Taste of Creede Quick Draw

 Memorial Day weekend in southern Colorado can only mean
"The Taste of Creede".
Tucked away in the San Juan Mountains, this is one of Colorado's most colorful and classic high country mining towns and Creede loves tourists and artists. The Memorial weekend party is dedicated to Food, Culinary Arts, and Fine Art.  Sunday's 1 hour Artist's Quick Draw attracts some of the best artists,  and buyers come from all over the country.
This is my 5th year attending and it is one of the most fun events I do all year. Artists gather on Main Street in front of the Stephen Quiller gallery and paint from models, sketches, memory or the view. And tho' this year we painted in less than perfect conditions, everyone had a good time and all the work sold. Colorado painters are hardy and their buyers - very determined.
In the photos Steve Quiller paints away calmly while Sue McCullough finishes her piece, and Karen Bonnie and Kris Gosar ignore the rain.
At the bottom is my piece, painted from a sketch done on a small pond in the Conejos area of Colorado.   8"x10 " is my standard QuickDraw size and very doable in the 1 hour time frame.

Some of the artists attending: Steve Quiller, Susan McCullough, Peggy Stenmark Morgan, Kris Gosar, David Montgomery, Karen Bonnie, Charles Ewing, Jan Thompson, Frankie Will, Gail Frasier, Jessie Crock, and myself - to name a few.

Known for holiday partying, Creede also hosts the National Small Prints Show currently hanging at the Creede Repertory Theatre. Another good reason to visit Creede.
Thank You to Stephen & Marta Quiller and the Creede Chamber of Commerce for putting together a great event.

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is always an invitation to enjoy some of the Best of Colorado and this year is no different. In La Veta, the LaVeta Fine Art Gallery will kick off the summer season in the Spanish Peaks area (just south of Colorado Springs and Pueblo) with an opening party and reception Saturday night the 28th from 5-8 pm.
Also on Saturday evening in LaVeta - just around the corner from LaVeta Fine Art Gallery: the opening of the Spanish Peaks Arts Council Gallery 2011 Photography show. Two good reasons to be in LaVeta on Saturday night. Hope to see you there.












In the other direction, high in the San Juan Mountains, Memorial Day means "The Taste of Creede". One of Colorado's most colorful and classic mining towns, Creede knows how to celebrate, featuring artists' demos, restaurant food tasting, music, theatre, and children's activities all weekend. The Silver Chef Cooking Competition is on Saturday.

Sunday, May 29, at 1 pm will be the Quick Draw Contest.
The Quick Draw is hosted by Stephen Quiller, (whose gallery is in Creede) and attracts some of the best artists from several states including Steve Quiller, Kris Gosar, Randy Pijoan, Peggy Stenmark Morgan, Charles Ewing, Jan Thompson, and Frankie Will.

Quick Draw fun starts at 1 pm and artists get one hour to complete a painting. At the auction immediately following, bidders will have a chance to purchase work they just watched being done by top artists.
Creede will be the site of a lot of holiday partying but don't miss the National Small Prints Show hanging at the Creede Repertory Theatre, Lobby Gallery. In the Upstairs Gallery at CRT the 3 Friends, 3 Painters, 3 Points of View show, featuring plein air work by myself, Susan McCullough and David Montgomery is on display as well;
all well worth the beautiful drive into the mountains.

Valentine's Day at the Quiller Show

I cant think of a better Valentine gift than a Stephen Quiller painting. The next best thing however was the opening of his Italian Show on Saturday the 14th up in Historic Creede, Colorado. To see the entire show go to his website at www.quillergallery.com. Stephen Quiller is the premier water media painter, in the world - I think I can safely say that; and he is the consummate designer. This show represents his trip to Italy in '08 and it did not disappoint. We drove through snow and wind to arrive in the sunshine of Creede, which may be a little out of the way in the San Juans of Colorado, but it was so worth it. Known in the past for mining, Creede now actively attracts tourists to a beautiful part of Colorado and a lot of fine artists as well. February is a quiet time of year but the town makes the most of every opportunity; restaurants and shops open up for this occasion.