Cloud Dragon (Golden Hills)

Micah Schwaberow

"Cloud Dragon (Golden Hills)" was the first print of 2016 for Micah Schwaberow. In this small format, bucolic scene he uses a vivid aquamarine sky as contrast to the gold and rusty hues of the rolling hills, dark cypress and oaks dotting the horizon. Above, a cloud formation stretches across the expanse like the mythical, serpentine body of a dragon.

Schwaberow often focuses on the landscapes of central coastal California, highlighting the region's varying climates as they change with the seasons. Here, he's depicted inland Monterey County near Carmel, where the Santa Cruz mountains begin to melt into the soft hills. His technique shows the sensitive, painterly hallmarks of Japanese printmaker Toshi Yoshida, an early mentor.