Different Strokes, Show Opening

Eldon Warren, Alec Cooke, and myself opened the Different Strokes Show last Friday evening at the Arkansas Valley Art Center in Buena Vista. The photo above shows about one third of the work and this show will continue through June 28th.
The three of us met 2 years ago in Estes Park where we all paint in the Plein Air Event there in August. Eldon is from Arvada, Alec from Pagosa Springs and I am from Alamosa. We were invited by the Arkansas Valley Art Center to show our plein air work and "Different Strokes" refers to the 3 very different ways that we interpret the landscape en plein air.

3 very different styles en plein air

Here it is clear how very differently we approach the landscape. Technical styles aside, we each have a distinctive take on what we see.
Alec's work is the first piece here, Eldon's is the next and mine is the third.

The posts below show all of the work that I took to the exhibition, which will hang at the Arkansas Valley Art Center, (in the Colorado Mountain College), just south of Buena Vista, through June 28th.

Arkansas Valley Art Center Plein Air Show

'On the Tracks at LaVeta', 16"x12", in oil on board; painted last summer in the park at LaVeta, right by the railroad tracks.






'Cold Storage', 9"x12", in oil on board. I painted this in the late afternoon in Monte Vista, after painting in Alamosa River Canyon. It was good to get out of the deep snow but the day was very cold- about 25 degrees.




'Chimayo Sanctuario', 12"x9", oil on canvas panel. The most beautiful day down in Chimayo, New Mexico in early April. When I see this I remember how good it felt to be out where things were beginning to bloom and we could paint without jackets and gloves.

'Spring Thaw', 16"x 12', in oil on board. Early March Sue and I went down south of the tracks in Alamosa where the truck traffic in the snow made the alley just MUCK; fun to paint tho'.






'Beaver Creek', 9"x 12", in oil on canval panel. Sue and I drove up the road out of Southfork toward Beaver creek looking for any sign of running water. In this spot a small creek fairly danced out of the darkness of the snowy canyon.

'Morning At Sprague Lake', 6"x 9", in oil on board. On my first morning in Estes Park last August I painted these hikers standing on a small bridge over a creek flowing into Sprague Lake. It was just a sparkling morning.

'Little Red', 8"x 10", in oil on board. This little engine sat a good part of the winter and when we got a sunny day it was a pleasure to stand on the tracks to paint it. Freight trains passed while we stood out there and one person asked why we chose to paint what is ugly when there is so much beautiful around. Well, I thought this little guy WAS beautiful.

'Alamosa Urban', 9"x 12", in oil on board. And Speaking of beautiful... I love this kind of stuff around Alamosa.

'Seven Mile Plaza',
12"x 16',
in oil on board. This is early spring in the village north of Monte.

'From Bahada Hill',
12"x 16",
in oil on board. Painted south of Sante Fe last August with Plein Air Painters of New Mexico.











'Painting at Ghost Ranch', 12"x 16", in oil on board. My friend Jana painting on a perfect afternoon in October.

Beautiful Buena Vista

The Arkansas Valley Art Center is located in the Colorado Mountain College, near beautiful Buena Vista, Colorado. The center has a lovely gallery that suited our show perfectly. A special 'Thank You' to Carolyn Rice and the members of the Art Center who did a really beautiful job hanging the show and were great to work with.
The next time I come to Buena Vista it will be to paint.