Ron Hicks at the Windows to the Divine Invitational Paint Out (photo by Annie Pettibone).
Taos-based painter Clive Tyler took home the Best of Show award at the Windows to the Divine Invitational Paint Out and show held at Evergreen Fine Art near Denver on Saturday. Clive’s winning piece, “Colorado Flow,” also received the Collectors’ Choice Award. Other top awards went to Colorado painters Ron Hicks, Robert Spooner, and Pem Dunn.
The weekend event included a Quick Draw and a unique component, Dueling Paintbrushes, which featured Kathy Anderson from Connecticut and Arizonan Stephanie Birdsall painting on the same canvas. The “dueling duo” finished their jointly created still life depicting a vase brimming flowers within an hour, while collectors and other artists watched and dined on a champagne brunch.
More than 40 top artists from 10 states participated in various painting events, and the fruits of their artistic labors are now on view at Evergreen Fine Art through September 24. The gallery teamed up with Southwest Art and the organizers of Windows to the Divine to present the festivities. Windows to the Divine is a biennial art show and sale that takes place in the Denver area, and encourages dialogue between people of different faiths about art and spirituality. –Bonnie Gangelhoff