Ozark Winter...

"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape — the loneliness of it; the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it. The whole story doesn't show." - Andrew Wyeth

Bush Wildlife, Lake 35, Winter Panorama, 12X48 Acrylic

Snow days were the best as a kid. How could you not love spending a school day building snowmen, sledding, having snowball fights, and making snow angels? As an adult, it's much easier to get annoyed with the chores a snow day brings, like having to shovel the driveway, digging your car out of a snow bank or the stress of driving on the icy roads. But why focus on the negative when we can put on our snow boots and go out to enjoy the beautiful snowy weather?

January, Ozark Winter, 12X24 Pastel

As an artist and photographer, I look forward to snow days.  Snow turns the grimy, gray days of winter into a beautiful landscape of white.

Sandy creek Covered Bridge, 12X12 Oil

Winter is a different world. Buildings, trees, and frozen lakes briefly become abstract shapes on a background of white. My favorite summer paths and trails are seen from a different vantage point. Better still, I often have all my special places to myself. Leaving my foot print in a field of snow is a thrill in itself.  With snow on the ground I feel just as vibrant and alive in the gray depths of February as I do on a spring morning, a midsummer’s afternoon or a crisp autumn day.

Wintering Elephant Rocks, 15X30 Acrylic

Around the globe, winter is on retreat. Sixty years from now, winters are projected to be more like what they currently are 500 miles south. In a rapidly warming climate, winter is something to be cherished. I would even say there’s a moral obligation to get out and enjoy it while we can, before it melts away.

Femme Osage Creek, 12X12 Acrylic

ElePhant Rocks Detail,15X15 Acrylic