Show Preview | Cynthia Underwood

Vail, CO
Cogswell Gallery, August 8-20

This story was featured in the August 2014 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art August 2014 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

Cynthia Underwood has always had an aptitude for art. Growing up in Oklahoma, she received numerous awards in local and regional drawing competitions and had dreams of becoming a professional artist. “I wanted to study art in college,” she says, “but my parents had other plans.” So she agreed to pursue a more “practical” career and spent much of her working life in the oil and gas industry. But everything shifted in 2005. “I took a pastel class with a friend, and I’ve been painting ever since,” says Underwood, who made the leap to full-time artist two years ago.

This month, Underwood presents more than 20 new studio and plein-air paintings in oil and pastel in a solo show at Cogswell Gallery in Vail, CO. The show hangs August 8-20, with receptions for the artist from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, August 15, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 16. The majority of works in the show depict the dramatic landscapes that surround the artist’s homes in Colorado and Arizona, but there are also a few animals and other subjects in the mix. “I like to paint a little of everything, but my favorite subject is the landscape,” Underwood says. “I feel so fortunate to live amidst such beauty, and I want to share my experiences with my collectors, so they can bring some of that beauty into their homes.”

Gallery director Jason Leach says that’s precisely what many collectors are doing. “Though Underwood is one of our newest artists, she’s getting a lot of attention at the gallery,” he says. “She is well known in the Vail valley for her fun, small paintings of the surrounding mountainous landscapes—and with her prices being so reasonable, some of our customers take home two or three of her pieces at a time.”

As Underwood continues to work on her craft, she hopes to bring “the nature and beauty around us” into more and more homes. “I strive to make each piece reflect the excitement I’m experiencing at that moment,” she says. “I’m finally doing what I truly enjoy, and hopefully that joy is reflected in my work.” —Lindsay Mitchell

contact information
970.476.1769
www.cogswellgallery.com

Featured in the August 2014 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art August 2014 print issue or digital download Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!