Show Preview | Crested Butte Plein Air Invitational

Crested Butte, CO
Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery, July 11-13

Ralph Oberg, Ice Fall, oil, 42 x 42.

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

The picturesque town of Crested Butte is more than just a well-known ski resort. In the summer, because of its lush carpets of lupine, columbine, and mariposa lilies, it is nicknamed the Wildflower Capital of Colorado. And the area is a popular playground for people who relish outdoor sports such as mountain biking, hiking, and rock-climbing. The small town also is home to the annual Crested Butte Plein Air Invitational show and sale at Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery. This year’s participating landscape artists begin arriving in town on June 10 to explore the mountainous terrain and capture the colorful wildflower season as well as the region’s breathtaking valleys, meadows, and creeks. More than 30 prominent artists, who have been invited or juried into the show, converge here to paint, meet with collectors, and give workshops  during their month-long stay.

This year’s roster of plein-air painters includes Ray Roberts, Walt Gonske, Jill Carver, Dave Santillanes, Ralph Oberg, Carolyn Lord, Chris Morel, and Kathryn Stats. “We have a who’s who of the best midcareer landscape painters working today,” says Shaun Horne, owner of Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery.

The show also features an Open Class category for any artist who wishes to join the invited and juried painters in depicting the Crested Butte landscape. These artists then have the chance to submit two paintings to a “late juried process” and gain acceptance into the show. “I think we will have an unprecedented gathering of top-shelf talent as well as aspiring new painters,” Horne says.

Art historian Scott Ferris is scheduled to give a keynote address, titled The Natural World: The Ever-Present Conditioner of Man, a talk focused on American painter Rockwell Kent [1882-1971]. Collectors can expect to see about 400 new plein-air works in the extensive presentation. A Patrons’ Preview unfolds on Friday, July 11, at 5 p.m. The grand opening of the show takes place the following day from 5 to 10 p.m. A catalog featuring all of the works is on view online beginning at noon on July 12, when collectors can also begin purchasing paintings by phone.  —Bonnie Gangelhoff

contact information
970.349.5963
www.crestedbuttepleinairinvitational.com

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