Kathryn A. McMahon, Water’s Edge, oil, 8 x 10.
Denver, CO
August 10-30
This story was featured in the August 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Order the Southwest Art August 2013 print issue, or get the Southwest Art August 2013 digital download now…Or better yet, just subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!
On August 10, Plein Air Artists Colorado’s 17th annual National Juried Fine Art Exhibition and Sale opens at Abend Gallery Fine Art in Denver, CO, with an artists’ reception and awards presentation from 5 to 8 p.m. The group, which was founded to foster camaraderie among outdoor painters through regular paint-outs, hosts the national competition and sale featuring the work of over 100 plein-air artists. New this year is a Quick Draw from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday and a silent auction of the still-wet works over the course of the show’s opening weekend. Here we introduce you to a few of the artists participating in the show.
Teri Gortmaker, Cherry Vale Sunset, oil, 14 x 11.
Leslie Allen still heeds her grandfather’s advice to “paint what you see” when it comes to color in her plein-air landscapes, figurative works, and abstracted florals and landscapes. Barbara Churchley captures the landscapes of the mountain West in both her pastels, which toy with colorism, and her impasto oil works.
Teri Gortmaker paints diverse subject matter, from mountain paths to moored boats to still lifes, in both oils and pastels. Plein-air paintings make up the lion’s share of Debra Joy Groesser’s oeuvre, from the grasslands of her Nebraska home to the rocky shores of the West Coast.
Lee MacLeod’s landscapes capture the vast western skies, the rocky mountains, and the adobes of the Southwest. Bonnie McGee lives in the Colorado high country, where she paints the landscape and the people passing through, from winter powder hounds schussing the slopes to national-park summer visitors.
Kathryn A. McMahon lives in Florida where she interprets marine scenes and coastal life en plein air, employing strong brush strokes and occasional impasto. Idaho artist Kathryn Riedinger primarily paints the mountain West, but a recent year in Europe inspired new subject matter.
Cynthia Underwood calls both Colorado and Arizona home and paints everything from alpine lakes to canyon rivers. She works in oils, pastels, and mixed media.
The following artists are also PAAC members: In the 1990s, Carla Forrest moved from New York to New Mexico, where she paints the sun-soaked landscapes of the West in exaggerated, vibrant color. After her entrepreneurial career took her around the world, Nancy Haley now focuses on painting the landscapes seen during her travels and near her Colorado and Mexico homes. —Laura Rintala
contact information
www.pleinairartistscolorado.com
Featured in the August 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art August 2013 digital download
Southwest Art August 2013 print issue
Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!