirted acr...

Golden Foothills Framed by wildflowers, a big, violet boulder marks the beginning of the way up into golden foothills. Around the bend, a slope of mixed vegetation leads to a broken ridge and the blue storm clouds beyond. The first hint of fall is a surreal splattering of yellow leaves below a pine bough of arched and broken branches. In the low light, a grove of turning aspen seems to glow when set against the coniferous forest. Their white trunks undulate like wispy ghosts disappearing into the darkness. Under threatening clouds, some must stand alone engulfed by a sea of black trees while we get drenched by a deluge of freezing rain. A boulder marks the beginning Slope of mixed vegetation A surreal splattering Glowing aspen grove Wispy ghosts Some must stand alone