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Rocky Mountain High 9x12 oil
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The Amazing Krummholz 9x12 oil
When my brother first moved to Colorado, he took me hiking everywhere we could squeeze in in a day. |
On one of our hikes up a 14,000 footer, where the air was thin, the vegetation was amazing. He then introduced me to the krummholz and the story of how the tiny little trees persisted for years under incredible conditions. The wind and terrain and all of the things that worked against sustainable and favorable growing conditions created these marvelous twisted tiny trees that outlasted all the "normal" trees that lived at lower altitudes on the mountains. After that I became intrigued by the character of the trees that grew in the Rockies and in challenging conditions. These two paintings are of trees at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado. Not quite hovering close to the ground like the krummholz I had seen before, they displayed the twists and turns and color that set them apart from other trees. Short in stature and with limbs dying and broken, they displayed a tenacious spirit that kept them strong against all odds.
I loved the color harmonies of the landscape as well and painted both with the same limited palette. I was honored when "The Amazing Krummholz" won Best in Show at the spring 2018 show at the Artists Gallery at Patriot Place in Foxborough, MA.
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