"Evergreen Lake Spring" Watercolor

After a tiresome winter, it's finally spring at Evergreen Lake where everything appears back in perfect order. The trout are jumping, ducks are quacking and dippers are dipping.

Rushing out of the rugged Front Range, Bear Creek becomes a lazy river as it enters the wide reservoir. The painting’s foreground features sparkling highlights that flicker across the pond’s icy inlet.

On land, the variety of fresh vegetation displays a rich diversity of size, shape and color. Known as Elephant, the big, gray butte concludes the background while wispy, white clouds sweep across a cerulean sky.

An arched footbridge transports the ambler to a winding boardwalk through a marsh of soggy cattails. The yellow reeds are a place where red-wings make a ruckus over food, relationships and intrusion.

Despite the blackbirds' protestations, most creatures consider the warmer weather a Godsend. Pressed beneath an arctic crush, we welcome spring as an uplifting prelude before the way-too-short summer season.