Denali Reflections

It's been a typical winter here in Maryland, with snow, ice, and a bad cold spell in January. As we wait for spring, let us visit a place where winter lasts about half the year. Denali, in Alaska, is the tallest mountain in North America, and its peak is often shrouded in clouds. Here we see it looming above one of many local lakes and rivers carved by glaciers, its proud crown illuminated by the setting sun. Warm light hints of better days to come.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Regaining the Light

The holiday season is finishing up and it's now 2025. The winter solstice was a little over a week ago, and slowly but surely the days are growing longer. Here we see the sun rise across a snowy northern forest of conifers. Light gleams through the trees, hinting at the still distant spring. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17" 

Moonrise over Snowy Pines

Winter has been relatively normal this year along the east coast of the US. We've had a few snowfalls, with another on its way, and some cold temperatures, too. Here, we see the moon rise above a cold northern forest, casting its warm glow on the snow as a few stars peak through the clouds - light without heat. Soon, spring will come and melt away the snow as life returns to the forest. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Hill Country Winter Sunrise

After several years without measurable snowfall, winter returned to Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region this week, with frigid temperatures and two snowstorms that each dropped several inches of snow. Here, we see the snowy weather from the rolling, forested hills of western Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania as the sun rises on a quiet, freezing day. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Swift Winter Sunrise

Winter has been basically nonexistent this year in the eastern United States, so we'll just imagine an appropriate scene. Here, the sun peeks above the distant trees, quickly bringing a bit of light and warmth to a frigid, snowy scene. Clouds roll by, perhaps remnants of whatever storm brought the snow. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Frigid Woodland Sunset

It's been a warm winter here in Maryland without a trace of snow in most of the state, but the season isn't over yet. Here, we see the low winter sun set in a tangled forest of old trees and vines, all coated with snowy silence. Spring will come eventually, but until then enjoy the winter.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Snowy Sunrise atop a Sequoia

The winter sun rises over the snowy, tree covered hills of the Sierra Nevada range, filling the sky with a warm yellow glow. The air is cold and crisp as we enjoy a bird's eye view from the lofty heights of an ancient Sequoia tree. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Frigid Winter Dawn

Winter has been chilly here on the east coast of the US. Here, we see the sun rise across a rolling field covered with snow, the warm colors in the sky contrasting with the frozen air. Conifers stand in dark relief against the brightening light, each waiting for spring to return.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Welcome Mountain Snow

A straightforward scene celebrating the return of much-needed winter snow to the western mountains of the US. In the low light of winter, the wind swirls the snow between the pines before another blizzard descends upon the rocky peaks. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Bryce Canyon Blizzard

This was an odd painting that sort of drifted all over the place until I figured out what I wanted to do with it. Painting canyons is very difficult since they are frighteningly complex structures, and the snow just made it even more challenging. After a lot of muddling around and wondering if the painting was going to turn out, I was able to get some meaningful structure and contrast into the scene. I think the result is acceptable, though somewhat more abstract than most of my paintings. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Snowy Sequoia Solitude

Continuing the theme of isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, here we have a different take on the concept. A lone, ancient sequoia stands in a snowy forest in the Sierra Nevada mountains, far away from civilization. While there are other trees around, none of them have experienced all that this mighty tree has in its thousand or more years of life, so it is still alone, in a way.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

From Glacier Point in Winter

This painting was inspired by my trip to Yosemite in 2018. Here, from the Glacier Point overlook, we see the high Sierra mountains in winter, with sunlight gleaming off Half Dome in the distance. Clouds float above, illuminated by the winter sun, the only warmth in this cold and wild landscape. This was an interesting painting since it ended up far more high-contrast and tonal than most of my works, but it's an accurate reflection of the overwhelming contrast between light and shadow on Half Dome most of the time.

Acrylic painting; 14" x 17"

Swampy Winter Sunset

Today was snowy, so I decided to paint something appropriate to the weather. Somewhere far from the big cities, the sun sets in fiery colors beyond a soggy marshland, the reflected light the only real warmth on this cold day.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Aurora in Winter

I decided to go with something unusual for this painting - a scene in the frozen north, near the point where the trees fade away, of the aurora borealis in winter. It was an interesting challenge to paint since it's a nocturne with strangely colored, glowing ribbons across the sky, but I think it turned out reasonably well given the challenges.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Forsythias and Snowmelt

It has been a long winter this year, with the largest snowstorm happening in late March, after the technical start of spring. Here, at the edge of a field and in the shade of an old row of pine trees, we see the snow still linger in the shadows as blazing yellow forsythia flowers illuminate the cold air.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Light Without Heat

In early February, many ancient northern cultures celebrated holidays marking the middle of winter with spring on the horizon. Examples range from the legends that produced Groundhog Day, to Imbolc, an ancient Gaelic mid-winter festival. A common theme is that of light without heat, for although the days are growing noticeably longer, the air is still cold and snow is often still on the ground. Here, we see that the horizon is pink with dusk even as a local streetlight is already on, marking the slow return of light; and yet, snow covers the ground and the air is frigid. Spring is slowly on its way.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

January River Thaw

The weather in much of the US for the past two weeks has been extremely cold, with everything freezing solid. Amid the snow and ice, we look ahead to the next week, when the first thaw is predicted. Here, the ice melts in a few places on a frozen river beneath a towering sycamore tree.

Acrylic paintings: 14" x 17"

Winter Sunrise Shadows

In the light of a frigid winter dawn, the sun blazes through a snow-coated forest, glimmering on the frost and streaking through the branches above. Long shadows are cast from the low light, falling across the shrubs and grasses half buried in the snow.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Slushy March evening

Spring seemed to come deceptively early this year, but a warm February turned into a cold March full of slush and ice. Here, we look down an empty side street in the evening as light snow falls on warm pavement beneath the glow of old streetlights.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Holiday Highway Travel

Around Christmas and New Years, millions of people head out on the roads, journeying to see friends and family. Here, we see several travelers making this journey along a modest highway through snowy fields and median-strip woodlands. The low-angle sun, marking the end or beginning of the day, adds some drama and beauty to what would normally be a relatively forgettable scene. For those wondering, this highway has a median-strip of trees, so the opposite lanes of traffic would be off to the left, and are thus not readily visible.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"