In the words of the artist: “This Snow Drawings piece was created with approximately 50 volunteer performers, who collaboratively recreated – in an abstracted sense – the original flow of the Yampa River and its 4 main tributaries within Routt County, CO. The river is now dammed and the valley is filled with water. In a 4-hour effort the groups of volunteers walked across the lake on snowshoes to create a pattern of a general stream as well as paying tribute to the moods of water, as its flow may be slow or fast, rough or smooth, straight or meandering, whirling in circles and racing down rapids.” The work is a powerful reminder of what is lost when a river is dammed. As energy and conservation priorities evolve, however, governments and private enterprise may be incentivized to remove dams, which is the first step in restoring the river ecosystem.

Hinrichsen’s snow drawings are reminiscent of geoglyphs, large-scale landscape works that pre-date modern history. Archaeologists believe that some of these primitive landscape works were created for religious and ceremonial purposes, but other theories abound and the sites remain a mystery. Explore a series of geoglyphs in Peru known as the Nazca lines in thisdocumentary.

In the words of the artist: “I made my first Snow Drawings in February/March/April 2009 during an artist residency at the Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado (near Aspen). In the beginning mostly out of play, I started designing patterns in my mind, which I then tried to ‘transfer’ onto the snow by walking lines in untouched snow surfaces with snowshoes. As vast fields of snow became huge ‘canvases,’ I became the ‘pen.’ My drawings had to be composed of one continuous line, and there was no option for correcting my line. Once imprinted into the snow, I had to make do with it. This posed an exciting challenge that I came to appreciate, as it demanded adaption of pre-conceived ideas and initiated spontaneity and experiment. As I kept creating patterns over the course of the winter, I discovered that my snow canvas behaved differently depending on the thickness and quality of the snow (for instance soft and dry versus coarse and wet). The character of my imprints – or my line – was defined by these conditions. Imprints exposed to sunlight created yet another type of mark, as it partly thawed and refroze later in the day. The ephemeral character of this work required instant photo documentation. Taking photos led to yet another discovery: depending on the angle of the sun in relation to the position of the camera the drawings could appear shining white or almost black. My pieces typically had two entirely different readings when observed from opposite sides, or at different daytimes, especially early morning and right before sunset. Equally the works became defined by the surrounding landscape, as well as the omission of any environment and sole camera focus on the altered snow surface. I welcome the subtlety and ephemeral nature of this work and how it defines the landscape during its short presence. At the time of its creation the duration of each piece is completely unpredictable. It can last as long as a few days or as short as a couple of hours, covered by snowdrifts or new snowfall almost immediately.” Learn more about Sonja Hinrichsen and her snow drawings in thisshort video and watch the creation of her snow drawing at Briançon, France in thisvideo footage.

Sonja Hinrichsen’s ephemeral snow drawings invite us to reconnect with nature and encourage us to move through the world with a light tread. If you are inspired by her work, you can take action in your own life. Select one or more pledges listed below and spread the word. You can also learn more by visiting our Pledge Center. Let’s #EndOvershoot and save our #OneEarth.