I recently completed a series of paintings about winter. On a few lucky occasions while teaching at the Environmental Learning Center for the North Cascades Institute I have seen the simultaneous effects of moonglow and alpenglow on Pyramid Peak. Sublime is a word I might use to describe this phenomenon. Moments like these in nature are what I often want to paint, but it's dangerous artistic ground because it has been so well-trodden. I try to find unusual subjects, ones that have not been photographed and made famous, and it's difficult to create anything that comes close to the raw power of a living landscape. But like most artists, I keep believing I will get closer to that with each new painting.