Telluride Plein Air- Day 1

I arrived in Telluride late Saturday afternoon. This morning the event officially began- canvases were stamped at 9 AM and artists began to paint in Telluride and surrounding areas. For me, Telluride is a bit like the Marilyn Monroe of landscapes- lots of dramatic views- beauty spots- and over the top gorgeousness. Its very easy to be overwhelmed by it. Its definitely a big view kind of place which makes it harder to find the sorts of intimate scenes I prefer to paint. In addition, the cool cast of the light and color harmonies are the opposite of the warmer palette I tend to favor. But enough excuses, its time to paint!

Gone Painting

On Friday I am heading out to the Telluride Plein Air Invitational. Telluride - an historic mining town located in a box canyon in the heart of the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado - is now a trendy destination in both winter and summer months. The town holds a huge 4th of July celebration each year complete with an old fashioned parade with homemade floats and a flyover by F16 jets and World War I biplanes, and Norman Schwarzkopf as the Master of Ceremonies (he has a second home there). A few years ago, the Sheridan Opera Foundation decided to add a plein air event to the festivities. Thirty artists from across the country are invited to Telluride to paint for a week, followed by a collectors auction and a public sale. This will be my third year participating in this show.

So, right now I'm busy getting organized (painting supplies, frames, canvases, easel, etc), and packing, and doing laundry, and making lists for my husband. Friday I'll do a 12 hour power drive to Santa Fe and spend the night with friends, then drive on to Telluride on Saturday. I am taking my laptop so I plan to post while I am there. Until then...

A Summer Evening

A Summer Evening - oil 5 x 6
Sold
Last evening I was looking out the window at the long twilight, safe in my air conditioned envelope. It seemed so quiet and still. Then I went outside to take a closer look, and what a racket! Bird song punctuated the steady hum of insects, crickets chirped, the cows in the next field chimed in and the whole landscape was alive with the neon trails of fireflies.

One Summer Morning

One Summer Morning - oil 6 x 5
Sold

The other morning I was out early. We had rain the night before and there were still storms to the west where the sky was a dark blue grey. In the east, where the sun was coming up, the sky had an eerie greenish cast that bathed the landscape in a veil of light I had never seen before. It felt like the world was on the cusp of changing into something else- I know that sounds a little over the top- but there it is.

This is the first small painting I've done in quite a while-it was such a pleasure to do after working on larger pieces for weeks.

Another New (to me) Art Blog

I've just discovered that my friend Steve Worthington, aka Bunny Boy (you'll see why) has a blog. Steve, a wonderful animal sculptor, is a transplanted Brit living in Santa Fe with his lovely wife, Meridee. Within about 5 minutes of taking up sculpture a few years ago, Steve had been invited to join the National Sculpture Society, juried into the prestigious Loveland Sculpture in the Park show, and had several galleries showing his work. He is a wonderfully creative guy and his web site and blog are highly entertaining. Enjoy!