Salida Art Walk

A view of a side alley in old town, Salida, CO. Last weekend I took a jaunt up to Salida for the annual Art Walk and joined up with a couple of fellow art lovers and explorers. We had a great time seeing all the tremendous talent, visiting with the locals and enjoying the carefully restored turn of the century homes. Great little town with lots of character & charm, although a little pricey with their real estate. The Arkansas river flows through town. As we enjoyed our lunch at the BoatHouse Cantina, kayakers were playing in the water below. I may try to show during the next year's art walk, a different venue for me.

Finished my little Heeler last night. Not sure what to name the guy. I'm hoping he doesn't look too fierce but just serious about his job on the ranch. Hopefully this will be accepted into the "Raining Cats & Dogs" show that Around the Corner Art Gallery in Montrose is hosting in August. It was a fun painting to complete, full of juicy strokes and bright colors.

I'm thrilled and honored that Public Art eXperience (PAX) has chosen my oil painting, “Last Light on Little Cimarron” for this year’s raffle fundraiser. Get your tickets now for a chance to win this large 24"x36" original oil painting and support public sculpture in Montrose! Tickets can be purchased at Around the Corner Art Gallery, Montrose City Hall, or the Montrose Act offices! To learn more call 240-1420, or visit PAX online at www.cityofmontrose.org/art.

I found the inspiration for this painting while traveling on highway 50 going east from Montrose, CO towards Gunnison, CO through part of the Uncompahgre National Forest. The light on the foothills was incredible and gave the sheep a golden glow. It was a challenge painting even a small herd of sheep and striving to give each sheep individual attention and charactor.

Distractions away from painting

I've been engrossed in our gardens... at least that was the case until the recent heat wave. Here's a couple pictures of our pond refuge. Just saw our big resident toad at the edge a couple of nights ago. Soon he will be crooning to all the lady toads in the area. We can hardly wait.