PleinAir's 2020 Artist's Guide to Plein Air Painting in Colorado

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO PLEINAIR MAGAZINE

THE ARTIST’S GUIDE TO PLEIN AIR PAINTING IN COLORADO

Photo by Michael Levine-Clark

“Never let a plein aire painting sense your fear�

Molly Davis

Learn the fundamentals like drawing, composition, perspective, and light effects from master painters. Our new gallery and workshop space teaches artists how to love the outdoors and paint in true plein aire tradition.

Our founder Molly Davis has painted every trail in the open space system in Boulder for over five years hosting a show featuring 400 paintings of the Boulder Open Space system which resulted in a book of the history.

We host workshops for some of the best plein aire teachers in the U.S. on our beautiful Boulder vistas, so artists can face the unknown frontier of a blank canvas.

Upcoming Workshops Grand Opening Exhibition

Italy plein aire studies by Molly Davis

May 2020

Reception: Friday, May 1, 6-9 pm

Preserving the vision

7464 Arapahoe Ave. Ste A5, Boulder CO 80301 info@preservingthevision.com www.preservingthevision.com AG2 April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com

Tom Stevens

Telling a story with one image May 7-9, 2020

Molly Davis

Creating a sense of light and place May 13-17, 2020

Mark Daily

Color choices in the field August 14-16, 2020

Robert Johnson

The best of plein aire painting in the Rockies Sept. 21-25, 2020

CHAIRMAN/PUBLISHER/CEO B. Eric Rhoads • bericrhoads@gmail.com Twitter: @ericrhoads • Facebook: /ericrhoads EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Tom Elmo • telmo@streamlinepublishing.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kelly Kane • kkane@streamlinepublishing.com MANAGING EDITOR Brida Connolly • brida.connolly@gmail.com • 702.665.5283 CREATIVE DIRECTOR Alfonso Jones • alfonso.streamline@gmail.com ART DIRECTOR Kenneth Whitney • kenneth.whitney@gmail.com PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Nicolynn Kuper • nkuper@streamlinepublishing.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ADVERTISING Stephen Parker • sparker@streamlinepublishing.com VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES Bob Hogan • bhogan@streamlinepublishing.com • 206.321.8990 VENDOR AND CONVENTION MARKETING Sarah Webb • swebb@streamlinepublishing.com • 630.445.9182 MARKETING AND DIGITAL AD MANAGER Yvonne Van Wechel • yvanwechel@streamlinepublishing.com • 602.810.3518 DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Laura Iserman • laura@streamlinepublishing.com CONTROLLER Jaime Osetek • jaime@streamlinepublishing.com CIRCULATION COORDINATOR Sue Henry • shenry@streamlinepublishing.com CUSTOMER SERVICE COORDINATOR Jessica Smith • jsmith@streamlinepublishing.com ASSISTANT TO THE CHAIRMAN Ali Cruickshank • acruickshanks@streamlinepublishing.com SENIOR M A R K ETING SPECI A LISTS Krystal Allen • kallen@streamlinepublishing.com • 541.447.4787 Bruce Bingham • bbingham@streamlinepublishing.com • 512.669.8081 Anne W. Brown • abrown@streamlinepublishing.com • 435.772.0504 Richard Dorbin • rdorbin@streamlinepublishing.com • 410.924.0217 Mary Green • mgreen@streamlinepublishing.com • 508.230.9928 Helen Merry • hmerry@streamlinepublishing.com • 360.540.7622 Joan Revell Ryan • jryan@streamlinepublishing.com • 442.282.2270 Gina Ward • gward@streamlinepublishing.com • 920.743.2405 Plein Air Today Cherie Haas, Editor chaas@streamlinepublishing.com ­Subscriptions: 561.655.8778 or www.pleinairmagazine.com WEBSITES PleinAirMagazine.com • OutdoorPainter.com for artists PleinAirCollector.com for collectors Copyright ©2020 Streamline Publishing, Inc. PleinAir Magazine is a trademark of Streamline Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

COLORADO’S ARTISTIC HERITAGE

D

rawn to its stunning natural beauty and invigorating climate, painters have flocked to Colorado for more than two centuries, adding to the rich artistic heritage already established by Native Americans in the area. Prior to the Civil War, artists mainly visited the vast uncharted territory as part of government expeditions. In the summer of 1820, artists Samuel Seymour and Titian Ramsay Peale arrived with the expedition of Major Stephen H. Long, the namesake of Longs Peak near Estes Park. Their views of the Rocky Mountains can be found in museum collections across the country.

Nearly 40 years later, the discovery of gold along Cherry Creek in presentday Denver and the ensuing Pikes Peak Gold Rush sparked the development of the Mile High City and the mining towns in the nearby Rocky Mountains, igniting artists’ interest in the region as well. In 1861, German native Emanuel Mountain of the Holy Cross Leutze visited the Colorado Rockies to Thomas Moran gather material for his mural Westword 1890, watercolor and gouache over graphite on the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, now in paper, 17 13/16 × 12 3/8 in.

National Gallery of Art the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Avalon Fund, Florian Carr Fund, Barbara and Jack Kay Two years later, his Dusseldorf Academy Fund, Gift of Max and Heidi Berry and Veverka Family colleague, Albert Bierstadt, made the Foundation Fund first of two trips to Colorado. His grand vision of the Rocky Mountain scenery shaped the way many Americans and Europeans of the time viewed the western wilderness.

Following the Civil War, several Hudson River painters, including Worthington Whittredge, John Kensett, John Casilear, and Samuel Colman, traveled to Colorado to paint.

In 1872, Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham visited the Colorado Springs area and created View of Pikes Peak, now in the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas.

To feed their readership’s growing appetite for information about the region, national publications commissioned artists to produce accurate illustrations of the spectacular local scenery. Tasked with providing 13 illustrations for Picturesque America, Thomas Moran, known as “The Turner of the West,” made his first trip to Colorado. Taken by the landscape, he made a number of subsequent visits, resulting in a sizable body of work that rivaled Bierstadt’s, including the striking depiction of Mount of the Holy Cross above.

Today, artists continue to flock to Colorado to experience the richly diverse landscape, making Westminster the perfect home base for the 9th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo. If you weren’t able to join us this year, I hope you’ll have the opportunity to visit this magnificent part of the country someday and make your own contribution to the state’s celebrated arts heritage.

Kelly Kane Editor-in-Chief

April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com AG3

INSIDER TIPS FROM LOCAL ARTISTS

Enchanted Evening Lamya Deeb, oil, 8 x 8 in.

Saturday Sunshine Carol Jenkins, oil, 9 x 12 in.

If you’re from lower altitudes, start hydrating the week before arriving and add some electrolytes to your water while you’re here. If you’re sensitive to the altitude, purchase a couple of small canisters of oxygen, and don’t be embarrassed to take a puff when you need it.

— Lyn Boyer

don’t leave food, snacks, or even old candy wrappers in your car.

— Lyn Boyer Drink lots and lots of water! People don’t realize how easy it is to get altitude sickness and how much water it takes to stay hydrated.

— Ginger Bowen

your umbrella to your palette tripod, and make sure you have a sturdy bag for your used paper towels — leave no trace.

— Lyn Boyer

Keep an eye on the weather. There are a lot of pop-up rain showers, which usually move through quickly. But if you see storms in the forecast, make sure you are packed and off the When painting in areas around Denver and the mountains before they arrive.

Rocky Mountains, always pull off the road com- When painting in the mountains, wear sturdy pletely, leaving space around your vehicle, so as shoes and warm clothing — including a hat and — Ginger Bowen gloves — even in the summer. In the springnot to obstruct traffic.

Pack strong sunscreen (SPF 30+) and a sun hat. time, when it’s chilly in the mountains, I head — Buffalo Kaplinski I also wear sunglasses to relieve my eyes from for the lower foothills and paint the farmlands. the UV blast, at least while I’m scouting out a — Carol Jenkins Locals say that if you don’t like the weather, wait subject. five minutes or move five miles down the road.

— Chula Beauregard Of course, once you’re set up to paint, it’s not that Colorado is full of outdoor enthusiasts, so you easy to move five miles — and who wants to wait are not often alone when out of doors. Be aware Don’t bust the crust! Stay on the trails. The around when you could be painting! Wear lots of and respectful of others — in large part we’re ecosystem is fragile. You will see a black knobfriendly, so say hi! Also, don’t forget lotion and layers, including a rain jacket or windbreaker. by crust in certain desert areas called cryptochapstick; it’s very dry here.

— Chula Beauregard biotic soil. It’s made up of living organisms, — Jennifer Riefenberg and even a footstep can damage the crust for Always paint with a buddy, and enjoy the wilddecades. life, but let them have their space. In the parks, Much of the ground is rocky, and the wind — Lyn Boyer can be gusty and unpredictable. Never attach wilderness areas, or anyplace bears are active, AG4 April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com

PERFECT PLACES TO PAINT EN PLEIN AIR

I can’t get enough of the spectacular mountain vistas of Sangre de Cristos as seen from the Westcliffe area or from the south side near the Great Sand Dunes.

— Jennifer Riefenberg Highway 83 from Franktown to Colorado Springs offers spectacular views of Pikes Peak. Castlewood Canyon near Franktown is a pristine state park, offering more subjects than you can paint in a few days. And Red Rocks Park in Morrison is also a must.

— Buffalo Kaplinski My favorite areas to paint in Colorado are in and around the small historic mining town of Ward, where I live. Located at 9,000 feet, it’s full of unique buildings and great perspectives.

— Carol Jenkins I love driving up Buffalo Pass road to visit the aspen groves in any season. If I have a little more time, I’ll drive up to North Routt County, near Steamboat Lake State Park. With the Elk River, Mount Zirkel, and a lush valley lined with cottonwoods, it never disappoints.

— Chula Beauregard

(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) The Kissin’ Camels — Garden of Gods, Colorado Springs, Buffalo Kaplinski, watercolor, 10 x 14 in. • Noon on Broadway, Susiehyer, oil, 16 x 12 in. • Colorado Barn #6, Ginger Bowen, oil, 9 x 12 in.

April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com AG5

MAIN ATTRACTIONS

RED ROCKS

With its views of the Rocky Mountains, miles of hiking trails, and cinnamon-hued sandstone cliffs, Red Rocks Park provides spectacular scenery about 16 miles west of downtown Denver.

ELDORADO CANYON

Situated about 20 minutes south of Boulder, Eldorado Canyon State Park features cascading canyon walls, lush pine forests, and winding trails.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

Spanning the Continental Divide in northern Colorado, the park encompasses protected mountains, forests, rivers, and alpine tundra.

GARDEN OF THE GODS

This Colorado Springs’ park boasts dramatic views of towering sandstone rock formations against a backdrop of snow-capped Pikes Peak.

CHAUTAUQUA

Boulder’s historic, 120-year-old park serves as the gateway to the Flatirons and offers miles of Open Space trails.

AG6 April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com

From Rocky Mountain National Park with its high mountains and lakes to the Colorado National Monument and its stunning red rock formations, it’s hard to play favorites.

— Dan Young

Ponds, a peaceful spot where I’ve painted hundreds of times. With the changing seasons, there’s always something new to inspire, and familiar aspects that feel like coming home.

— Lamya Deeb

We are fortunate to have many preserved, natural open space areas in Boulder County. My go-to place is Sawhill

A favorite spot to paint is Baker’s Bridge, 25 minutes north of Durango on the Animas River — the site of the

GREAT PLACES TO SEE GREAT ART STEAMBOAT ART MUSEUM

(Steamboat Springs) This rural “boutique” museum hosts two annual exhibitions by living master artists or by the country’s top arts organizations, and an annual plein air event.

KIRKLAND MUSEUM OF FINE & DECORATIVE ART

(OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP) Mid-Valley Morning, Chula Beauregard, oil, 9 x 12 in. • (OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM) April Horses, Dan Young, oil, 11 x 14 in. • (ABOVE) Baker’s Bridge, Lyn Boyer, oil, 8 x 10 in.

• (LEFT) Aspen Impressions — Autumn Fire, Jennifer Riefenberg, oil, 16 x 16 in.

(Denver) Housing one of the most extensive public displays of international decorative art in North America, the museum also boasts a collection of Colorado and regional fine art.

DENVER ART MUSEUM

famous river jump in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Historic Durango itself is full of painting opportunities, including old buildings and the celebrated Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway, with its restored steam trains still doing the DurangoSilverton run. If you can spare an extra day, don’t miss riding the train, which offers the only way to see the Animas River gorge.

— Lyn Boyer From prairies, big skies, mountains, mesas, deserts, and waterfalls to smalltown and big-city scenes, Colorado has many diverse and spectacular landscapes.

Picking a favorite is difficult, but I do have a preference for painting in the winter, as there is nothing like fresh snow under blue skies. A few favorite spots include Westcliffe, Breckenridge, Waterton Canyon, Cherry Creek (or other nearby rivers), Lair o’ the Bear Open Space, Grand Lake, Durango, and Grand Mesa.

— Jennifer Riefenberg The Denver Botanic Gardens offers interesting views almost any time of year.

In May, the bulbs, flowering trees, and shrubs will be blooming like crazy. Don’t miss the lilacs!

— Susiehyer

(Denver) One of the largest art museums between the West Coast and Chicago, it maintains renowned collections of European and American paintings.

FINE ARTS CENTER AT COLORADO COLLEGE

(Colorado Springs) For more than 100 years, the Fine Arts Center has offered a chance to see worldclass art in the Pikes Peak region.

April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com AG7

Plein Air Artists Colorado 24th Annual National Exhibition Plein AirJuried Artists Colorado

BRUCE BINGHAM Austin, Texas

24th Annual National Juried Fine Art Exhibition and Sale

Early Snowfall, 12 x 12 in., oil brucebingham@gmail.com | www.brucebingham.com Represented by Beach Gallery, Virginia Beach, VA; The Little Gallery, Roanoke, VA.

Fences, 2019 Best of Show Winner, Jennifer Riefenberg

October 2020 Wilder Nightingale Fine Art

CECY TURNER Dallas, Texas

Taos, NM

CALL FOR ENTRY Deadline May 1, 2020

Enter your best plein air paintings!

Plein Air Artists Colorado (PAAC) was started in the early 90’s and creates opportunities for artists to paint outdoors together on a regular basis. Our annual juried exhibit offers examples of excellence in painting that can be achieved ‘en plein air — and we have been showing strong for nearly 25 years!

PAAC is proud of its more than 300 members representing at least 27 states.

Join us and enter this year’s annual show!

Find out more at:

PLEINAIRARTISTSCOLORADO.COM

Green with Envy, 12 x 12 in., plein air oil Available at Wild Horse Gallery, Steamboat Springs, CO cecy@cecyturner.com | 214.734.9315 www.cecyturner.com Represented by Wild Horse Gallery, Steamboat Springs, CO; Mary Williams Fine Arts, Boulder, CO; Weiler House Fine Art, Ft. Worth, TX.

KATHRYN RIEDINGER

JENNIFERÂ RIEFENBERG

Stables at Dawn, 12 x 18 in., plein air oil kmriedinger@gmail.com 303.809.9425 | www.kathrynriedinger.com Represented by Mary Williams Fine Art, Boulder, CO.

Aspen Impressions - Snowfall, 14 x 18 in., oil Available through Mary Williams Fine Arts | 303.938.1588 jennifer@artofsunshine.com | 303.250.2015 www.artofsunshine.com Represented by Mary Williams Fine Arts, Boulder, CO.

Ketchum, Idaho

KATHLEEN LANZONI Boulder, Colorado

Hancock Mill, 11 x 8 in., watercolor Available through the artist kathleenlanzoni@gmail.com | 303.898.3734 www.kathleenlanzoni.com Represented by Mary Williams Fine Art, Boulder, CO; Creative Framing & Art Gallery, Louisville, CO.

Cedaredge, Colorado

LEE MCVEY

PAPNM-M, IAPS-MC, PAAC

Albuquerque, New Mexico

South Valley Acequia #2, 12 x 9 in., plein air pastel Available through the artist lee@leemcvey.com | 505.417.3516 | www.leemcvey.com

CAROLYN LINDSEY

Solitude 14 x 11 oil on panel

ANN PISTO F I N E A RT

apistofineart@comcast.net • annpistofineart.com

AG10 April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com

Cottonwood 8x10 in. Plein air

CAROLYNLINDSEY.COM LINDSEYCJ@PLATEAUTEL.NET

A. R. MITCHELL MUSEUM OF WESTERN ART

www.armitchellmuseum.com

150 E Main St. | Trinidad, CO | 719-846-4224 armitchellmuseum@gmail.com

April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com AG11

NEW SOLO SHOW ROOTS - A Year at Perry-Mansfield by CHULA BEAUREGARD “There is nothing more powerful to connect me to people and places as the act of painting.” ~ Chula Beauregard

June 5, 2020 Art Opening in Stmbt Spgs, CO June 13 & 14 Plein Air Painting Workshop

“Dancers in the Pavilion” 20”x 24” oil on linen

12 monthly Plein Air paintings, several significant studio pieces, historic photos of the 106-year-old camp & more

for more information please visit www.ChulaBeauregard.com

NON-BLEED

Plein Air Gallery Frames We know your art is invaluable - and we’ve made it our business to preserve it - since 1979.

970-493-5966

www.coloradoframes.com

www.etsy.com/shop/ColoradoFrames

Your Paint Here.

Order today at OutdoorPainter.com/apron

PleinAir™ magazine pocket apron $35.00 plus S&H.

AG12 April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com

Mary Williams Fine Arts Boulder, Colorado Osmosis Art Gallery Niwot, Colorado ELEVATING THE MUNDANE RICHARD MCKINLEY SHARES HIS SECRETS

Lamya Deeb

HSIN-YAO TSENG, LORI PUTNAM PEGGY IMMEL, MITCH BAIRD Ever Watchful TIM OLIVER, OLENA BABAK

lamyadeebfineart.com NON-BLEED

24 x 12” oil

$15K SALON WINNER TOM HUGHES

M A G A Z I N E

The cure for claustrophobia.

EL EV

Subscribe | 800.610.5771 pleinairmagazine.com

AT IN

G TH E RIC

M A G A Z I N E

M UN

DA NE

HA SH AR RD MC ES HIS KIN LE Y SE CR YA O ET S PE GG TS EN G, LO RI Y IM TIM OL ME L, MI PU TN AM TC IVE R, OL EN H BA IRD A BA BA K $1 5K SA LO N WI NN ER TO M HU GH ES

HS IN-

JULY 2019

Fog at Back Cove Tom Hughes, acrylic, 45 x 60 in. private collection, studio from plein air painting

JULY 20 19

April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com AG13

Jay Moore -represented by the Shaun Horne Gallery in Crested Butte, Colorado

“Whetstone Mountain”, 30x40” oil painting of the Crested Butte area

Crested Butte is among the best mountain landscape painting locations in the United States The Shaun Horne Gallery Also Represents Ray Roberts / Don Sahli / Carolyn Lord / Gay Faulkenberry / Dawn Cohen / Shaun Horne

shaunhornegallery.com • shaunhornepainter@gmail.com • 970.209.2550

LONNY GRANSTON

Burr Trail 24 x 18 inches, soft pastel

Represented by

Osmosis Art and Architecture • Niwot, Colorado

lagvisualarts.com AG14 April-May 2020 / www.outdoorpainter.com

Susan McCullough

Gallery: Wilder Nightingale, Taos, NM mcsue12@gmail.com • www.susanmccullough.com “Golden Afternoon” 12x16 Oil on panel

DAVID SANTILLANES | NORTH PARK | OIL | 24 X 48

PA I N T I N G S

|

BRONZE SCULPTURES

ART GLASS, WOOD, CERAMICS L O C A L I N S TA L L AT I O N S

|

|

|

L A R G E S T U D I O PA I N T I N G S

M O N U M E N TA L B R O N Z E

I N S U R A N C E VA L U A T I O N S

|

|

COMMISSIONS

F R E E A R T C O N S U LTAT I O N S

Located in the Historic & Creative Districts of Downtown Steamboat Springs, Colorado 8th & Lincoln Avenue | 970.879.5515 | 970.819.2850 wildhorsegallery.com | wildhorsegallery@wildhorsegallery.com

WHG_Ad_S2020-v2-2.indd 1

3/6/20 4:07 PM