Estes Park, CO
Art Center of Estes Park, August 10-24
Lydia Pottoff, Nymph Lake Morning, pastel, 11 x 14.
This story was featured in the August 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art August 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
WITH QUICK access to the pristine lakes, pine forests, gushing waterfalls, and stunning overlooks of Rocky Mountain National Park, the small resort town of Estes Park, CO, is a plein-air painter’s paradise. Not surprisingly, it’s the designated headquarters for an annual paint-out known as Estes Valley Plein Air, an event that brings together top landscape artists from around the country to paint the scenic surroundings. The second annual event kicks off on Saturday, August 10, and culminates in a gala reception and sale at the Art Center of Estes Park on Saturday, August 24, at 5 p.m.
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- Kathleen Lanzoni, Spigot & Bucket, watercolor, 10 x 10.
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- Mary Giacomini, Polished, oil, 9 x 12.
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- Larry DeGraff, Morning Glory, oil, 9 x 12.
During the two weeks leading up to the gala, 35 artists can be found painting en plein air in the park, throughout Estes Valley, and in neighboring communities. (Works shown here are representative of the pieces in the show.) “A lot of artists paint the mountains here,” says event co-chair Kristi Elyce, “so sometimes the ones who stand out are the ones who paint something different.”
Take artist Lon Brauer, who last year headed to Devil’s Backbone Open Space, about 25 miles east of Estes Park, to portray some of the area’s impressive rock formations along a recreational trail. Brauer, who snapped up an award for his painting, was invited back to the event this year along with other award winners and top sellers, including Judy Crowe, Carol Jenkins, and Laura Kratz, last year’s Best of Show winner. They are joined by more than two dozen juried artists, including brand-new participants like Larry DeGraff, Mary Giacomini, and Lydia Pottoff, who won this year’s poster and wine label contest. Her winning entry, a Rocky Mountain scene entitled NYMPH LAKE MORNING, appears on the event poster and on a bottle of wine produced exclusively for Estes Valley Plein Air by local Snowy Peaks Winery.
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- Lon Brauer, Backbone Trail Loop, oil, 18 x 14.
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- Judy Crowe, Quiet Day on Creek Street, oil, 11 x 14.
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- Cecy Turner, Capitol City Aspens, oil, 12 x 9.
While the paint-out offers visitors plenty of opportunities to observe the artists in action, a crowd favorite is the Quick Draw, says Elyce. This lively event gets underway at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 24, at Riverside Plaza in downtown Estes Park. There, the artists work swiftly to complete a painting in just a few hours before the fresh pieces are auctioned off on the spot. Each artist brings up to six plein-air creations to the gala opening that evening. Works remain on view and for sale through September 27. —Kim Agricola
contact information
www.artcenterofestes.com
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- Lon Brauer, Aspen Glen, oil, 24 x 20.
This story was featured in the August 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art August 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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