Measuring Lower Curtis Glacier

Watercolor, Colored Pencil, Conte, and Acrylic, 16” x 20”, 2023

This painting is a landscape depicting the Lower Curtis Glacier on Mt. Shuksan in the North Cascades, Washington. There is no data in this piece. I have been working on this glacier as part of the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project (learn more here) since 2009, so when I completed this piece I had been here 15 times. Each year we have a wonderful team who work to measure annual changes to this glacier. This is a cirque glacier, which means it fills a bowl and is largely avalanche-fed. The figures in the painting cross the top, out of sight to the right is a dramatic icefall terminus. In the background is glaciated Mt. Baker, which we also work on every year. This landscape is a compilation of photographs I have taken, as well as Tom Hammond (described below.)

People in the painting: In front is my dad, project Science Director Dr. Mauri Pelto; behind him is Tom Hammond, who commissioned and owns this painting and has been involved in conservation in the North Cascade and Olympic Mountains for decades; the third figure in line is my brother, glacial hydrologist Dr. Ben Pelto; lastly, is me, Art Director of the project.