Painting The Parks - Estes Park Colorado

Last week I spent a glorious 6 days in Rocky Mountain National Park...working. (I repeat....is this a GREAT country, or what?) My "work" was participating in the 7th Annual Estes Park National Paint Out, sponsored by Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park and Earthwood Collections Gallery.

63 artists came together to paint on location from August 9 through August 22, choosing a moment in time and special place to paint...including Rocky Mountain National Park, Big Thompson River canyons, views along the Peak to Peak Scenic Highway, and/or people and places in Estes Park, Colorado. Given a 50 mile radius in which to paint, artists chose to document cityscapes found in the various front range communities of Colorado. The public was invited to watch the artists paint during the two week painting period. All paintings were event stamped and authenticated and only works created and stamped during the painting period were included in the exhibition and sale.

In 2005, I participated in this great Paint Out and left the area with a list of places to paint...."next time". Well, "next time" has come & gone..again, & I still have a long list. So, I guess I'm going to have to go back next year..(yee-haa).

For this year's event, I submitted 6 paintings to my "host gallery", Earthwood Collections in Estes Park . (paintings are available for purchase through Earthwood Collections (970-577-8100) Estes Park, Colorado until September 30th.)

"Longs Peak Vista" (view from MacGregor Ranch)

11" x 14" Watercolor

"Photo Op" - (RMNP Bear Lake & Hallett Peak )
9" x 12" Watercolor

"Sprague Lake" (RMNP)

11" x 14" Watercolor

"The Stanley"

Historic Hotel, Downtown Estes Park

(People's Choice Award)

11" x 14" Watercolor

"View from Riverwalk Park" (Downtown Estes Park)

11" x 14" Watercolor

"Big Thompson" (Moraine Park area, RMNP)

11" x 14" Watercolor

Colorado.... Here I come!

My husband had major surgery on August 4th ; he's home now and doing much better. In fact, I'm packing up my "hubby" along with my paint gear and will be on location in Rocky Mountain National Park come Monday, August 18th. I'm participating in the Estes Park Plein Air 2008 - Painting the Parks". I LOVE MY JOB!!!! "Below Olympus Dam - Big Thompson River"

Three years ago, while on location during the 2005 Estes Park Paint Out, my son drove up from Denver and fished the river downstream while I painted looking back upstream. "Below Olympus Dam" is one of 2 paintings I completed that day; my son has the other painting. We talk of that day often; it's one of our favorite "mother & son" memories.

I plan to complete 2 paintings a day. If I have internet access while in Estes Park I'll be posting daily. Otherwise...I'll catch up when I return August 26th.

On another note, I delivered my illustrations for the children's book yesterday. I'm under a confidentiality contract until it's published so I can't post them yet....but the author was pleased with my work and gave me another book to illustrate. It's a Christmas story and I'm on a mid-September deadline. I'll begin work on it as soon as I return from Estes Park.