Art Cards by Kristen Ross
Juniper
While hiking the Sound of Silence trail on the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument, I came across this majestic juniper tree perched atop a sandstone ridge. It seemed to be queen of the trail, crowning the highest point with a 360 degree view. I knew I had to paint it. The trail lived up to its name: I couldn’t hear a single person or vehicle for miles. Prints available
Ice Lake
Ice Lake is an alpine lake in the San Juan mountains near Silverton, Colorado. At an elevation of 12,270 ft, the Ice Lake basin is surrounded by several peaks including Grant Peak, Fuller Peak, and Beatie Peak. The trail ascends almost 3,000 ft in under 4 miles, but the stunning views of the surrounding San Juans and the deep cobalt waters of the lake are well worth the effort.
Four Pass Loop
Four Pass Loop is a popular backpacking trail in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen, Colorado. My sister and I hiked this 26-mile trail on our first backpacking trip together in 2017. I took the reference photo for this piece at the top of 12,462-ft Buckskin Pass. From here, Snowmass Lake can be seen in the distance, where we camped the following night. Prints available
Snowmass Lake
Snowmass Lake is a popular camping spot along the famous Four Pass Loop backpacking trail in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen, Colorado. I hiked this 26-mile trail with my sister on our first backpacking trip together in 2017. Vibrant colors and flowing lines convey the sense of awe we felt on this trip of a lifetime. Prints available
Rustler’s Gulch
Rustler’s Gulch is a 9 mile out-and-back trail near Crested Butte, Colorado. My sister and I hiked it during peak wildflower season in the second week of July of 2020, when the tundra was carpeted with countless wildflowers. The trail got its name from the cattle rustlers who used the valley to hide their stolen herds from settlers in the 1800s. Prints available
Rustler’s Gulch II
I loved this trail so much that I had to paint it twice! The reference photo for this piece was taken a mile or two from the end of the trail. Prints available
Cascade Canyon
Cascade Canyon Trail is a 9 mile out-and-back trail in Grand Teton National Park. My mom, sister and I hiked it in August of 2021 amid the haze of wildfire smoke. The trail is named for Cascade Creek, which carved out the canyon and provides ideal habitat for moose, bears and other wildlife. We saw several moose along the trail munching happily on young aspen trees. Prints available
What the Trees Know
As one of the rare times I’ve painted a place I haven’t visited in person, What the Trees Know grew out of my fascination with avalanches and their aftermath. This piece shows an avalanche scar flowing down from a mountain peak, already being reclaimed by wildflowers, shrubs, and saplings. Avalanches play an important role in balancing alpine ecosystems, rejuvenating the land and creating firebreaks in dense forest that would otherwise be susceptible to intense wildfire. Prints available
Flatiron Sunrise
The iconic Flatirons as seen from North Boulder where I call home. At sunrise they often glow bright orange or pink, especially after it snows. Bear Peak and South Boulder Peak can be seen on the left, with Green Mountain on the right. Prints available
Waneka Lake
Waneka Lake is in Lafayette, Colorado, 15 minutes outside of Boulder. While walking around the lake at sunset, I snapped a photo of the front range behind the lake with curlycup gumweed among the rocks. Prints available
Great Sand Dunes
Inspiration for this piece came from a 2020 trip with my stepsister and niece to Great Sand Dunes National Park in central Colorado. This unique geological phenomenon formed due to winds blowing sediments from the San Luis valley and surrounding Sangre de Cristo mountains over tens of thousands of years, creating the tallest dunes in North America. Prints available
Alpenflow
This is the first impressionistic landscape piece that I created, and I credit it with helping me find my “style”. It’s one of the only pieces I’ve done that doesn’t depict a specific place I’ve visited; everything about it was completely spontaneous. Prints available