Extreme Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . at the Class M planet Nearest You

Here I am, getting the last word in "plein air" painting, thanks to good friend and fellow painter Eldon Warren, who is himself, a little other worldly.
Check out his work at his website www.eldonwarrenarts.com.

Art for the Endangered Landscape

This September 29th paint-out will focus on conservation and land use in our part of Colorado; always a hot topic.
The San Luis Valley Eco System Council and Community Partnerships of Adams State University are hosting this event on Saturday, September 29th, starting at 9. a.m., to raise public awareness to a proposed wildcat oil well exploration site that is within a residential site surrounded by public land. The purpose of the event is to celebrate the existing conditions of the area; Sue McCullough, David Montgomery and myself, will all be taking part to document the area en plein air.
Artists of every type and interested members of San Luis Valley communities are also being invited to take part, adjacent to a proposed drilling site on San Francisco Creek south of Del Norte Colorado.

If this kind of event rings your bell, either as a supporter of wild lands or as an artist/supporter, come out to enjoy a fabulous fall day in Colorado.  Go to their website at slvec.org for directions and more information.
The San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council is a non-profit advocacy organization for Colorado public lands.

Peak Weekend

Today is the first day of Autumn and the San Juan Mountains wear a garland of yellow like a necklace across the front of the range where aspens grow thick between the pine trees. A most beautiful time of year and the most nerve wracking - where every plein air painter wishes they could be in several places at once to snatch the fleeting color. Due in part by a warm, dry summer, the trees were changing in the high country back in August - YIKES!  Now it is here, full blown, and we will try to catch some of it and pray that a deep freeze or fluke snowstorm doesn't cut the season short before its time.

It can also be a time of hard choices: where to go, choosing to go to a competition/event- or not, it's a great time to be IN a show but a better time to paint out . . . . and every day the window of opportunity gets smaller. In years past Sue McCullough and I have painted all over the the Arkansas River Valley and Collegiate Peaks as part of the CO Mountain Plein Air Fest competition . This year however, we are choosing to skip the event circus and head into a different part of the state near Lake City. This is supposed to be the PEAK weekend for color, so we will take aim and hope to come up with the goods. Hopefully, more about the outcome - later.

T

These paintings are all Autumn pieces that have sold recently. From the top they were painted at the Rio Grande River in Alamosa, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, Cottonwood Pass, Colorado and along the border of Colorado and New Mexico.