This May I had a few successful plein air trips to the forest areas around Turquoise Lake near Leadville, CO.

There are many fascinating and exciting painting challenges in the forests around Leadville.

One challenge that stood out to me lately was capturing the greenish hue that waterfalls can have.

I think that there’s so much surrounding green that the water takes on a bit of a green color too.

The Colorado Trail and the Timberline Trail around Turquoise Lake near Leadville is very rewarding, and not only for a painter.

In this particular year of 2026, it seems much of the snow that may have blocked the trails in earlier years has melted off quite early.

It’s been fun out there - see you on the trails!