Estes Park PLEIN AIR 2008. The Show

The Estes Park, PAINT THE PARKS '08 Show opened on Saturday afternoon, award winners were named and it was pretty much time to relax a bit. The two galleries hosting the event, Earthwood Collections (the gallery that represents me) and the Cultural Arts Council opened simultaneously, and during the course of the evening we walked between the galleries to get a look at all the amazing work entered into the show. Two of my pieces sold at the opening; that's a first and a pleasant surprise.
Thanks so much to Ron and Ann Wilcocks, their staff at Earthwood Collections, and to Lynda Vogel at the Cultural Arts Council who put on a GREAT plein air event.
And Thanks to Rick Frisbie who took this photo and the others with me in them.

Estes Park 2008. Quick Draw Saturday

The Quick Draw is my favorite part of any plein air event and probably the only time all of the artists paint together. There is a little bit of nervous energy but once the whistle blows everyone gets right to it.

As a consequence of painting in the shade my acrylic under-painting took a very long time to dry so I used the time to take photos of other artists. At the top, rick Frisbie breaks his concentration for a moment to give me a wave; Scott Freeman is painting the model. Deb Robinson, in her signature cowboy hat, is painting a view upstream and you can tell the morning is cool; she still has a sweater on. Teri Gortmaker is working in pastels and you can see her tray of pastels laid out on the french easel. The last photo is of KC Benson, a watercolorist whose work I admire. He has work in the Link Gallery in Cheyenne, who also represents me.
Click on the photos to see them larger.

Estes Park 2008. Quick Draw Saturday

A lot of artists paint the model at the quick draw; not my cup'o tea- or maybe I'm not brave enough. The model is seated in a wicker chair on the right, facing the painters.

Estes Park 2008. Leslie Allen Paints Me

Well, this was fun. Leslie Allen (a fellow member of PAAC) was set up behind me, and unbeknown to me, used me as her quick draw model; and a sweet job she made of it. I would have loved to have bought it at the auction but knew better than to get in the middle of the bidding - which got rolling quite quickly. In the end my friend Damon, a gallery owner form Columbus took it home. - Sigh. . .
Take a look at the hat; so expressive, so terse and decisive. Check out more of Leslie's work at www.allenfineart.com.

Estes Park PLEIN AIR 2008. My Quick Draw

In the last 2 years at the quick draw, I have done more intimate views, of the stream or a group of trees. Today I painted a long view looking over the park, parking lot, and all of the activity, to Long's Peak through the trees.
There is something about a quick draw, the pressure and the energy which helps me cut loose and paint more freely. There is not time for second guessing or tedious care taking. Most plein air painters can do the job handily in the time frame but usually prefer a more finished look. That would not be me. I would be the one actually trying to make my daily paintings look more like the quick draw paintings.
The piece didn't seem to suffer at the auction. After some active bidding, this one sold for the highest that I have ever had a quick draw go for.

Estes Park PLEIN AIR 2008. Friday, Day of Truth

Friday is the day we turn in our paintings; stressful but also a bit of a holiday. Most of the artists have, hopefully, finished and signed their paintings; then picked out 3 to enter in the competition. This is always a little hard; I think the better you are the harder it could be. Me,- I had my top 3 no problem. Rick gave me some good feed back and I also gave some opinions to what I thought were his top 3. These choices are subjective, of course but also very personal. I have to remember that my faves are rarely anyone else's.
After the rush to turn in work by noon, then we have an afternoon to do - NOTHING -Yay! Here I am with a drill pointing to my painting in the gallery window (top right). I can't explain the drill; it belongs to Eldon Warren who was using the gallery as his personal framing space. This is a dispensation given to the 'Big Guns"; no problem, He's earned it.

Estes Park PLEIN AIR 2008. Dawn on Thursday

Here's Dawn Normali with her finished painting of Hallett Peak. Dawn has great style and this was one of my favorite pieces.

And what was I doing all afternoon? - Since I have no painting to show. . .
While looking for a view to paint I struck up a conversation with a couple from California, who as it turned out, live very near where I came from 5 years ago. She teaches at the elementary school where my son went, knew many places and people that I knew. It was one of those those unexpected and serendipitous conversations based in common threads that turned into something more, about art and faith and life; a conversation worth giving up a painting for.

Estes Park PLEIN AIR 2008. Who really needs more than 3 legs?

Later still, Rick and I drove back to town to meet up with friend and fellow painter, Eleanor Scott Meyers who, during the day had gotten separated from the keys to her little camping trailer. Her afternoon had not been a pleasant one; she and a ranger had tried to track down a locksmith then physically removed the trailer door and lock assembly to avoid a $100 locksmith house call fee. With the lock assembly wrapped in newspapers we made the hand-off, found the locksmith's home and were able to deliver it (I felt like we were transporting a live organ to a surgeon). The locksmith made short work of it all while we made friends with Bandit, his very cool 3 legged dog.
Later still, we drove back up into the Park and Rick helped Eleanor put the door back together. This is us enjoying the moment inside her little 'Scamp' trailer.

Eldon's Ten Minute Wonder

At the end of the afternoon Eldon pulled out a bunch of 5x7 canvases and I challenged him to do one in 10 minutes. This was the result; a sweet little memoir of a really wonderful afternoon, simple and direct; and Eldon gave it to me. Thanks.

Thursday Late at Sprague Lake

After grabbing a late lunch bite, several of us headed back up to Sprague Lake for the late afternoon. These are the best times; relaxed and fun, just painting, chatting, letting the day take its way. To the right is Dawn Normali and below Rick and Eldon share a view and a bit of discussion; no media here, just friends.

My Media Day View

Below is my media day view, looking over the river to a nice big spruce tree and the little lamp post in front of it. You can see I edited out the bridge and played up the angles of the building in the background. This is the kind of 'screamer' painting that gets noticed in public but may never see the light of day again. I did not enter this one into the competition or even into the show. Plenty of people remembered it tho', so in a way it had already done it's job.
This is a slight nod to an earlier discussion with Scott Freeman about performance art but for now I will leave it for another day's philosophical musings.

Thursday. Estes Park PLEIN AIR 2008.

Thursday is Media Day and painters spread out in downtown Estes Park, mostly along the Riverwalk and there are views in every direction. We talk to tourists, the media and basically advertise the Plein Air Event. I always enjoy the Media Day and try to do 2 paintings somewhere in town. This day tho', after painting on the Riverwalk, I met up with Eldon Warren and his friend Peggy Hill, a poet along for the ride (check out his blog, poetry included, at www. Eldonwarren.wordpress.com), Rick Frisbie and Dawn Normalli a painter from Estes and we headed up to paint the afternoon at Sprague Lake. Funny, how certain spots get to you. Sprague Lake is one of my favorites; morning or evening.

Long's Peak on Wednesday

This was the most beautiful day, in the beginning, but clouds began to form ahead of us and at the same time we kept watch on a storm approaching from behind us. A storm sandwich, to be sure and when we saw the lightning on ridges directly behind us - it was time to bale. Before we even reached the appointed lunch spot/coffee shop, it was pouring. There is something so nice about about meeting, eating, in a dry haven while wild weather takes over the landscape. About 12 PAAC folks swapped stories about painting, weather, wild animals and the 'one that got away'. Leslie Allen waxed eloquent about painting the Algonquin Park in Canada... sigh.
Soon, the storm passed.
I did not enter this painting into the show for lack of a frame but I was not sure if it was done. When in doubt, leave it out.

Wednesday, Painting with the PAAC

The Plein Air Painters of Colorado (PAAC), many of whom were in the Estes Event, met up in MacGregor Ranch, above the town of Estes Park on Wednesday. Rick Frisbie and I took a spot in the shade of some huge pines and from there had a wonderful view of the Estes Valley and Long's Peak.

Tuesday in the Mosquito Grove

My view was not toward Andrea but to the right and toward the valley below. A little Pine Marten, whose borrow was very near, popped out to squeak at me, several times (this is not my photo, alas, but he looked just like this). I am sure he was making pithy remarks about my painting.
And of course, there were the mosquitoes- everywhere. Two huge bites on my neck are just now beginning to heal. Ha! Vampire mosquitos. Obviously, artist lovers, but not ART lovers.

Tuesday Morning. Estes Park PLEIN AIR 2008

Tuesday morning I slept in - sort of; I met Andrea Gabel, a painter out of Greeley, up in the park around 8am. This seemed late compared to the pre-dawn painting of yesterday. We both had wanted to paint in, around or by a group of aspens. Andrea set up looking into the aspens and I set up looking out of them. In the end, I paid a high price for that view. The mosquitoes there were man-eaters and I took a couple of serious hits even tho' I covered up, sprayed up and swatted like crazy.

Monday PM. Estes Park PLEIN AIR 2008

After all the moose fun at Sprague Lake, Rick and I caught up with Eldon Warren and headed up to Endo Valley. In the background you can see a beautiful little water feature- which I chose to ignore but Eldon and Rick finished with nice pieces. I was captivated by a rather singular tree which held the light as the sun set - on a long but perfect painting day.

Monday Early. Estes Park PLEIN AIR 2008

It just doesn't get much better than this. My photography does not do it justice but the pre-dawn glow (alpenglow) in the peaks is truly amazing. The sun is still about 15 minutes from rising but the mountains get it's pre-dawn blast. Painter, Rick Frisbie, from Kansas and myself were up in the high country about 5:50 am, to see the moon set over a perfect image of the mountains on Sprague lake; another -"This is why I live in Colorado moment."

MOOSE in Estes Park. PLEIN AIR 2008

This may be out of order- blogging is crazy that way but this is Monday late morning; amazing how the light changed. The really big news here is, of course- THE MOOSE. Even the rangers told us that there were NO moose on this side of the park. This pair were probably art lovers because they hung around for over an hour.
By the bye- I did a painting while gawking at the moose. It was not to be one of my entries into the competition but it did sell at the show opening. YaY!

Monday AM. Estes Park PLEIN AIR 2008

The alpenglow on Sprague lake lasts all of about 5 minutes, that might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much. Compared to the photo taken earlier, you can see behind my easel how the sunrise has changed the light on the trees.