It is the First Day of Fall

A fresh breeze blows around my house,  like sighs at the passing of summer.  It is a little sad but on this first day of Autumn I want to celebrate - not that summer is gone but that a pretty good consolation is still ahead.
David Montgomery, Susan McCullough and myself went up into the high country around Creede this last week - witnesses to the rush of the new season. We enjoyed painting 3 days in beautiful weather and fabulous views. Don't miss it if you have a chance; this next week will see the peak of color around the San Juans.

Looking for Snow

Last week Sue, Dave and myself went looking for snow and found it up the Pinus Creek Road in the San Juans, above Del Norte, Colorado.
As Spring comes on, the winds kick up in Colorado but we managed to catch a morning that was very mild and almost calm. There was a lot of "atmosphere" though, because of fires that burned in other parts of the state; downright smokey day actually. Some painters go for that atmospheric/air look -
being originally from California, I'm not so keen on it.

Spring ? ? ? Where's the GREEN?

Spring is finally coming to our part of the country. You would never know by the views or snow covered mountains but temps are rising and that is always a good sign.
Last week, David Montgomery and I went east towards LaVeta Pass- looking, for something -not sure what, but we finally pulled over on the road and just started walking around. I am not very patient, or willing to spend a lot of time looking for a certain thing, but am more inclined to find a view with what is available. In this case, the bushes and fence served but I came home rather cranky about all the BROWN landscape.
I guess I haven't been getting out enough.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.

SHOW Time

Thanks Alamosa and the San Luis Valley for showing your support in such a tangible way by spending the evening with us, - and buying art.

I try not to have expectations about show openings in general- certainly, out of town shows where I might not know anyone. A home-town show though,
is a very different thing and my hope is always for a REALLY great party - period.
Last night's opening exceeded all of our hopes as so many friends, from every sphere packed out the long gallery in the Medical Center ARTium.
Mid way, we paused to enjoy an amazing panorama as the sun set over the San Juan mountains. The sun went down, lights came up and people enjoyed food and conversation late into the evening.

The Medical Center ARTrium is on the second floor and part of the route taken by doctor, nurses and many patients on their way into surgery or back to recovery. Even as we set up for the opening a large extended family had gathered to wait for one member who was having heart surgery. This ART space is a part of that world and it is especially gratifying when we hear from those people - how much they enjoy the paintings - PRICELESS.
The SLV Regional Medical Center also owns and shows original artwork by myself, Susan McCullough and David Montgomery, and many other valley artists - as part of their permanent collection.
- another reason why I love Alamosa. Thanks so much friends.

3 Friends, 3 Painters Show comes to the ARTrium

The newest version of 3Friends-3Painters opens this Friday night in the ARTrium at San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center.
New work from myself, Susan McCullough and David Montgomery - most of it painted in the landscape. Join us from 4- 7pm for the party to celebrate in one of the valley's most beautiful art venues at the SLV Regional Medical Center.

Below, we are all together at Rock Creek- it only looks like the Amazon jungle. If I recall, that day we were painting beaver ponds.

Thanks SALIDA

Many Thanks to the SteamPlant, who hosts the Paquette Gallery and to the art-lovers in Salida who came out on a subzero evening to see this show. It was well attended and we were very encouraged.
This show will hang until Monday January 16, in the Paquette Gallery at the Salida SteamPlant in Salida; just off F Street by the river on 220 W. Sackett Ave. or call (719) 530-0933 for info. Gallery hours are Mon - Fri 9 to 5.

3 FRIENDS show Opens in Salida

The 3 Friends Show, featuring the work of Susan McCullough, David Montgomery, and myself - opens tomorrow night, Friday
December 16th - 4 -6 pm, in the Paquette Gallery at the Salida SteamPlant Event Center, in Salida; just off F Street by the river on 220 W. Sackett Ave. or call (719) 530-0933 for info.

This most recent incarnation of our 3 Friends Show will exhibit over 45 paintings and many from the Salida area of Colorado. In September David, Susan and myself competed in the Salida based, Colorado Mountain Plein air Festival where we all awards.
Showing work with fellow painters Susan McCullough and David Montgomery has been fun, and because we so often paint together we enjoy the chance to highlight the breadth of style that we three bring to the discipline.

Come enjoy the opening, there will be food, Susan, David and myself will all be there and afterwards, the evening will be young enough to have dinner at one of Salida's great restaurants.

Estes Park Plein Air

It's August and I am heading up to Estes Park for the Plein Air Event and Western Light Shows. This is the highlight of my summer painting season and Sue will be going as well. YaY!
My show, Western Light, will open on Friday night August 26, 6pm at Earthwood Collections, and will feature my work as well as that of James Whartman, Eldon Warren, Maggie Renner Hellmann, Margaret Jensen, Tim Howe, Cindy Carrillo, Lou Renner, Terri Sanchez, and Mike Brouse. Earthwood is on Elkhorn Drive - that's the main drag.
Sue's show will open on Saturday night the 27th, 6pm at the Cultural Arts Council, further up on Elkhorn. It will be a big weekend for art openings in Estes Park so if you are in the Denver area, take a drive up to beautiful Estes Park for the weekend. A perfect hurrah for the end of summer.
Posted at the top is my painting from last Thursday in Rock Creek- a 9x12.
This piece will go up to Boulder for the Women of the West Show that will open there at Earthwood Gallery on Friday night Sept 2.
I am a little crazed right now, getting ready to go and still framing work, ect, ect.
Tonight in Taos, my good friend the fabulous Peggy Immel opens a one woman show at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art, 5-7pm. If you are in the Taos area - this is the show to see.
Peggy will also be one of our merry band of plein air painters in Estes Park, along with Patrice Walker.
There is a rumor that David Montgomery will also be in Estes Park. I hope we all get some painting done.

Painting in the Fabulous Zapata

Last week the Tuesday night painting class went out to Adams State College to paint in the twilight and light drizzle. This was my view up the 3rd Street; a 6"x 8".

The next day David Montgomery and I drove up into the Sangres to paint in the Zapata area on the side of Mount Blanca. I love this area because it has so much: deep aspen groves, dark pine woods, running water, high desert and pinon, a lake, long views of the valley - all in the shadow of Mount Blanca.
We found this burbling little water fall right by the side of the road and painted there for most of the morning. David is very adept at this deep woods and water thing - me - not so much; but I have been trying to do more waterfall subjects and actually seek out what, in the past I would run from. This painting is 12"x 9" and was really a challenge.
I am hoping Dave has posted his piece on his blog- just click on this link to get to his blog.

Still Friends - after all these paintings

And still smiling - even after months of painting, working and planning.
Thanks Dave and Sue.
Thanks to everyone who drove up from the Valley to Creede for our opening at the Repertory Theater Gallery and to folks in Creede who supported us.
The whole project went so well that we are taking this show on the road and will open at the SteamPlant Event Center in Salida on December 17th with a party at 4 pm. The Salida show will highlight plein air work done together this summer and into the fall.
My mountain sunset,
"Late Show" - to the right,
was the first sale of this show.

Class Notes: David Montgomery's Class Demo FINISHED

A few weeks back David Montgomery did a painting demo for my class. As he painted, he explained his process and technique, color mixing and painting philosophy. The time was entertaining and informative, and though saw we much of the process - as shown below - we never saw the piece actually completed.
Here it is - the finished
and framed 8" x 10",
and of course, for sale; a perfect Mother's Day gift.

It's Spring - Take Cover and Hold on to Your Earflaps

Winter cold will seldom keeps us from painting out - but Spring wind will. We do all kinds of things to foil the weather, as if it were possible to sneak out under the cover of night and get a painting done before the wind finds us ; but we still try. In the last 3 weeks finding a morning when the wind wasn't already blowing the paint off of your house at dawn was rare. Over Spring Break, Dave Montgomery and I headed up the western slope of Mt. Blanca and took cover in the pinion for a view west over the San Luis Valley, as clouds blew in overhead.

A week later, we lucked out on a perfect day with no wind; Sue McCullough, Dave Montgomery and I drove in to the very mountains we had been viewing from Blanca, the week before.
Looking for snow and running water, and a good place to park, kept us heading up Alamosa River Canyon and happily, we found it all on an extremely beautiful day.

These plein air trips, with Sue, David and myself painting together in the same locations, are the basis of our 3 FRIENDS show that will open June 3rd at the Creede Repertory Theatre's UPSTAIRS Gallery with a reception at 5:30 pm.
On December 17 at 4 pm a reception will open the 3 FRIENDS show at Salida's Steamplant Gallery.
Lot's to paint between now and then and wind will be a major factor.

Class Notes: Painting Demo with David Montgomery

This last week, our Thursday morning Painting Class had a special guest, well known landscape painter David Montgomery.
David is known for his dramatic and epic scenes of the Western Landscape. It was a treat to watch a master walk us through his process. He began with an 8"x 10" linen panel, a photo cropped for this purpose and a charcoal sketch already completed. Click on photos to enlarge them.
Dave and I paint together in the landscape a lot and tho' our styles differ dramatically, our process has many similarities; the sketch being one. The sketch is where we make decisions about what to say about said photo - or the view before us. Amazingly, this is a step most ignored by beginners.

In the second photo, he has used violet to draw the general layout, based on the sketch, and begun to lay in a complementary under painting, over which he will work the varied greens of the landscape. At this point he is very conscious of allowing that under painting to peek out between brush strokes as he works it from the top down towards the bottom.


Dave is a classically and academically trained painter with a refined sense of technical expertise. His unique style though, has developed from a bent to follow his own passion and not the wind of stylishness or painting fad. My students had a lot to say about his brushes, which are mostly #1 & #2 rounds - which I do not allow in class.
. . . As long as you live under my roof missy, you'll do as I say . . . . . . .
- oops wrong lecture.
In the next photo, Dave is making a point about different edges and detail, created by varied brushwork. The final photos show how the bottom, and foreground of the painting were resolved. He did not consider the piece "done" at this point but will take it home to his famous freezer where it will rest for a day or 2 until he can look at it with fresh eyes and better judge if the piece has become what the sketch intended or if it needs some massaging. Massaging might be resolving edges to bring some foreword and make others recede, it might be added detail to bring the important points out, or it might be simply adding the signature.
Thanks Dave for sharing your work and your process with so much generosity. To read more about David Montgomery and see his work click here on his name.
As a ps. I am happy to say - I own one of Dave's plein air pieces, painted at Point Lobos in California on the Monterey Peninsula.

Spring Paint Outs

Spring is coming on very fast - the 2 pairs of Canadian geese have come back to the pond behind my house, - migration has started. Usually the geese will spend a week or two on solid ice, but not this year.
In Southern Colorado, we are in a window of calm somewhere between freezing temps and the onset of Spring. When the real warming starts - wind will tear through the valley like a roaring beast. It's something we dread. Painting out as temps rise is nice, but days with little, or NO wind, are something to really relish.
Last week Sue, Dave and myself went up to Creede to do some business and paint (see post below-Visit With Stephen Quiller). After coffee with Steve and Marta we headed up the canyon to what was the original Creede settlement and found a lot of snow and running water. My 16"x 12" piece is here to the right.

This Wednesday, Sue, Dave and I were joined by Peg Immel, fellow PAAC painter from Taos, and we met in Fort Garland to paint in the eastern end of the San Luis Valley.

Less snow in this area than we had seen in Creede but it was harder to find open water.
We each separated to areas that attracted us. Sue went after the red rocks, Dave ventured down by the river; I have no idea HOW he got there but it looked like a sweet spot.
Peg and I painted a stand of cottonwoods with a pinion - my 16"x 12" is posted below.

A Visit With Stephen Quiller

Where do I begin to talk about a great day?
Good weather, good friends, serendipitous meetings - it's all that.
Last week, Dave Montgomery, Susan McCullough and I went up to Creede to mix some business with, well business. In May, the 3 of us will hang a show at the Creede Repertory Theatre Gallery and looking it over seemed like a good idea; of course, finding a place to paint along the way was also a priority. So once our business at the Theatre was finished we looked for some caffeinated fortification before heading up the canyon to paint.
On the way we decided to try to catch Stephen's Quiller in his studio (Quiller Gallery is down the street from the Theatre).











We were rewarded by finding Steve at work on a 360 degree mural for the new Creede Repertory Theatre Building. WOW!
Steve, talked about the piece in process- generous to let us look at eveything - like our busting in on him was the highlight of the day.

I can't say enough about how much I admire Quiller, as an artist, designer and all'round good guy but I felt so fortunate to get a glimpse behind the painting at the easel, to the artist's mind during work in progress. Be still my heart!
The mural is not yet ready for public viewing, and being kept somewhat under wraps - if I show you too much - I'd have to kill you all. . .

We saw some pretty big sections of the final piece, but also his layouts and small mock-ups; the charcoal sketches, alone 'bout made me faint with creative desire and passion. Nothing fires my jets like seeing, in a tangible way, the artistic process. WOW!
And if our chance meeting could not get better,
he and Marta joined us for coffee - and picked up the tab.
Thanks Steve!

Looking for Winter

We have had an unseasonable shortage of snow here in Southern Colorado; chalk it up to LaNina or whatever,
but on Friday
Sue McCullough,
Dave Montgomery and myself went looking for some winter. We found snow and sunshine, the perfect combination,
up at Rock Creek
not and hour from the house. With temps at 31 degrees and NO wind, it was like a day in the park. This photo of Sue expresses out feelings, exactly.

Sue, Dave and myself paint out together often and amid other things, are working toward a show that will include work from all three of us done on trips together. That show will open with a party on Friday, June 3rd in the Upstairs Gallery at the Creede Repertory Theatre, in Creede.

June is aways off though, in the meantime, we will enjoy a little bit of snow. This was my piece from our beautiful morning in the mountains. I have been experimenting with a more extreme format of 1 by 2. This painting is 20"x 10".

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Thursday the Painting class went up toward Conejos Canyon, to paint in Josie's neighborhood at Bear Creek. June is magical there; the Aspens are finally out and twinkling in the breeze, and deep stands of trees are lit like a fairy forest. I never tire of painting there. This shot shows my sketch sitting on the easel and my finished under painting.
Dave Montgomery joined us and was a great addition to our outing - not to mention his valuable insight at critique time. Thanks Dave. Click on the photo to get a bigger view of his piece.
Margaret Jones here, is intent at mixing and behind her is Dee Bartee. This area has enough material to keep us entertained for years; a pond, a river, waterfalls, tall pine forests, distant canyon walls and deep aspen forests. The only part I don't like about this place is leaving. Thanks Josie, for being such a great hostess.
Below is my piece - a view into the woods as the sun filtered through the tree tops.

3 Painters, 3 Friends, 3 Points of View

The San Luis Valley Brewing Company in
Alamosa, Colorado Presents
paintings by Coni Grant,
Susan McCullough, and David Montgomery
through May 30.



David Montgomery.
Lifelong painter, conservationist and interpreter of the landscape, David creates work that highlights the glory of nature and is a celebration of the harmony found in that natural world.




Susan McCullough.
With a passion to see and reveal
the landscape en plein air (out doors),
Susan paints the West with the
eye of understanding that
only comes from a lifetime of
focused observation and inspiration.



Coni Grant.
Primarily a plein air (outdoor) painter, Coni uses her design background, together with innovative color ideas to express a view of the landscape that is distinctive and contemporary.







David, Susan and Coni all maintain studios in the
San Luis Valley that are
open to the public.
Their work can also be
viewed on line at:
www.DavidMontgomerypaintings.com
www.SusanMccullough.com
www.ConiGrant.com
_________

So much for the Press release.
We got together on Monday to hang this show at the San Luis Valley Brewery and rewarded ourselves with an early tea-time. I recommend the Alamosa Amber but this pub also makes one of the best Rootbeers - ever. So if you are anywhere in the neighborhood - that would be within 200 miles - take in the show, 3 Painters, 3 Friends, 3 Points of View, and enjoy lunch or dinner at the San Luis Valley Brewing Company. The brew master is a woman - that's why the beer is so good.