These are paintings of the same view of Saddlebag Glacier. Take a closer look. What do you notice? How are the two paintings different? The painting on the top is from 1981, while the painting on the bottom is the same landscape in 2018, nearly forty years later.

In 1981, during David’s first winter in Cordova, he drove 20 miles out of town to a hiking trail that led to Saddlebag Glacier. After five miles, the trail turned around a bend and the glacier face appeared abruptly at the far end of Saddlebag Glacier Lake. It was near the winter solstice, and the low-angle yellow light of the sun mixed with the blue of the glacier to create an emerald green glow on the ice. The face stretched from one side of the canyon to the other. From 1981 to 2017, the face gradually declined in height and became more of a gentle slope. By 2020, the glacier was no longer visible, having retreated up into the canyon, leaving only a gravel moraine.

Here's a quote from David about how he recalls these scenes after four decades of observation. He shares:

“My dilemma now, as a realist landscape painter, is how to paint this magnificent scene. Should I paint it as I remember it hours after a hike, or as I remember it from 40 years before? The dramatic color and light from 1981 are imprinted in my memory while recent views quickly dissipate. I find myself going with the old memory.”

Please proceed to audio tour location 6.