Hinrichsen, 44, hails from south-west Germany.
She landed in California in 1999 for graduate school at the San Francisco Art Institute.
Snow drawings first crept into Hinrichsens inspiration in 2009 while working at the Anderson Ranch near Aspen.
She created her first spirals on Lake Tahoe.
Over time, she started pre-empting her drawings with sketches on paper.
Snow drawings last such a short time.
It could be two to three hours, or two to three days, she says.
They define the landscape and they are defined by it.
See more pictureson Flickr.
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